New York – With sprawling soundscapes that would stretch the length of the nation if unfurled, and that could soundtrack that endless road acutely, the latest record from The War On Drugs is a full-fledged triumph.  The most intricate, emotive and affecting LP to date, Lost In The Dream showcases Adam Granduciel at his point of wholly realized potential. Emerging at a pivotal moment for a band that is beloved, yet not widely so, this album could be the spark that explodes TWOD into that preverbal spotlight and propels them towards their farthest flinging reaches.

The album saw the light of day on March 18^th via Secretly Canadian. Riding the coattails of 2008’s Wagonwheel Blues and 2011’s Slave Ambient, The War On Drugs’ last-born album is miles more complex than its siblings. This Philadelphia-bred folk-rock outfit has churned out sincerely timeless, slow burning rock since their start. With the help of Kurt Vile, who exited the group to pursue solo ventures after the release of their first record, this band seemingly engineered a singular form of ambling, guitar-drenched sonic atmospheres. A medley of Americana and 80’s style rock that evokes the most maddeningly romantic and nostalgic of wanderlust vistas, this sort of songwriting resonates in unparalleled and poignant planes.

The product of a grueling, yearlong recording process, Granduciel poured his whole heart into this album. Band mates David Hartley (bass and guitar), Robbie Bennett (keyboard and guitar) and Patrick Berkery (percussion) all lent their skills to the making of this record. Yet, Granduciel captained the ship and was ruthless in his expectations. Tweaking, re-recording, editing, scrapping and rebuilding marked the making of this album and Granduciel was the first to admit to his neuroticism. Yet, for all his obsessing and self-doubt, the product that surfaced is a masterfully spun homerun.

At over an hour long, this is a record that moves at its own pace. The album opens with “Under The Pressure.” Nearly nine full minutes, the ballad falls in the same vein as Slave Ambient sentimentalities. Fueled by bold percussion, it twinkles down long winding train tracks aimed at the ether of Americana. Next, the album’s single, “Red Eyes,” waits to greet us at the intersection of old world and contemporary rock.

“The Haunting Idle” sees this act’s sonic amblings in a highly existential light. However, by sampling the closing notes from this track in the opening of the one that follows, “Burning,” the transition reads like a killer Wilco classic. This brand of mixing facilitates a sense of cohesion, fluidity and collectiveness, and the album at large benefits from Granduciel’s evident attentiveness.

Songs like “Suffering” and “Eyes To The Wind” betray personal space with rouge candidness. Preceding this record, Granduciel grappled with the end of a long-term relationship. The shards of that liaison are shatter all across this record. Far from lamentation, the lyricism shines through as informed emotional awareness. The takeaway is a hopeful tone; while downbeat it is neither defeatist nor despondent.

The title track quietly returns the album to the self-made and classic ambient undertones that facilitated the success of this group all along. With crooning harmonicas, piano rifts and Granduciel’s own unwavering vocals, this track brings together the frayed and sprawling threads of this work’s experimentalism. Ending on “In Reverse,” and brimming with soft cadence, the wrap-up is an epic homecoming.

Truly, this is a record to soundtrack an ever-affecting voyage.  Put yourself on the road and then put this album on repeat, the more severe the distance the better. For all its imbedded intimacy, this is not a compilation that unfolds instantly. To absorb this album fully, have patience. In due time, it deepens like a well and, for all the coldness echoed in the lyricism, represents a forceful life source and invites a lavish and replenishing imagining.

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Liz Rowley

Born in Mexico and raised in Toronto, Jerusalem and Chicago by a pair of journalists, Liz comes to BestNewBands.com with an inherited love of writing. After discovering a niche for herself in music journalism and radio while at Bates College in Maine, she always keeps a running playlist of new music to soundtrack her place in the world. Liz is passionate about helping dedicated, talented musicians gain the exposure they deserve. A recent transplant to Brooklyn from Hawaii, she is plagued by an incurable case of wanderlust and cursed with an affinity for old maps and old things like typewriters and vintage books. She adores photography and running and is very good with plants. Having come of age in Chicago, Wilco speaks to her soul. If she could be anything, she would be a cat in a Murakami novel.

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