San Diego's The Donkeys strike a balance of smiling, surfer mysticism and winking, slacker mystique. They reanimate the charming hallmarks of sunshine-rock past without being sepia-toned retro or bubblegum-cloying. There is an innate playfulness and honesty to the music they make. It's a dynamic that has made public champions of keen-eared musicians like John Darnielle (Mountain Goats) and Craig Finn (The Hold Steady). It was Darnielle who claimed The Donkeys were benevolent keepers of The Antidote to an unnamed sickness plaguing indie rock. We liked that sentiment a great deal. Don't Know Who We Are, I Like the Way You Walk, Bloodhound, Born with Stripes, Kaleidoscope, West Coast Raga, New Blue Stockings, Ceiling Tan, Oxblood, Bullfrog Blues, Valerie, East Coast Raga
