Unlike the political party, American Garage-rock band –The Whigs – do not seem all that revolutionary, but certainly appear to have a rather laissez faire, rock ‘n’ roll attitude, and seem to be enjoying a similar wave of success to the radical group of the 18th century. Having been named as one of Rolling Stone’s top ten bands to watch back in 2006, and now receiving increased attention and praise across the Atlantic, The Whigs’ fourth album ‘Enjoy The Company’ offers a lively and eclectic range of songs that trio – Parker Gispert, Julian Dorio and Timothy Deaux – can be proud of.

The album opens somewhat dramatically with a rather lengthy track. ‘Staying Alive’ alternates between sounding like some sort of ‘70s prog-rock, Status-Quo-esque band and a cool, contemporary Indie outfit. Complete with slices of ska-infused brass and interludes of climatic guitar riffs filled with reverb and effect, this opening track almost takes the form of three songs fused into one. At over eight minutes, it is a pretty prolonged start to the album, though with so much going on, it is impossible to get bored of this musically diverse and uniquely enjoyable song.

The eclectic fusion of ‘Staying Alive’ appears to remain a consistent theme for the entirety of ‘Enjoy The Company’, and a variety of discernible influences are evident throughout. Whilst tracks such as ‘Gospel’ and ‘Rock and Roll Forever’ are reminiscent of some ‘90s Britpop groups, ‘Tiny Treasures’ seems more Grunge inspired, with traces of Eddie Vedder-sounding vocals. The similarly rocky, upbeat ‘Summer Heat’ seems appropriate for the rare heat wave we are currently experiencing, and I would quite happily ‘lay in the summer heat’, listening to some cool songs from this garage-rock trio.

‘Couple of Kids’ and ‘Thank you’, on the other hand, are more gentle and mellow than other tracks, and come complete with their own emotive lyrics and warm melodies. Similarly, the album’s closing track – ‘Ours’ – is full of pretty, impassioned guitar melodies and heartfelt sentiment, and I could even go as far as to say it reminds me ever so slightly of some of the acoustic ‘In Your Honor’-era Foo Fighters material (and I don’t use that reference lightly…)

I have therefore decided that I certainly would ‘Enjoy the Company’ of The Whigs at a party or live event, and some of the tracks on the album really do make me want to get up and ‘rock and roll forever’…

Mari Lane