New Music Tuesday - The Whigs

The Whigs - Mission Control
3.5 out of 5

Ok, so I wanted to review the new Blood Red Shoes album this week, but unfortunately the U.S. iTunes doesn't carry it, so I'm gonna have to find another way to get my hands on it. In it's place I'm going to review a little bit of an older one: Mission Control by the Whigs came out in January of this year. Mission Control is a great sophomore effort, with a few standouts amidst a solid group of loosely country-based rock songs. The album opens with "Like a Vibration," which introduces us to Parker Gispert's slightly twangy, raspy holler and Julian Dorio's furious drumming. The drumming in particular is important to note, because when the songs start to feel a little stagnant and like your typical alt-rock, power chord ditties, the drums are what lift the Whigs above their peers by pushing the songs along. The Whigs take a few risks on this one that pay off as well, as on the pretty and lazy "Sleep Sunshine." Parker's drunken drawl, slide guitars, and a lilting drum and chord progression make for a slightly psychedelic, laying-in-bed-with-a-hangover song.

The gold star of the record, however, goes to the straight-forward rock anthem "Right Hand on My Heart." Opening with a great pounding drum beat, and closely followed by a continuously pounded distorted note, it's instantly grabbing. By the time Parker starts singing, "All the fallen leaves will find their branches again," there's no way out. One repeated verse, one note backing it, and a desperate chorus add up to one seriously catchy song. Add in a wild man yelp and a blistering guitar solo and you have my early leader for song of the year.

Although not terribly original (think of a more comprehensible Kings of Leon or a less countryish Son Volt), this is a solid rock album you can put on and listen to from start to finish, with other highlights like the horn-infused "I Got Ideas," and the two-chord stomp of "Hot Bed." If you use iTunes pick this up for only $6.99

The Whigs Homepage
The Whigs Myspace

MP3: The Whigs - Right Hand on My Heart
MP3: The Whigs - I Got Ideas