The Whigs:&nbsp;Modern Creation
The WhigsModern Creation&nbsp;(New West)Rating: 3 out of 5
&ldquo;I just want to run forever, and I want to rock and roll.&rdquo; Those few words (from the album cut &ldquo;Too Much In The Morning&rdquo;) tell you most of what you need to know about&nbsp;Modern Creation, the fifth full-length from long-running trio The Whigs, recent transplants from Athens, Ga. to Nashville. Where their previous albums weren&rsquo;t necessarily burdened by excessive production,&nbsp;Modern Creation&nbsp;dials back even further on the overdubs, reducing the group to its essentials. Aside from a piano run here or an organ pad there, what you hear is pretty much what you&rsquo;ll get on stage, a solid, satisfying, uncomplicated block of grunge-influenced rock from a machine oiled by years of heavy touring.
Recorded by forty-plus year industry veteran Jim Scott, the wide-open arrangements allow each of the few elements to sound their most massive. In a few places &ndash; the hypnotically-grooving track &ldquo;The Particular,&rdquo; for example &ndash; it feels like the delectably rich guitar tone could come forward a little, but that impression could be a product of listening to too much music that&rsquo;s been compressed within an inch of its life, where whispers and screams are at the same dynamic level. While the songs aren&rsquo;t the most complex ever written, even among The Whigs&rsquo; catalog, they are perfect for cruising with the windows down.