aaamusic | On 24, Jan 2011

The Whigs is a three-piece band that has seen its fair share of fame; most of it in the U.S., and most of it from the sidelines as the dutiful support act for more big acts than you can shake a stick at. In the early days, Parker Gispert, Hank Sullivant, and Julian Dorio were enrolled at University of Georgia in Athens, the same town that spawned the quintessential college rock band, R.E.M.

Their headlining shows in Atlanta were almost always packed– and not just with weekenders from fraternity row. Watching The Whigs in those early days, it was easy to understand the appeal. The band’s jangly, Southern brand of indie rock was never especially novel, but their rare combination of power and raw, naïve energy ensured that their sets were always pushed to the brink without ever spilling over.

This is their third album and first without founding member/singer/songwriter bassist Hank Sullivant, who split in 2008 to join MGMT and also start a solo project.  It’s hard to say for sure how much his loss influenced the direction of ‘Dark’, or whether this album was always part of their plan. Either way, it’s a dreary, dispiriting development. Dark is technically flawless but wholly sterile, like a Whigs album as conceived and executed by Hollywood session musicians on an especially short leash

The man behind the glass was producer Ben H. Allen, who is best known as a ‘Mixer’ of considerable influence, having cut his teeth working with rap artists such as Lil Kim P.Diddy and Cee-lo Green, whereas his interest in avant garde rock has led him to work more recently on work by the likes of Animal Collective’s critically acclaimed 2009 release ‘Merriweather post pavilion’.

With production of such quality, it’s not surprising that ‘In the dark’ is beautifully mixed, using Allen’s considerable know-how to capture the Whigs live sound (live being where they come into their own – Check out our own live review at http://www.aaamusic.co.uk/2010/12/23/the-whigs-borderline/), while creating music that is accessible. With The Whigs’ cult following – a la Canadian rockers Rush – being one of the largest in the country, the group has no real goal other than to become the headliners.

Having gained initial popularity back in the mid naughties as a great live band that played from the heart and dished out rollicking garage rock with sincerity, enthusiasm and bags-full of technical proficiency with drummer Julian Dorio for example being voted drummer of the year 2007 by Esquire magazine.

‘In the Dark’ is their latest album in six years after those initial attention-grabbing local shows, even though it sounds several lifetimes ago. There is good reason for the changes that have been going on within the dynamics of The Whigs, which have led it to be much changed from its original format. Founding member and co-songwriter Hank Sullivant parted ways with the Whigs following their first ATO effort, ‘Mission Control’.

‘Mission Control’ took the Whigs to a much grittier and faster-paced world of rock than their 2005 debut, ‘Give;Em All a Big Fat Lip’, and ‘In the Dark’ is the same sort of creature. Featuring tighter production and harder drumming, yet still grungy and distorted, ‘In the Dark’ strives to capture more of the Whigs’ onstage electricity while still maintaining pieces of the band’s original sound.

The garage-rock power trio from Athens, Georgia earned significant goodwill throughout 2008 on the strength of their second album ‘Mission Control’, particularly its lead single, ‘Right Hand on My Heart’.  The Whigs start out full of promise here, electing ‘Hundred/Million’ to travel the same dirty, echo-filled path taken by revival rockers like A Place to Bury Strangers. On first listen, ‘In the Dark’ then seemed to grind to an embarrassing halt over the next 38 minutes, with Parker Gispert’s directionless moan and guitar on ‘Dying’; wrapping a thorough bleed-out of album energy.

Apart from Gispert’s sonic input, there doesn’t seem to be much of great import coming from the other two corners of this trio, Deaux and Dorio, which thus attracts allusions to other bands with a strong work ethic where the frontman plays such a pivotal role.  Bands like Dinosaur Jr., and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers spring to mind as does the question – are The Whigs happy to continue in this fashion?

Author: Guy Waddington