Replacing the locatedness of their earlier albums with a misguided appeal to the masses, Athens, Ga.’s the Whigs, with their third release In the Dark, have produced a clear dud of a record. “Boring” is perhaps the best way to describe the record as the band has taken away all the interesting references to their homeland and replaced them with generic anthem-rock clichés and lyrics that are unnecessarily meaningless and naïve. Take the first single “Kill Me Carolyne” as an example. Sonically, the track could have been made by any number of bands and it would have sounded the same. This could just as easily been a song written by the Killers or even Muse, as it follows the typical verse-chorus-verse formula, revolving around an over-produced sound sucking any creative fragment or fracture out of the bands aesthetic. And then the lyrics “You give me the authority/ you give me the authority/ you give me the authority/ to lie.” And then about a minute later comes “You give me eternity/you give me eternity/you give me eternity to die.” Really? If you’re going to use repetition, it’s usually a good idea to make sure what you’re saying is actually worth repeating. Perhaps I’m being too harsh, but I can’t help but see this record as failing on so many different levels. Considering that In the Dark was created by a band previously so attuned to its surroundings, it’s shocking to see them putting out such an abstract and opaque piece of work. Pass on this one, folks. (ATO Records, www.atorecords.com) Jeff Friesen
Winnipeg music & culture since 1989