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The Whigs

Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip

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by DrunkenFuel on 11/27/2006

Earlier this year, The Whigs signed with ATO Records, allowing the public a chance to hear Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip, the Athens trio's self-released debut album. Previously, the only way to get your hands on a copy of the trio's CD was to either:

A) Attend a show
B) Travel Great Distances into the Deep South
C) Cheat and buy it off the Internet

Being a product of Atlanta, I was able to procure an original self-released copy at Decatur CD, a little CD shop located in the city of Decatur, GA.

With Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip, The Whigs add a southern twang to classic Indie Rock. Recorded in an empty antebellum frat house across from the legendary 40 Watt club, the Album's no-frills production captures the energy of the band's live performances, which translates into pure unadulterated listening experience.

Give 'Em all a Big Fat Lip revolves around young love and all the problems associated with relationships. The album opens with a reverberating cord organ over which the desperate slightly horse and fuzzy voice of Parker Gispert tells you that Nothing is Easy in love. Nothing is easy / but don't you know nothing is not the easy way out, Parker's voice delivers these lyrics perfectly, telling us that love and life was never meant to be easy.

The catchy Overdriven fuzz guitar rifts of Technology paired with Parker's voice and delivers one of the best track of the album. A crowd favorite, Technology highlights the bands unique sound and stylistic lyrics.

Half the World Away, with psychedelic trance inducing synthesized harpsichord, dreamlike lyrics, and catchy guitar rifts, exemplifies the difficulties with long distance relationships and the breakups they produce.

The opening lyrics to O.K, Alright, Well if you talk to loud/ and if you walk to loud/ Well I'm already over you/Keep my feeling away, embodies the thoughts and feelings after losing your one true love. O.K, Alright shows that after a long-term relationship, you protect yourself from being hurt again by finding insignificant faults in your new lover in order to escape the relationship.

The album's title track captures all the angst of a lost love and willingness to release the pint of rage and frustration on the man sitting next to you in bar on a Monday afternoon with a strong and fast percussion and Parkers horse and raspy voice blaring out the lyrics.

The album chronicles the highs and lows in relationships, but mostly lows, like no other. The bands unique southern spin on the modern Indie rock separates them from the other garage and college bands out today. Parker Gispert's slightly raspy and desperation filled voice paired with an overdriven and fuzz-toned guitar, solid drum kit, and periodic synthesized organs create layers of sound that build upon each other to culminated in a sound all their own.

You can try to compare The Whigs to other bands out today; however, you will find yourself with a very short list, in my belief a list that is very empty.

The country has come to expect great things from band that call Athens Georgia home. Can The Whigs live up the city's past?

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Album Details

Year: 2005
Label: The Whigs
Producer: The Whigs
Musicians: The Whigs: Parker Gispert, Julian Dorio, and Hank Sullivant Featuring: Patrick Franklin - trombone, David Freeman - Saxophone, Wes Funderburk - trombone, Mico Bowles - trumpet

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Tracklist

1	Nothing is Easy
2	Can't Hear You Coming
3	Technology
4	Written Invitation
5	Don't Talk Anymore
6	Violet Furs
7	Half the World Away
8	O.K, Alright
9	Say Hello
10	Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip
11	All My Banks

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