MISSION
CONTROL
By DANIEL RORTVEDT
Clarion Arts and CultureEditor
After most of what I’d read about The
Whigs – and after noticing their latest
album “Mission Control” had a running
time of just over 37 minutes – I imagined
listening to it might be like listening to
300 teenagers let loose in a gymnasium
for a short period of time.
The Whigs proved me wrong.
Within that 40-minute chaos, the
power trio manages to condense a smart,
hard-hitting storm of melodic hooks and
tight lyrics.
The rocket takes off with the opening
riff to “Like a Vibration,” and I know
this band is not here to waste my time.
Lead vocalist Parker Gispert croons, “My
reputation is hanging around my neck;
it’s hanging out in bars.” The quality of
Gispert’s voice, his no-nonsense lyrical
approach conjures a “clean” Kurt Kobain
in my mind. Before I know it, the song is
over and the band has moved on.
With the slide guitars and country feel
of “Sleep Sunshine,” The Whigs get in
touch with their southern side (the band
is from Athens, Georgia). On this track,
The Whigs are at their best. I’m taken to
a front porch in Georgia. I put my feet
up and my arms behind my head. Time
crawls along.
While the band has released some
tracks from the new album online, the
CD packaging is a work of art in itself
and is worth enjoying. The case is of
cardboard consistency and opens like
an old record. The accompanying insert
attaches an old-time family photo to each
track listing.
The Whigs are unpretentious. In “Already Young” Gispert promises, “I
don’t care what your old man thinks of
me.” “Mission Control” will not launch
you into a concept and carry you along.
It will hammer you with rhythmic power
chords and brush you with cascading
melodic riffs. It will leave you wondering
what the Whigs would come up with
if they left themselves a little more space
in which to operate. |
