THE WAR ON DRUGS
FULL DISCOGRAPHY DEEP DIVE
INTRO:
Along with the undeniable conveniences of having the world of recorded music at your fingertips, streaming services do deliver a double-edged blade in that there can be SO MUCH amazing music that can, just as easily, slip by.
Committing to The War On Drugs FULL DISCOGRAPHY DEEP DIVE definitely highlighted that pitfall. I had been aware of the band’s name and general sound (fitting into a niche I definitely gravitate towards). My only defense is that when things come so easily and are combined with such a massive overload of other options, it is too easy to ‘file away’ even music that you immediately feel a connection with. Truth is, at any given moment I could easily mention dozens of bands & acts that I FUCKING LOVE, but admit that I haven’t listened to in ages. It just happens.
I was eager to right this wrong - determined to decide if this was a big mis-step or if I had neglected the band because of well-placed intuition.
NOTE: For each album, in addition to including thoughts, I will be offering a Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down rating, as far as whether I would suggest the album to a friend. I also give a letter Grade to more specifically share where each album falls on my personal scale. For what it’s worth.
Wagonwheel Blues
Personnel: Adam Granduciel (vocals, guitars, keys, drums), Kurt Vile (guitars, keys, vocals, trumpet), David Hartley (bass), Kyle Lloyd (drums)
Produced by: Adam Granduciel & Kurt Vile
Released: June 19, 2008
The War On Drugs - and particularly this debut album - are so squarely in my wheelhouse (pun intended) that I was Strikingly amazed that I haven't held a closer handle on them over the years.
All that said, I really (re)enjoyed this collection.
The one thing I’ll start with, that was a new listening experience I had with these review listens, was that the Dylanesque tendencies in the swirl jumped WAY out to my ears. Might just be a selected memory, but I recall much more Springsteen foundation in their sound (though the harmonica in opener “Arms Like Boulder” just screams BRUUUUCE). And who knows, that could become more pronounced on later albums. It probably didn’t hurt that I also just had a recent concentrated spin through Blonde On Blonde - but the many Dylan connections were much more pronounced than I expected. A song like “Show Me The Coast” just screams it out - in all the best ways.
My favs - “Arms Like Boulders”, “A Needle In Your Eye #16” (which had spot-on Nebraska-era Springsteen vibes filtered through Arcade Fire-ish repetition), & “Show Me The Coast” (I especially dug the extended take on allowing the pacing of that track to display all of its charms at its own sweet pace) - could have kept this collect afloat even if the remainder was only lackluster. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
Of tracks that I didn’t recall, I felt numbers like “There Is No Urgency” and “Reverse The Charges” displayed some fantastic haze, swirl & cloudy ambience that I simply don’t remember associating with the band. Those two tracks do push the album in very positive ways with the textural layering they offer up. The tracks also include tendencies that are much more aligned with My Morning Jacket than the comparatively straight-ahead Americana-rock approach of The Jayhawks or Ryan Adams.
**NOTE: A rare Monday Morning Quarterback album rewrite from me: I would have ended the album with “Show Me The Coast”. I get the idea behind the super low-fi “Barrel of Batteries”, but would have preferred a well-recorded full-band version of that song stuck somewhere earlier in the album. As it stands, it remains my only ‘low point’ in the company of such winning material.
CONCLUSION: Looks like this will be a nice re-flamed love affair FULL DISCOGRAPHY DEEP DIVE. I love just about everything employed in this album. And personal bias to this particular niche-styling aside, the songs are well-crafted in such traditionally solid ways and the performances deliver just what is needed to help them convincingly cross the finish line that I’ll award an easy Thumbs Up and a Grade of a solid B.
Slave Ambient
Personnel: Adam Granduciel (vocals, guitars, keys, drums), David Hartley (bass), Robbie Bennett (keys, guitar), Mike Zanghi (drums)
Produced by: Adam Granduciel & Jeff Ziegler
Released: August 16, 2011
This was a completely fresh listen for me as I somehow previously missed this album entirely.
