Thank God people still know how to play rock n’ roll. That was my first thought when I heard Whatever Forever, the latest release by New Hampshire-based quartet The Migs. After going to college in New Hampshire, I have become accustomed to associating that area of New England with smelly hippies and boring, repetitive jam music (my sincerest apologies to anyone who is a Trey Anastasio fan). Naturally, I was pleasantly surprised with The Migs’ raucous, surfy, 60s-inspired tunes. In fact, the middle of “When She says My Name” immediately conjured-up images of The Kinks playing a basement gig in 1965 (I wasn’t around then, but I’m fairly confident this is what they would have sounded like). The guitars are tight, and the vocals are loud and somewhat muffled, adding to the raw rock-awesomeness of this collection of songs. Weighing in at a modest 7 tracks, this record packs a hell of a lot of rock into such a small amount of time. I thought everything was very well-balanced and the use of organ (most notably on the eerie “Gravestoned” and the dance party that is “Fuzzy Sun”) really helped to add nice depth to the tracks. I’m more than excited to hear original rock tunes sounding so good that are coming from the Northeast. So, if you’re bored at work (and who isn’t), or just looking for some kick-ass tunes to listen to, scroll down and give Whatever Forever a listen. – Dan McMahon
