War on Drugs

[Kevin Davis]

Listened to Lost in the Dream tonight. The two songs that sound like Tom Petty were my favorites.

I will listen to Strat and Mickey's mixes soon.

This album took a few listens to reveal itself to me, though since it was my first exposure to the band I think it was probably less the album itself and more just me needing to acquaint myself with how their songwriting works. Musically their songs kind of unfold one line at a time, so in the beginning the structures felt kind of indistinct, and the echo-heavy production that ultimately turned out to be one of the emotional touchstones of their music initially had an obscuring effect that just made it challenging to pick out the shapes of the melodies. But once I got a grip on all that stuff, the curve from "this is pleasant" to "holy shit, this is a masterwork and the only thing I want to hear" was staggering. It's one of my favorite albums of the 2010's.

A Deeper Understanding is an excellent follow-up, and "Thinking of a Place" might be their best song. There is a cleanness to this album that ever so slightly comes at the expense of some of the sense of mystery that made Lost in the Dream such a singularly special album, but that's an extremely petty gripe. If Lost in the Dream is an A+ (and I think it is), this is an A.

I've never managed to get super into Slave Ambient apart from "Best Night" -- it's enjoyable, but it feels like a prototype for what came after and ultimately makes me want to listen to those albums instead.

[Mickey]

Listened to Lost in the Dream tonight. The two songs that sound like Tom Petty were my favorites.

I will listen to Strat and Mickey's mixes soon.

This album took a few listens to reveal itself to me, though since it was my first exposure to the band I think it was probably less the album itself and more just me needing to acquaint myself with how their songwriting works. Musically their songs kind of unfold one line at a time, so in the beginning the structures felt kind of indistinct, and the echo-heavy production that ultimately turned out to be one of the emotional touchstones of their music initially had an obscuring effect that just made it challenging to pick out the shapes of the melodies. But once I got a grip on all that stuff, the curve from "this is pleasant" to "holy shit, this is a masterwork and the only thing I want to hear" was staggering. It's one of my favorite albums of the 2010's.

A Deeper Understanding is an excellent follow-up, and "Thinking of a Place" might be their best song. There is a cleanness to this album that ever so slightly comes at the expense of some of the sense of mystery that made Lost in the Dream such a singularly special album, but that's an extremely petty gripe. If Lost in the Dream is an A+ (and I think it is), this is an A.

I've never managed to get super into Slave Ambient apart from "Best Night" -- it's enjoyable, but it feels like a prototype for what came after and ultimately makes me want to listen to those albums instead.

Agreed with all of this, especially the bold part.

[Simple Torture]

Live album coming in November: https://pitchfork.com/news/the-war-on-d ... ive-drugs/

01 An Ocean Between the Waves (Live)
02 Pain (Live)
03 Strangest Thing (Live)
04 Red Eyes (Live)
05 Thinking of a Place (Live)
06 Buenos Aires Beach (Live)
07 Accidentally Like a Martyr (Live)
08 Eyes to the Wind (Live)
09 Under the Pressure (Live)
10 In Reverse (Live)

[Strat]

Well, "Live Drugs" sounds amazing!

[Chris_H_2]

i love this band so much.

their next LP is right around the corner too

[lennytheweedwhacker]

are they straight edge

[Strat]

i love this band so much.

their next LP is right around the corner too

Yea man. I can't wait to see what their next step might sound like.

[Rangi Guy]

My wife is gonna hate all this so much

[Strat]

My wife is gonna hate all this so much

Go on...

[Rangi Guy]

My wife is gonna hate all this so much

Go on...

Like R.E.M. and Radiohead she says that these guys are too white. They've been relegated to the 'listen when I'm alone' category

[Strat]

My wife is gonna hate all this so much

Go on...

Like R.E.M. and Radiohead she says that these guys are too white. They've been relegated to the 'listen when I'm alone' category

hahahaha.

That's a good wife though....

[Kevin Davis]

This take on "Accidentally Like a Martyr" is really nice.

[Higgs]

My wife is gonna hate all this so much

Go on...

Like R.E.M. and Radiohead she says that these guys are too white. They've been relegated to the 'listen when I'm alone' category

hahahaha.

That's a good wife though....

I've mentioned this before, but EVERY TIME I play these guys my wife rolls her eyes and says "not Bryan Adams again!".

[Chris_H_2]

My wife is gonna hate all this so much

Go on...

Like R.E.M. and Radiohead she says that these guys are too white. They've been relegated to the 'listen when I'm alone' category

hahahaha.

That's a good wife though....

I've mentioned this before, but EVERY TIME I play these guys my wife rolls her eyes and says "not Bryan Adams again!".

how much bryan adams do you listen to higgs?

[surfndestroy]

Live Drugs is a nice listen. They have a podcast about the album here

Spoiler: show

https://open.spotify.com/show/63d6ahacnN1Mzu70AEgYJI?si=dbeAxICZQ4-8E87pFq5kXQ

.

[ghost]

Live Drugs is a nice listen. They have a podcast about the album here

Spoiler: show

https://open.spotify.com/show/63d6ahacnN1Mzu70AEgYJI?si=dbeAxICZQ4-8E87pFq5kXQ

.

Could've been the fumes, but Live Drugs really hit the spot while I was painting the basement today. Nice mix of songs.

[Higgs]

My wife is gonna hate all this so much

Go on...

Like R.E.M. and Radiohead she says that these guys are too white. They've been relegated to the 'listen when I'm alone' category

hahahaha.

That's a good wife though....

I've mentioned this before, but EVERY TIME I play these guys my wife rolls her eyes and says "not Bryan Adams again!".

how much bryan adams do you listen to higgs?

Less than very little.

[psychobain]

The War on Drugs have released a new song, “Living Proof,” from their upcoming album, I Don’t Live Here Anymore, out October 29th via Atlantic Records.

I Don’t Live Here Anymore Tracklist

1. “Living Proof”
2. “Harmonia’s Dream”
3. “Change”
4. “I Don’t Wanna Wait”
5. “Victim”
6. “I Don’t Live Here Anymore”
7. “Old Skin”
8. “Wasted”
9. “Rings Around My Father’s Eyes”
10. “Occasional Rain”

[Rangi Guy]

The War on Drugs have released a new song, “Living Proof,” from their upcoming album, I Don’t Live Here Anymore, out October 29th via Atlantic Records.

I Don’t Live Here Anymore Tracklist

1. “Living Proof”
2. “Harmonia’s Dream”
3. “Change”
4. “I Don’t Wanna Wait”
5. “Victim”
6. “I Don’t Live Here Anymore”
7. “Old Skin”
8. “Wasted”
9. “Rings Around My Father’s Eyes”
10. “Occasional Rain”

My wife's gonna be pissed!

[Higgs]

The War on Drugs have released a new song, “Living Proof,” from their upcoming album, I Don’t Live Here Anymore, out October 29th via Atlantic Records.

I Don’t Live Here Anymore Tracklist

1. “Living Proof”
2. “Harmonia’s Dream”
3. “Change”
4. “I Don’t Wanna Wait”
5. “Victim”
6. “I Don’t Live Here Anymore”
7. “Old Skin”
8. “Wasted”
9. “Rings Around My Father’s Eyes”
10. “Occasional Rain”

My wife's gonna be pissed!

My wife's gonna be making Bryan Adams jokes again!