The immediate note I made as I gave it a listen (and this was echoed each time I returned - which was quite a bit) was that the sonic progression in the band’s sound from their debut to this collection was not unlike the move Mumford & Sons made from the powerfully striking one-two combo of their first two albums to the decidedly manicured production sheen of their 2015 3rd album, Wilder Mind. Speaking of, it does seem like some healthy give & take could be at play here on that front. Certainly, TWOD (Granduciel & Vile) had to be fully aware of M&S (who definitely reached a wider, more commercially successful audience), but TWOD got the jump on the M&S debut and, likewise, this album preceded Wilder Mind and its shift in sound. Neither band ‘own’ the Americana sound, but I found the comparison of the timeline interesting.
There is still plenty of what attracted me to the band’s debut to be found, but with repeated listens, this album felt like a wholly positive (& not insignificant) step forward. The songs all met the well-crafted standard that was established on Wagonwheel Blues, but the attention to production approaches elevates the proceedings in pretty significant ways.
Not able to help myself with context framing - I count Wilco (one of my favorite ‘modern’ bands) as ground zero for this particular mix of Americana roots rock thoroughly rinsed with an experimental art-rock wash. Their undisputed classic, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001), is a clear influence here - but I fully appreciate the way TWOD manipulate those tendencies to so fittingly serve their artistic statement throughout.
In fact, the various winning artistic choices abound. There is layered ‘noodling’ throughout - not unlike the nuances that Eno brought to the early Roxy Music albums or that Jay Bennet & Jim O’Rourke delivered in the production handling of Wilco’s YHF. I was also especially taken by the three transition instrumentals (“The Animator”, “City Reprise #13”, & “Original Slave”) as they not only bring some fantastic textural variances to the table, but also speak to a greater collective artistry.
Though I didn't get as much of it as I expected on the first album, there are plenty of touch-points to Springsteen’s Nebraska - specifically the opener “Best Night”. So many of the songs deliver such an attractive lazy river unfolding approach - doing an especially good job of allowing thoughtful repetition to create an almost hypnotic ‘train in the distance’ trance effect - a favorite technique of mine when used so convincingly. Also picked up on what feel like nods to Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket, & Americana/country artist Rodney Crowell. And I also was reminded, quite a bit actually, of Dire Straits.
They once again end with a simple acoustic guitar ballad, but as this track is recorded well and features added instrumentation, it makes a fine closer.
Vocally, Granduciel seems to fall into more of a Tom Petty drawl then the more obvious Dylan phrasing found on the first album, - but as his vocals didn’t bother me at all to start with, this really changes nothing. Don’t know if it was just the ripple reminders of Petty’s voice, but several of the tracks (“Your Love Is Calling My Name” specifically) deeply brought to mind something the Heartbreakers could have released. I also picked up on reminders of Jay Farrar’s vocal work (Farrar founded Uncle Tupelo with Jeff Tweedy - essentially single-handedly launching the whole modern alt-country niche - before Tweedy went on to start Wilco).
And before I even listened to the first note of this album I made the note: ‘I really dig the album title and cover artwork.’
CONCLUSION: Though the band started off very strong with their debut, this album is a superior collection. In addition to being a crazy unexpected (& unknown) pleasure to listen to, it plants itself firmly as an album that I will keep clearly on my radar moving forward. Its many charms earn it an absolute Thumbs Up and a Grade of the highest B+ I can deliver.
Lost In The Dream
Personnel: Adam Granduciel (vocals, guitars, keys, drums), David Hartley (bass), Robbie Bennett (keys, guitar), Charlie Hall (drums)
Produced by: Adam Granduciel
Recorded at: Uniform Recording, Philadelphia / Echo Mountain Studios, Asheville
Released: March 18, 2014
Things just keep getting better. Even more rewarding is the fact that this was a true discovery, as I did not know this album as well as I thought I did. And this was the TWOD album I felt I knew the best - HAHA!!
Though I was perfectly content with TWOD’s deft handling of Americana-infused art rock up to now, the almost seismic shift to 80s-pop production sheen found all through this collection is like easing into a warm bath. So complete and seamless is the transition that you could almost call it a different band.
