New Music: War On Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues

With their heck-of-a debut record out for almost a month now, The War On Drugs are finally getting some deserving press.

1. Secretly Canadian* writes:

"The War On Drugs push the boundaries of a quintessentially American music. . . . Bringing a does of the West Coast to the hard streets of Philadelphia, their songs recall the '80's guitar army of Sonic Youth with the captivating lyrics and vocal stylings of Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen. . . . Walls of guitar--acoustic, electric, twelve-string--douse each track of this debut album, threatening to cast the band into space-rock territory, but the melodies and immediately identifiable lyrics soldier on to keep these songs from blasting into the esoteric beyond. . . . The War On Drugs have that unmistakable singularity that comes along only so often, with the spirit of invention and playfulness lying earnestly at the forefront of their creative process."

*Grain of salt: it's clearly in SC's interest to talk up label artists.

2. Pitchfork gave their typical seven-point-something in an album review last Thursday, but the article nonetheless has its intelligent moments:

"The War On Drugs make excellent road-trip music. As its title implies, the Philly quintet's debut, Wagonwheel Blues, is Americana reimagined as blacktop and yellow lines, rubber tires, and overpriced gasoline. The album urges you along the interstate, but never burdens you with the stigma of roots music or reached-for authenticity. Of course, the band invokes the usual influences: Adam Granduciel sings like Bob Dylan . . . and the band nods to fellow Philadelphians Marah, to the Waterboys, and of course, to the Boss himself. . . . but . . . the War On Drugs filter these elements through the noise of early Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth. Their songs are tangles of guitar, distorted harmonica, and droning organ, all wrapped so tightly that they become indistinguishable. . . ."Show Me the Coast" is a 10-minute epic that devolves into what might best be described as the E Street Band doing shoegazer.

On Wagonwheel Blues, the War On Drugs' approach comes across as not only natural, but imminently worthwhile, as if these revered sources needed to be roughed up a bit to sound new. . . . the War On Drugs aren't just another indie band with arena ambitions. Instead, they craft a big sound for their big ideas, so that Wagonwheel Blues fills the space between horizons."

3. And finally, from The Fader Magazine:

"It's not often that we totally nerd out and say things like: This album is so well sequenced, because, like, what does that even really mean? It turns out that it means the War On Drugs' [ new record] Wagonwheel Blues is Jamming and also totally Springsteeny and Dylany without getting caught up in all the nostalgia that comes along with taking cues from those dudes. The War On Drugs made a totally serious album, shimmering and sprawling—it's as inspiring as it is exhausting and dense."

To me, Wagonwheel Blues is a tremendous album that pays homage to near-mythical musicians of the past by re-working those influences through an innovative, contemporary lens. I highly recommend the record, and I enthusiastically agree with the above praises; though I'd also include the disclaimer that the album's not immediately forthcoming.  Like Boxer (2007), or Joanna Newsom's voice, this one is a grower.  

Wagonwheel Blues is out now via CD and LP on Secretly Canadian.

Album highlight "Taking the Farm" is up for streaming in the Gold Soundz player top right, and available to download here.

Barrel of Batteries, a free demo EP by the band that includes 4 additional songs, can also be downloaded here.