War on Drugs

been luvin "taking the farm" and "arms like boulders". haven't heard the whole thing yet, though the rest of the EP left me pretty underwhelmed

My AMG mutterings

given indie's crisis of confidence in itself in the 21st century, . . .

What does this mean (what crisis of confidence)?

Poorly phrased -- when isn't it with me? -- but it's meant to address the (apparently) inevitable dying out of the 'rock and roll will change the world, MAN' belief. And if I weren't completely tired and out of my skull at work right now I'd say more.

Jordan - yeah, the EP is underwhelming considering there are only about three real songs on it. The LP is a lot more interesting, in that they let loose with the effects pedals and drones, but never in a gimmicky way. The songs have propulsive quality to them that other shoegaze bands lack.

Tired/out of my skull, too. I haven't felt like there was a ''music can change the world'' belief in my lifetime. Eighties music/culture forward is detached, too smart for its own good, soaked in irony, snide and adolescent. Nothing wrong with any of that, to a degree, but it isn't a ''we'll change the world'' philosophy.

Nirvana didn't think it could change the world. It didn't care.

(xp)

i guess i'm mostly referring to the real songs on the ep, like "buenos aires beach" which i thought was just kinda long and not really interesting. i like the propulsiveness of "taking the farm"/"arms like boulders" and i dont remember the other ones having that kinda momentum

interesting idea - worthy of its own thread methinks

x-post

Jordan - I see your point. I've grown to really like "buenos aires beach", but the first couple of times I heard it I was annoyed from expecting a loud snare drum to kick in at the chorus that never came.

Hold Steady+ Wolf Parade = i like it!

i predict a 51.2% chance of them being indie darlings on their next record.

i kinda think of them as a bit too trudgy for that - like they're not quite exotic enough.

Good live though- I saw them at last year's Green Man and they brought the drone.

the dude's solo thing is super droney

i love "taking the farm" and "arms like boulders" unconditionally. "buenos aires beach" is awesome as well.

for real. i picked up the lp from the funny dylany ragamuffin singer guy after seeing them and was surprised that it was kinda straightforward and guitary - live they sounded kinda like suicide.

not exotic enough/modern enough or retro enough to be totally hip but who knows about these things

is it 'show me the coast'? that was pretty great live.

xp what's the guy's solo thing?

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12953-constant-hitmaker-god-is-saying-this-to-you/

taking traditional american rock and combining it with spacerock is an original formula as far as i can tell.the result could be better in terms of songwriting,but between those 9 tracks are some good and enjoyable highlights, so they might develop their skills into something more constantly good in the future.

I didn't really care about War on Drugs before, but I really like this Kurt Vile record a lot, including that song :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhDoYxvLe_U

I thought this record would catch on. Surprised it didn't, cause Taking The Farm and Arms Like Boulders could both have been hits.

it didnt catch on cause 3-4 good songs on a record are not enough

otm

The new one - which is Kurt Vile-free, if that means anything to you either way - is pretty great.

Baby Missiles is one of the best things I've heard all year.

diggin slave ambient

kinda sounds like a shoegazey tom petty

Highly anticipating this

love it.

fucking great album

shoegazey tom petty = im sold

I like this new album, but not nearly as much as the last EP. Definitely prefer the version of "Brothers," re-recorded here, on the EP. Overall, too much shoegaze, not enough Tom Petty, I guess. Maybe it's a grower.

"too much shoegaze, not enough Tom Petty" = perfect, I'll love it then. (I'll be reviewing it for the AMG.)

It's a solid album. I like it. Just don't love it. I loved the EP.

yeah i think if i hadn't heard "brothers" or "baby missiles" (best song on the album) before i'd be revisiting it more often. still a good record. definitely jamming it next road trip.

They seem to be going in a spacier direction, nothing as straight forward as Arms Like Boulders from Wagonwheel Blues. Is that a correct?

Yep.

Definitely has something to it, gets more zoned out as it goes. It almost approaches Church territory at a couple of points, though I prefer their singers. I still think they're not quite a truly great band, but often a surprisingly good one.

Secret weapon would have to be the instrumentals. All very good and VERY well sequenced throughout.

This new album is so fantastic.

yes

^^

they probably didn't need to rehash the two songs from the EP but it's welcome to hear them all the same

baby missles's keyboards and production sounds like born in the usa-era bruce springsteen.

^^^^ very otm

thought this line from the pfork review was really great

it's as if the Spiritualized and Springsteen albums filed alphabetically next to one another in your record collection had melted together on a hot August afternoon.