I’ll take a moment more on the 80s production connection because, to me, it plays such a crucial role in this album's success. I picked up on production & sound choices that reminded me of a host of acts - from “You Got Lucky” era Petty & the Heartbreakers & 80’s Fleetwood Mac to Tears For Fears & solo Don Henley. And also some nice washes of Springsteen’s quieter moments from Born In The USA - including some tasty sax lines (which I would have loved to have heard employed a bit more, truthfully).
I will say, it almost seems the 80s-nod is pushed to extremes (though not in a negative way) as the keyboard hook employed in “Burning” owes more than just a little to the keyboard hook in Rod Stewart’s 1981 hit “Young Turks”. Maybe it is wink-wink intentional, maybe just one of those things. But as “Young Turks” is - by far - my favorite Stewart track, this won’t even flag a slight warning from me. Bring it on, I say!!
Considering that Granduciel takes sole credit for producing this album seems to speak to his clear love of these soundscapes. I (rarely) felt that the connections drawn were of a ‘heavy lifting’ nature, but more of a fond reminder. Whatever you call it, this album lays out as a perfect hybrid of old & new and it suits this particular incarnation of Granduciel’s musical tastes & vision in very on-target ways. This last ‘general’ thought came to me after quite a few listens, but I found myself thinking about this album as a sort of modern (w/ plenty of well-placed 80s touchpoints) relative to Van Morrison’s untouchably perfect Astral Weeks. I mean this in the way that the sonics and overall pacing affected me.
A few more things I love about this collection (a list of specific moments, in no particular order):
- The committed way that opener “Under The Pressure” - a near perfect song in its own right - actually ‘finishes’ at 5:37, but then for another captivating 3:15 dissolves and morphs through an alluring Eno ambient daydream. To me, a real artistic statement that earns total respect.
- Lots of subtle (but completely perfect) little musical adds - the simple piano line used in the close of “Suffering” (though very tasteful piano adds can be found throughout the album), the haunting echo of harmonica in “Disappearing”, & the beautiful steel guitars in “Eyes To The Wind”.
- Perhaps the one thing that stood out the most in extremely positive ways to me was Granduciel’s fantastic guitar work - especially great on “An Ocean Between The Waves”, throughout “Disappearing” & on the mesmerizing “The Haunting Idle”. I’ll have to go back and give the first two albums a better listen, but as I listened to this collection, this fact seemed to JUMP OUT at me. Certainly it hadn’t made itself known so prominently before. He just lays down such entirely sweet Knopfler-ish fills (continuing the Dire Straits connection) - super augmenting the songs in stunning ways. His playing and lead work, combined with the waves of lush 80s-informed production, is what makes this collection the stellar offering that it is.
They do cut back to a single instrumental (the trippy guitar ambient of “The Haunting Idle”), but as the opening track almost hits 9-minutes, two crest 7-minutes (with another just behind) - the band is clearly committed to giving themselves plenty of room to stretch out - allowing unrushed exploration to fully engage. Shit, I could have listened to the gentle flow of “Suffering” easily twice as long as its six minutes. This hallmark move - allowing for the space that is needed - works so much magic to my ears and delivers such a rewarding listening experience.
CONCLUSION: If TWOD can top this album (or even continue as persuasively on this same musical tract), I may have to radically rethink my dedication to staying intimately familiar with post-2000 bands/artists (especially those that fall within the musical territories that I appreciate the most). If this was a 2023 release, I have absolutely no doubt that it would make the upper echelons on my year-end Top Ten list. In fact, I guarantee it. Thumbs Up times ten and I proudly offer a confident Grade of a strong A. Can’t wait to see what happens next with the band.
A Deeper Understanding
Personnel: Adam Granduciel (vocals, guitars, keys, drums), David Hartley (bass), Robbie Bennett (keys, guitar), Charlie Hall (drums), Jon Natchex (saxophone)
Produced by: Adam Granduciel
Released: August 25, 2017
A fucking Grammy??!! Who the fuck knew??!! I’m telling you, my not having this band more firmly and intently on my radar is chalking up to be one of my most fragrant modern-music missteps.
