War On Drugs
Philadelphia’s The War On Drugs aren’t easy to pigeonhole, and that’s a plus when so many new bands sound “new” by tweaking their favorite style from the past. In the tension between grand ambition and mid-fi recording, The War On Drugs are definitely indie-rock, but the touchstones for Wagonwheel Blues, their debut, come from unexpected sources.
Adam Granduciel pens florid, expressionistic lyrics and sings them with a poet’s fervor: the way he comes down hard on vowels at the end of lines is blatantly Dylanesque, but the quaver in his voice also recalls Mike Scott of the Waterboys. The blast of harmonica that opens the album also cues Dylan connections, but Granduciel and fellow multi-instrumentalist Kurt Vile, helped occasionally by others, are also fond of shimmering drones, most prominently displayed on the My Bloody Valentine meets Velvet Underground layers of guitars in the ambling ten-minutes of “Show Me The Coast.” A song like “There Is No Urgency” could be off-putting in its prophetic proclamations, but it’s refreshing to hear a band going for grandeur, and hitting the mark.
Standout Tracks: “Arms Like Boulders,” “Buenos Aires Beach” STEVE KLINGE
