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The Whigs
Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip
ATO Records
Download “Technology” (MP3, 192kbps)
PopMatters Review: Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip
Although Athens, Georgia club favorites The Whigs have built enough momentum over the last couple years to snag opening slots for trendy, high profile bands like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand, the music of The Whigs actually hearkens back to the glory days of indie rock during the early 1990s, when American indie rock was at is most indomitable and vibrant. They might hail from Athens, the home of R.E.M., Neutral Milk Hotel, and the Drive-By Truckers, but The Whigs’ own version of Southern indie rock, while indebted to early R.E.M., sounds inspired mostly by bands from further north, more specifically, Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s Superchunk and Archers of Loaf, with touches of Dinosaur Jr. and Built to Spill tossed in as well. When performed well, that kind of simple, mega-amplified music can still sound thrilling, and judging by the apparent success of The Whigs’ live shows, and the potency of the live recordings this writer has heard, the robust sounding trio of guitarist/singer Parker Gispert, bassist/guitarist Hank Sullivant, and drummer Julian Dorio are certainly on the right track. (Album re-released 09/19/06 on ATO Records)
PopMatters Feature: “Athens’ Rich Pageant: The Whigs Breathe New Life into the Famed College Rock Capital” (11/19/04)
