The Whigs - In the Dark Review

Posted by Aaron Mayagoitia on 03.14.2010

Southern trio manages to deliver a boring rock album.



The accolade

The Athens, Georgia band known as The Whigs is described by The New York Times as “Two-chord guitar and drums furor worthy of The Who”, which is enough to make you think that The Whigs are a rock fan’s dream. But after listening to the band’s third album In the Dark, such a lofty description becomes exaggerated. The Whigs do make extensive use of the most basic sonic tools, but to compare them to one of the most exciting rock bands in history is misleading since on extremely few occasions does the music on In the Dark deliver exciting or enduring moments. Erroneous comparison aside, In the Dark is a boring rock album that won’t surprise you, entertain you or leave you wanting more. If anything, it will only have you waiting for the album’s running time to end.

Bits and pieces

The salvageable aspects of In the Dark are few and scattered throughout; you may find a catchy chorus, a cool bass line, or a tasty lick here and there, but they are not strong enough to make songs stand on their own, much less give way to a strong album. When the music is at its best is when an early-U2 vibe of propulsive drums, chiming guitar, fluid bass lines and soaring vocals takes over, but that doesn’t happen very often or for too long. Frontman Parker Gispert sings most of the time in a soothing voice you wish he would take to higher places, and his guitar-playing only occasionally has traces of enthusiasm; drummer Julian Dorio’s approach is unimpressive; bassist Timothy Deaux does a good job filling the empty spaces with melodic bass lines. Lyrically, the songs range from average to humorous.

What’s the good stuff like?

Even though there are not many outstanding songs on In the Dark, those that work are jangly, catchy rock confections. “Kill Me Carolyne” is the album’s best song because it sounds like time was spent putting it together – unlike other songs that sound like demos, not because of the recording quality, but because of their thin, unfinished feel. “Black Lotus” has a certain sunny radiance to it that the rest of the album lacks. “Hundred / Million” has an irresistible chorus that keeps the song from being filler. And that’s basically it. Only three songs on In the Dark are worthwhile, the rest range from forgettable to barely good. Are those three songs good enough to make you seek out the album? No. Just go ahead and download “Kill Me Carolyne” from the band’s MySpace page and you’ll be fine.

The good, the bad and the highlights:

The good are the three good tracks on the album which also happen to be the highlights. Jangly guitars, melodic bass lines and catchy choruses are what make these songs work. “Kill Me Carolyne” is the album’s winner because of its outstanding craft and because it features the album’s best vocal performance. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is not up to par with this type of quality.

The bad is the rest of the album. The songs sound half-baked, lazy and unimpressive, not to mention that they sound unfinished and thin. There may be a certain element here and there that spices up even the worst song on the album, but it’s not enough to make them any good. Being that the best songs are at the beginning of the album, listening to the rest of it is a boring experience.

The highlights are:

Hundred / Million: A laid-back vibe and catchy chorus make this one shine.

Black Lotus: Like driving next to the beach on a sunny afternoon.

Kill Me Carolyne: The only song you should care about. Download it.

What else is on?

Here are The Whigs playing the Late Show:



Yawn…

In the Dark is a poor album you should avoid. There are way more bad songs than good songs on it and the good ones aren’t that good. The most noticeable flaw In the Dark has is that it feels like a collection of uninspired demos. Hooks and melody are what makes three songs on the album stand out. This is the type of album that marks a band’s decline.



Two out of three ain’t bad

As a special bonus, here are two of the best songs on In the Dark (“Kill Me Carolyne” and “Hundred / Million”):

The 411: The Whigs have failed to deliver with In the Dark. It is boring and sounds like a collection of uninspired demos. There is only one outstanding track on the album you’d be better off downloading separately. Otherwise stay away from this flop.

Final Score:  4.5   [ Poor ]