Perfectly explains my reaction to the album as well (in that I have no Springsteen album to melt).

im sure the pitchfork reviewer has a few Spoon records in between the two

i liked this better the more it went on, was not impressed at first. think this is more space rock than shoegaze however as it's pretty mellow.

best night is just about perfect.

I'm starting to hear Baby Missiles on satellite radio. In a better world it would be a hit.

new song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBWiMAu3uII

so i was listening to Lost in the Dream again today and it struck me how much it sounded of a piece with Ryan Adams' 1979. more dylan/petty phrasing obv but still.

definitely some sonic similarities (also I believe Ryan was born in 1989...)

Ryan Adams 1984 album or his 1989 album of Taylor Swift covers? Ryan Adams has been locked into Darkness on the Edge of Town production sounds for at least three albums now. His self-titled is my personal favorite.

Ryan Adams' self-titled draws from similarly blatant touchstones. Bruce, Petty. War on Drugs throws in Dire Straits. .

(Who of course owe much to Springsteen and Dylan themselves.)

oh jeez 1989... i swear that was an actual typo lol

New song.
Somehow it sometimes feels like they just re-write the same song again and again

have a much greater appreciation of the war on drugs and what they do after listening to the new john mayer album

anyway, the closing guitar solo of the new song is very david gilmour (sounds like if "time" were in a major key)

new single is pretty good

It is, even if it kind of sounds like every other WoD song

On first listen I like the sound more than the song. Glad there's no click track - drums sound great. Chorus could be hookier, but excited to hear the album. They've been consistently excellent the last decade imo.

They're coming to a pretty bad venue in Belgium next year & tickets are like 40-60 euros - I know they're good live, but it's a no from me.

thanks for the update

Ordered this today: https://store.warnermusic.com/i-don-t-live-here-anymore-spotify-exclusive-vinyl.html

spotify exclusive vinyl ...?

ikr?

Turn back, you Oxy Moran!

thread is too dead, 13 days.

I like both of the new tracks but am more of a fan of them as a live band, so far

... I'm not impressed. Maybe it'll grow on me?

been 3 now. i like the new one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHcR2Jb3eH0

Singles were kinda misleading (except Change maybe)

It's a very good album.
poppier, with elements of Sophisti-Pop and New Wave that makes it sound different (at long last), in a good way

Good album, sounds like it was written during a long tour, away from family, in the rain, with John Waite's "Missing You" on repeat.

Good album, sounds like it was written during a long tour, away from family, in the rain, with John Waite's "Missing You" on repeat.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, October 29, 2021

Here comes the wave. Sob Rock was just the beginning!

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/29/entertainment/fetty-wap-arrested/index.html

FYI, this thread is on ILM and about the band

it can be both

Sorry, maybe that was in poor taste. Not trying to dunk on Fetty Wap btw

it can be both

― gman59, Friday, October 29, 2021

please no

No ones taking about the album ???

Ahhh changes > I don’t wanna

Into the great wide I don’t live here anymore open

why does it all sound like Mr. Mister

or Don Henley (or whatever slick 80s sound I'm thinking of)

Making Michelob Commercials to Make Music to Make Michelob Commercials To

lol

Album makes me feel like Im waiting for cold cuts at the supermarket deli

this is much more successful at the sound he's going for than the last few, there's real dynamics and drama instead of flattening any of that out into aimless ambience like he usually has been inclined to do.

I am hearing that this album is absolutely terrible and am afraid to listen to it

Nah, it's fine. More of the same, more or less.

I love @TheWarOnDrugs album and now I have so many more great songs for my War On Drugs + Dire Straits tribute act Narc Knopfler

— Jason IsBOO (@JasonIsbell) October 29, 2021

Shut up Jason Isbell

so it doesn't sound like bryan adams? because that was perpetua's take. note the only WoD album I have and have listened to was Lost in a Dream.

it more or less sounds like that. I don't think you would confuse it for any other band.

yeah it's not a huge departure or anything, just the songwriting's a bit more focused at the expense of the ambient noodling

i like the album. the last bit from "Old Skin" to "Occasional Rain" is everything I wanted from this new one.

could also be in a subcategory of new music that will eventually be played in CVS

as usual with me & them... I like the live versions better - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKJ5JyuP7WY

Robbie Bennett plays good piano & organ w Rosali (& "Crazy Horse," everybody agrees, actually David Nance Group): https://rosali.bandcamp.com/album/no-medium

xpost yeah this take on “I don’t live here anymore” grooves hard