Totally Whigged Out

After jumping from Sub Pop to Elektra, The Afghan Whigs unleashed a masterpiece of an album on an unsuspecting and unfortunately indifferent public. Gentlemen lived in my CD player for most of 1993 and still makes frequent appearances. It was the best rock album of that year, and one of the best of the decade.

Gentlemen is song cycle about love gone bad, rather than just a collection of unrelated songs. One must listen to it from front to back in order to truly understand the record. The Whigs abandoned their punkier sound for this album, and produced much more polished rock songs, a trend that had it's beginnings with their last album for Sub Pop,
Congregation.

Greg Dulli is the lead singer and songwriter for The Afghan Whigs, and his tortured lyrics are grabbing. His voice ranges from a whisper to a scream with seeming ease and adds much to the feelings the songs elicit from the listener.

Debonair is the song that first hooked me on this record with its driving beat and guitar. The lyrics are amazing, as Dulli details his inability to act like an adult in a relationship, which subsequently falls apart. This is pretty much the theme of this record.

Anyone who has ever suffered through a traumatic breakup will identify with this criminally underrated record. The Whigs will probably never receive the recognition they deserve, sadly. Buy this now and be one of the people in the know.