Though I have certainly been known to harp on a band’s recycling of musical choices that didn’t really work previously, I also try not set impossibly high bars for collections following an album that I particularly enjoyed. Given the very intense satisfaction that TWOD’s last two albums brought me, I was more than a little curious about how I would perceive A Deeper Understanding. Ends up I fretted for nothing.
I dig the album title tipping the hat to Kate Bush (whose “Deeper Understanding” appeared on her classic ‘89 release, The Sensual World), but I loved even more that the drum pattern (kicking in at the 1:12 spot) used in “Up All Night” totally reminded me of “Running Up The Hill”. Granduciel’s ascension to being a bonafide & masterful 80s-inspired pop purveyor is complete.
Rarely has a grouping of songs that so immediately & convincingly drew nostalgic connections, done so in such an original and completely unique way. These are songs I love - both for what they remind me of and for how they convince me of their own independence.
That is, Granduciel uses the influences to color his palette, not finish the painting.
Sonically & stylistically, this is a sister collection to Lost In The Dream. They overlap and compliment without blurring or repeating. Whereas LITD won me over with its fluid dream-state, I pick up on what feels like greater attention to studio fine-tuning. A Deeper Understanding is a fucking great sounding and an excellently produced record. I think where I am landing in defining the subtle differences between the two is that LITD feels a bit more intimate and suited for headphones, whereas ADU feels more open & lighter - pairing great cranked up in the Jeep with the windows down.
After growing tired on ping-ponging back in forth as to which album I ultimately preferred, I am quite content to call it an even tie - with the obvious understanding that the slightest breeze could tip one over the other on any given day/moment, only to be overtaken or tied-up again in a snap.
CONCLUSION: To say that TWOD is on a winning streak would be a gross understatement. Back to back albums that so convincingly showcase a defined sound in such a focused manner are rare and deserve to be celebrated. Which I am happy to do. ADU scores another Thumbs Up and a confident Grade of solid A.
I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Personnel: Adam Granduciel (vocals, guitars, keys, drums), David Hartley (bass), Robbie Bennett (keys, guitar), Charlie Hall (drums), Jon Natchex (saxophone), Anthony LaMarca (guitar, keys, drums)
Produced by: Adam Granduciel & Shawn Everett
Recorded at: Electric Lady, NY / Sunset Sound, Hollywood
Released: October 29, 2021
This most recent The War On Drugs release continues the admirable trend of manipulating and repurposing familiar musical phrasings in such a way that convincingly manages to win over and stand on its own feet.
Right away I picked up on a more traditional pop-rock approach employed. This is not a criticism, as it lands in the same general territory as a solo Lindsey Buckingham (even some of Granduciel’s guitar work moved from the Knopfler style on ADU to a more immediate Buckingham pitch) or post-1990 Crowded House album. That is, incredibly well-crafted songs, meticulously recorded & produced.
Attention to tightening has resulted in shorter songs - even the three songs that stretch to over 6-minutes feel significantly more direct then the artistically-comfortable tracks found on previous albums. The hour worth of music lands perfectly, not out-staying its welcome, but actually providing a result - though different than earlier albums - just as impressive.
I will say that plenty of very specific 80s moments continue to play a role - the guitar line at the beginning of “I Don’t Live Here Any More” is pure “Boys of Summer” by Don Henley, drum programming reminiscent of Phil Collins kicks-off “I Don’t Wanna Wait”, “Victim” had absolute Peter Gabriel DNA-strands, & several tracks (in general ways) reminded me of the sort of 80s track that made Byran Adams such a huge star. All of these remain positives in my mind, as they are echoes which are employed in earnest ways - never once taking away from the
And though it does feel as if artistic experimentation is replaced by a more direct approach, the foundational charms that so elevated each of the other TWOD albums is still so firmly in place that a wholly positive result remains. This isn’t reinventing-the-wheel music, but it is very satisfying and makes for a solid listening experience.
CONCLUSION: This more directly approached collection is filled with quality - on every front - and earns an easy Thumbs Up with a Grade of a solid B.
