Radio Exile | The Whip – X Marks the Destination Review

The Whip – X Marks the Destination Review

By Dan Berkman - May 11, 2009 | Email the author

To be perfectly honest the first time I listened to The Whip‘s full length, X Marks the Destination, I was standing in a very long line at the post office. I know that is not unique or interesting but it is the truth. Since I had plenty of time on my hands I decided to throw my headphones on and escape into music for a while, so I didn’t have to listen to two older gentlemen talk loudly about which Caribbean Island was best to visit.

The only thing I had heard about The Whip [MySpace] before this first listen was that they were a dance-rock (punk) band and after listening to the first several tracks on the album, that the term wasn’t really all that fitting. Sure X Marks the Destination has some really deep grooves and dance beats, but their sound and influences run much deeper then what is coming out of a Ghettoblaster in Brooklyn.

The Whip have found a way to combine a set of broad influences into one cohesive and dynamite sound. They have the dark minimalist textures of Kraftwerk, the dance-heavy electro-pop of New Order, high energy guitar licks all topped with a powerful snarling vocalist, who instead of singing about parties and pretty girls is actually saying something.

This is important to keep in mind when exploring the album. It would be easy to get side tracked on the wonderful opening track, “Trash” and think that every song is going to have that upbeat dance feel. Like I said earlier, The Whip, has much more to show. Other tracks like the lovely “Frustration” are pure early 80s New Order bliss, then just a couple of tracks later we arrive at the instrumental “Divebomb” and “Sister Siam”, all of which shows a heavy debt to house music like The Dust Brothers. Despite many people’s negative impressions of music of the style, The Whip inject enough of the familiar to expose listeners to something outside of their comfort zone.

No matter what speed the band is trying to achieve, those that listen should strap in for a ride. The average track length on the album is around 5 minutes, this may scare some people off, but The Whip are skilled tacticians and make great use of all of this time. There is always a great hook, instrument, vocal or lyric right around the corner and there is always a tight, likeable groove that keeps things interesting.

Sure, The Whip takes risks, but that is exactly what makes music fun to listen to. With, X Marks the Destination, The Whip have injected brand new life into a rather stale and tired genre. My advice is just put the record on, slip your headphones, take a walk and let X be your destination.

[mp3] The Whip – “Trash”