The War On Drugs – ‘Lost In The Dream’ album review: an audible trip into a dreamy abyss
So, those Kurt Vile days have been long gone. Vile’s exposure to the music scene has been somewhat prolific, but The War On Drugs has been collating strong pieces of musical work in a gradual haze. Their 2008 album, Slave Ambient, was released to immense critical acclaim. Vile or no Vile, The War On Drugs are most certainly on top of their game, and now, we have a new arrival, Lost In The Dream.
This album is aptly titled, here; The War On Drugs have induced a more ambient mixture of songs that distort with benevolence and charisma. The palette of sounds in this album is seamlessly woven into two sectors: whirring loops that intersect with upbeat guitar riffs that do indeed create a grand influx of euphoria throughout. One thing that you can never disassociate with TWOD, and that’s… yeah, you guessed it, Bruce Springsteen. It’s not to say that’s a bad thing because, according to Adam Granduciel (vocalist, guitarist), he’s heavily influenced by the Boss over the years.
There’s a beautiful flow that The War On Drugs produces in their music. The songs progress naturally and don’t feel as if they are contrived or controlled by structures, which is somewhat fresh for the likes of indie rock bands today. They have almost raw quality, yet they are pervasively polished and produced immaculately. The lengthy, well-executed songs are lush and easily wash over you with warm air, especially songs like ‘Disappearing’ and ‘Suffering’, despite the negative titles. TWOD are no glum lot, there’s no sound of war or conflict here like the band name suggests, the sound is more like the beauty of a high, whether that’s the irony of them, it’s an uncertainty…
Tracks ‘Under the Pressure’, ‘Red Eye’, and ‘Eyes to the Wind’ will no doubt get your soul jumping to the beats. Hands in the air, lighters lit, commiseration, reflection; this is the power that The War On Drugs has to offer.
Lost In The Dream is most certainly one big audible trip into a dreamy abyss; there’s an ethereal brilliance in certain moments, specifically in ‘The Haunting Idle’, where flourishing guitar echoes whisper elegantly as if Hendrix is playing within the sphere. The reflective capacity of the song, In Reverse, the conclusive track on the album, will have you in a state of bliss, gorging you from one strum to another with an endless sense of wondrous transcendence.
The hypnotic, dazzling and compelling music orchestrated by The War On Drugs on this particular album has to be one of the most wanted records for this upcoming summer.
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