Sock it to 'em and don't give a damn

Album: Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip
Artist: The Whigs
Label: ATO Records
Release date: 2005

RATING: 3.5/5 stars.

The hostile punch of a title that adorns the cover of The Whigs' debut album is hardly the commercialised 'come hither' that most artists opt for, yet given it was originally an independent release, it has an endearingly self-sufficient message that whisks it away from any pretentiousness or undignified grabs at fame. And this is indeed an album that pretentiousness wouldn't poke with a ten-foot pole. ATO records did though, talent-spotting the band and scooping them quickly into a contract. There is much promise in the band that is approached by a recording company, instead of vice versa, and it is quickly apparent that The Whigs achieved their fame by the plain and simple fact that they have a good sound.

Give 'Em All... doesn't quite explode with the aggression the title and cover suggest, opening with tense, jabbing chords that build into a curiously poetic mid-pace ballad in "Nothing Is Easy". "Nothing's not easy /But don't you know that nothing's not the easy way out?" bursts from lead singer Parker Gispert's throat with a surprising eloquence and wisdom that make you wonder just how much garage rock you're about to hear. Apart from that though, most of the lyrics on the album don't make much sense, with Gispert rasping phrases such as "Sleep through dreams that drift you in my world /And when my legs get tired, I think I'll twirl", or repeating un-contextualised fragments like "I'm sailing over weight and overweight that's fine", or simply spitting dreamlike poetry such as "I swear I care what you wear /And all your thoughts rolled up and down your sleeves". But the confident count-off and explosively catchy bass and power chords of "Violet Furs", followed closely by the 60s/indie-pop inspired "Technology" that runs a bit like a garage rock version of Belle & Sebastian, leave no room to doubt The Whigs' cover promise of wholehearted enthusiasm and raw, unbridled musical energy.

(From here)

There are far more mid-tempo, indie-influenced tracks than rough threats of punches and violence however. "Don't Talk Anymore", "Half The World Away" and "Say Hello" fall into languid grooves with pop accents, albeit with distorted grungy solos, feedback and rapid gunfire drum fills.  "Can't Hear You Coming" and the title track itself intersperse the medium pace with punches of rebelliousness reminiscent of early punk, especially in the often mercilessly raucous vocals, but overall this album contains far more indie-pop influences than its grungy image bargains for. Album-closer "All My Banks" provides a sensitively arty but perhaps unnecessarily heavy end to the track listing that, despite its captivatingly haunting atmosphere, starts to drag before its 6'49" denouement.

Nevertheless, sincere performances, contagious zeal and a number of impressive standout tracks make this an album that displays pleasing versatility and enough rocky punch to have you cheering at any number of given moments, despite its surprisingly melancholy aftertaste. This winning combination is a sure-fire Monday morning pick-me-up and promising debut.

Is it worth my $$$? - Listen before you buy, because it's not all that you might expect - but certainly a happily consistent and enthusiastic performance of a bunch of great songs from a (then) fledgling band.


Listen to: Violet Furs, Nothing Is Easy, Technology