Buzzin Music

The War On Drugs – Wagonwheel Blues – Album Review

The War On Drugs: Wagonwheel Blues

Released in 2008, The War On Drugs‘ first album Wagonwheel Blues largely went unnoticed in circles larger than Pitchfork’s devotees. Now, as a new wave of lo-fi albums appear (Wavves, Woods and The War On Drugs’ own Kurt Vile), I was introduced to this little gem that is the perfect blend of lo-fi rock and summery, shimmery pop songs; of classic rock influences and original, honest songwriting.

Wagonwheel Blues was the product of 6-7 years of playing about with various home recordings made by the four main members: singer/songwriter Adam Granduciel, Kurt Vile, Charlie Hall and David Hartley. Kurt Vile and Adam Granduciel met at a party in 2003 and began making music together. Their passion for producing music is evident on Wagonwheel Blues – they would spend 15-20 hours on recording ‘benders’, and it is evident in that their sound is meticulously chosen and consistent on the record.

Granduciel sings like toned-down Bob Dylan, quickly firing out lyrics with complex associations and imagery. The songs reek of traditional Americana and the tuneful, mellow, druggy pop that goes with that. But all the time, there is this fuzz of guitars – not thick or overbearing, but shimmering over the top of the lively drums and the distorted, reverby vocals.

The opening track ‘Arms Like Boulders’, which originally featured on the free digital download EP Barrel Of Batteries in the same year, is the best track on the album, 5 mins 20 of simple chord structures ornamented by chiming guitars and brilliant vocal delivery. It sounds, like the best Americana, like driving with the windows down.

Other tracks have the sort of unique vocal style of Animal Collective or Modest Mouse such as ‘Buenos Aries Beach’, whilst ‘There Is No Urgency’ begins in gritty feedback and nonchalant vocals before breaking into the yelped “There’s trouble down here / There’s trouble down there”.

‘A Needle In your Eye #16’ is loud noise-pop in the vein of No Age or The Thermals, before the expansive ‘Reverse The Charges’ and ‘Show Me The Coast’ space things out a bit.

At nine tracks long, it is a perfectly realised record, and it is a shame that it went largely unnoticed in the UK last year.

This is The War On Drugs’ MySpace.