The War On Drugs Make You Reside In Dreamtime

The War On Drugs

There are several albums that I downloaded in 2014 that I never reviewed.  This is one of them.  So over the course of the next several days, I will be catching up on my reviews.

The name of the third album of Philadelphia's jam-rockers, The War On Drugs, is appropriate.  It's called "Lost in the Dream", and it's easy to get lost in this mood music.  This isn't just a dream pop album.  It's much more than that.

Upon first listen, it was hard for me to not draw comparisons to other musicians - most of them from the '60s or the '70s.  Even more difficult, I had to refrain from calling them hippies.  But this is definitely a jam band - along the vein of Grateful Dead or Phish - a lot of their songs unlacing into vibrant psychedelia clocking in seven or eight minutes long per song.  To a greater degree, when I listen to this record, I hear definite imprints of Dire Straits or Bruce Springsteen, or, even more recently, of My Morning Jacket.

This record is mellow and laid-back, probably more enjoyable while smoking the green, if you know what I mean, or while going on a really long night-drive.  The guitars are liquid and impressionistic, coalescing colorfully to form a tangled sonic portrait of soporific bliss.  It's all cloudy skies, light shimmering on water, and blowing leaves with this guys.  Many of these songs are allusive, drowsy explorations of aural sensations like "The Haunting Idle" or "In Reverse".  This record is not what one would call "catchy".  I meant it when I said this was mood music.  This is definitely not a pop album in the conventional sense, but it is nice to see newer acts - like The War On Drugs, like Phoenix - experiment in psychedelic rock.

There are a couple of really catchy tunes that will remain on my playlist - like "Red Eyes", "Burning", or "An Ocean Between the Waves".  This would definitely be a good band to see live.  Thanks to my friend, Mahesh, for suggesting this music to me.