There's No Denying The Whigs

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 23, 2010 5:40PM

Let’s get this right out of the way; The Whigs sound uncomfortably similar to Kings Of Leon. So similar you’d be forgiven for confusing the two. Both are adept into molding a southern swagger into catchy mainstream anthems, but while Kings Of Leon have grown softer in recent years - hellfire preacher boys no longer - The Whigs have stayed lean and mean.

Their latest, In The Dark, opens with an ominous musical groan before kicking off like a horse zapped on the rump by a Taser, blistering ears with “Hundred / Million.” It’s indicative of much of the material on the album since it seems like while the song starts off in a dark place, a melancholic and slightly despairing corner, the music does its best to illuminate its surroundings and push forward with optimistic hope.

This is good time music to be sure though. It just takes into account that its audience might be damaged too. There’s no deep underlying message here, and that’s probably while they have such a wide-ranging appeal. We’ve listened to the album a dozen times in order to find out what exactly distinguishes their music from so many other band mining similar territory and then it hit us … we had listened to the album a dozen times and still hadn’t tired of it.

The Whigs may not be creating deep art but at least they’re creating something deeply satisfying.

DOWNLOAD LINK: The Whigs' "Hundred / Million" and "In The Dark"

The Whigs play tonight, April 23, at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W Lake, 9 p.m., $15, 17+