Album Title: In The Dark
Featured Track: “Kill Me Carolyne”
Record Label:ATO Records
Website: www.myspace.com/thewhigs
Bio: With their stunning third album, IN THE DARK, the Whigs have gone widescreen. Bursting with energy, emotion, and unpredictable experimentation, the Athens, GA-based trio tear open the artistic envelope, bringing both nuance and eclectic strength to songs like “Hundred / Million” and the raucous first single, “Kill Me Carolyne.” IN THE DARK is both atmospheric and ambitious, without losing the pedal-to-the-metal power that earned them universal praise as one of America’s finest young rock ‘n’ roll bands.
Much of the album’s amplified creative direction can be attributed to the involvement of bassist Tim Deaux, who joined founding members Parker Gispert (guitar/vocals) and Julian Dorio (drums) just prior to the 2008 release of the Whigs’ acclaimed second album, MISSION CONTROL.
“There aren’t words to describe how lucky we are to have found Tim,” Dorio laughs. “Parker and I would just be sitting here, staring at each other.”
An exuberant, no-holds-barred live act, the Whigs followed the release of MISSION CONTROL with nearly non-stop touring, spending much of 2008 traversing the planet as a headline act, special guests of Kings of Leon, The Kooks and Drive-By Truckers, and with stage-stealing festival performances at such international events as Lollapalooza, Fuji Rock, and T In The Park.
“We’d had a good time touring and traveling,” says Dorio. “We had absorbed a lot of music and new experiences, so there was a lot in us to pour out. There was no shortage of ideas.”
While previous Whigs recordings kicked off with Gispert’s songwriting, this time the rhythm section took the reins. Dorio and Deaux began collaborating in the band’s practice space, crafting near-complete songs built upon drumbeats and bass lines.
“It just kinda clicked,” Dorio says. “We ended up going in every single day, almost as if we were clocking in to go to work.”
“It was really important that Tim was a part of this record from the ground up,” Gispert says. “From day one, he’s been knee-deep involved in this record, which is how it should be.”
The detailed rhythm tracks provided a solid foundation for Gispert, allowing him the opportunity to write in a more responsive fashion. As a result, his guitar lines and vocal parts became increasingly dynamic and precise.
“It was really exciting for me,” Gispert says. “To have an idea already in place that I could instinctually react to, as a guitar player and as a singer. It allowed me to not over think things before they had even gotten started and to spend more time working on things I don’t normally work on.”
The Whigs laid down demos throughout the first part of 2009 and on June 1st, entered Athens’ Chase Park Transduction studio with longtime friend Ben H. Allen producing. Allen – who had been behind the board for two of the past decade’s most pivotal works: Gnarls Barkley’s “ST. ELSEWHERE” and Animal Collective’s “MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION” – was an avowed fan of the Whigs from the very start. Allen was present at the Whigs’ very first gig and had even helped record the band’s early demos.
