Stand-Out of 2014: Lost In The Dream by The War On Drugs

    I can't say The War On Drugs (AKA Adam Granduciel) has been a band i've heard too much about in the past but their latest effort Lost In The Dream, released March 2014, is the type of album that has the power to make waves and recruit fans.

   Album opener "Under The Pressure" represents the band's sound throughout the album perfectly, employing a lot of reverb and spacey synth action before bringing in soothing piano touches that compliment singer/guitarist/songwriter Adam Granduciel's voice nicely. The song overall brings a solid groove that you can get into but at the same time relaxes you, which I think characterizes the entire album well.

   The next song (and also the first single) "Red Eyes" reveals a more driving side of Granduciel that puts me in a convertible driving down the highway in the middle of Summer. In fact, the tune reminds me a lot of Don Henley's "The Boys Of Summer" in terms of rhythm, synths, and guitar licks popping in and out.

   I also hear a lot of influences thoughout Lost In The Dream from Pink Floyd and 80's rock (think U2, Genesis, and a bit of Tom Petty). "Eyes To The Wind" and "Lost In The Dream" even throw some Bob Dylan vibes at you. If I were to make a recipe for Lost In The Dream it would go something like this: Meddle + Achtung Baby + Highway 61 Revisited + A heavy dose of effects.

   Lyrically, Lost In The Dream doesn't offer too much in my opinion. While the themes of the album seem to revolve around feeling run down and tired, Granduciel's words are, for the most part, drenched out by reverb and other effects, making it hard to understand what he's trying to get across. The second half of the album features more songs where you can hear the vocals better but even then there aren't many statements made here that make me want to go tweet a quote from a song due to how "mind blowing" it is (which, I admit, is something I do occasionally). It's probably for the better that the first half of the album's vocals are difficult to comprehend for this reason, having more melodic power than poetic.      

   The War On Drugs have been recording and releasing albums since 2008 without much acknowledgement but I think Lost In The Dream really shows what Adam Granduciel can do with his music. I can't say the lyrics would give Bob Dylan much amusement but sonically the album works well through texture and hypnotic synths in the less wordy songs. Give it a listen if you're up for something new, i'd give it a 7/10. 

Image from "Lostinthedream" by The War on Drugs - http://pitchfork.com/news/53210-the-war-on-drugs-announce-new-album-lost-in-the-dream-share-red-eyes-plot-tour/. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lostinthedream.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Lostinthedream.jpg