Originally published in The Aquarian Weekly

February 20, 2008

The Whigs / Mission Control

ATO Records

Their C.V.may say Athens, GA, but you

have to look to the northwest to identify

their sound. Echoes of Minneapolis bands

like Husker Du, The Replacements and

Soul Asylum abound on The Whigs’ first

ATO album.

This is the kind of band that you want to

root for. You just know that they’re driving

around in some beat up van, and playing

in some pretty dank clubs. They deliver the

songs with the kind of passion that only

true believers can summon up. Lead singer

Parker Gispert unleashes a mighty yowl

over the big guitar riffs, and drummer Julian

Doro propels the band forward while

remaining sympathetic to the songs.

The Whigs are all about doing the

fundamentals, and doing them well.

Producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith)

has done a good job of harnessing the

power of the band, and there’s no doubt

that these songs must sound great live.

The Who-like drum and guitar flourishes

of “Right Hand On My Heart” will induce

some serious air guitar playing. “Already

Young” borrows a hot riff from The Yardbirds,

and a horn section is deployed to great

effect on “I Got Ideas.”

So go ahead, root for The Whigs. We

need all of the authentic, hard working

bands that we can find. And the fact that

they can write really catchy three-minute

anthems doesn’t hurt either.

In A Word: Power-Pop

Grade: B+

—by Ken Shane