War on Drugs

it isn't and it doesn't sound "eighties" to me: it's more redolent of late 2000s echo-laden mush like AnCo.

Hey now people. I've been on board with these guys since Wagonwheel Blues. Loved Slave Ambient too. I heard the first half of the new one today and I cannot remember hating a record so much on first listen. All gauzy atmosphere, no songs.

yay!

That's cool, most music is all songs, no gauzy atmosphere.

this isnt as good a record as kaputt

― everyday sheeple (Michael B), Thursday, March 20, 2014

high bar; no shame.

and really, kaputt wasn't as good as rubies, so there's always something better.

rubies, after all, got an ultra-rare 10 from pitchforkmedia.com.

rubies got 8.5 from pf: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8970-destroyers-rubies/
kaputt got 8.8, this one got 8.8 as well

woosh!

can't be. i heard, from v reliable sources, that pitchfork was gonna give rubies a 10.

"cannot remember hating a record so much on first listen. All gauzy atmosphere, no songs."

I thought more or less like you did but changed my mind after few more spins.
Give it a chance I'd say

This doesn't have Kaputt's gloopiness or the Destroyer dude's greasy voice or that whole inept indie gulf between aspiration and achievement though. I'm more or less down with what Destroyer tried to do and like loads of stuff in that vein but thought the execution was terrible.

despite not being a fan of any of the influences (petty, bruce etc.) i fucking love this record.

Destroyer was more about atmosphere/pastiche and less about Melodies.
Also it was more pop and less rock.

Kaputt that is

I don't hear Springsteen or Petty at all, in part because they had riffs and sharp rhythm sections.

review of this in hot press (irish rock mag, bit of a rag tbh no-one takes it seriously anymore) said it was frustrating and brilliant. says that "under the pressure" is an amazing opener but then is ruined by 2 or 3 minutes of "ambient nonsense". said some tracks are great but others are boring and sound like mark knopfler b-sides.

it sounds pretty 80s to me in the sense that it could easily be one of those sub-paisley underground, mildly psychedelic desert rock bands like true west or wild seeds but produced by brian eno

Thing is, the guy has written hooks in the past. Taking the Farm & Arms Like Boulders are particularly good. Maybe the hooks will emerge on more listens but right now for me, it's barf out.

the last track sounds like it belongs in the closing scene of some cult film, to be enjoyed by Teens for years to come

i haven't really heard this record yet but for the last two the 80s influences were really specific to me--they were driving rockers with lots of processing, so songs like boys of summer and dancing in the dark.

you won't find those here

Yeah, "Boys of Summer" is the song that keeps coming to mind when I listen to this album.

Burning= dancing in the dark

ha, those are two songs that i was reminded of too but they're degraded copies rather than pristine replicas

who plays guitar on boys of summer?

Mike Campbell, sorely needed here.

i think the WoD songs are actually better than the originals

ok, Alfred, you don't like the record, we got it.

to recap:

alfred says he doesn't like this band and says he won't like this record
alfred decides to listen to the record
alfred doesn't like record therefore anyone who compares it to anything he likes is wrong

Succinct. Your grade: A-

can we go to recess now?

Apples first.

maaaan this sucks *kicks can*

http://www.principalspage.com/theblog/wp-content/uploads//2011/05/Teacher_gift_apple_thumb.jpg

dude nails the yelps of "barbarism begins at home," a favorite 80s jam. people hearing j-marr and v-reilly in these licks are right on

just looking at this thread now and i feel like pretty much every reference point suggested herein is accurate somewhere on the album, so well done team. i think it is really very good overall. i won't say some tracks couldn't lose a minute or so, but generally so much to enjoy.

I think part of the charm of this is that the dude is nowhere near the level of Campbell/Marr/Knopfler. It's like a Xerox of a Xerox.

i think the charm is that it evokes the 80 MOR but just a weird blurry stoned memory of it

Last post completely OTM.

aor on drugs

^^ redundant, no?

"Burning" is my favorite, and the only one on which I heard the "eighties" influence, here in the form of the synth from Belinda Carlisle's "Mad About You."

i don't understand what's supposed to be wrong with the drums

another 80s influence: dude sounds just like Paul Simon on Graceland, something that's been at the back of my mind until I just grasped it a second ago

Funny you should bring that up. As the story goes, a lot of "Boys of Summer" but specifically the drums came straight from the Campbell demo, because Henley was not happy with the way real drums sounded. I guess this guy pulled the same thing on a few tracks, sticking with the demo stuff rather than trying to recapture the vibe in the studio.

xpost

well, generally, comparisons to Petty and Springsteen need to mention that Max Weinberg and Stan Lynch drummed for them and not a metronome.

Boss demo! WoD template!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgKi2bPatmU

Fuck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgKi2bPatmU

Argh can everyone stfu about the fucking drums?

seriously i just don't even understand what the complaint was, i listened, they're drums