Graham Reid | | 1 min read
Although a lyrical guitarist -- as witnessed on previous albums Lost in the Dream (2014) and the Grammy-grabbing A Deeper Understanding (2017) -- The War on Drugs' Adam Granduciel here sometimes foregrounds acoustic and electric piano (and Hammond organ) to support his complex songwriting.
This fifth WoD album extends his increasingly distinctive Americana-cum-psychedelic rock, occupying territory between Neil Young, Ripley Johnson (Wooden Shjips/Rose City Band), Britain's Neil Halstead (Mojave 3, Slowdive) and former bandmate Kurt Vile.
Granduciel soars on the wings of classic chords, a motorik groove and oblique lyrics as on Victim and the the propulsive, six minute-plus Harmonia's Dream (“I'm in a rollin' wave that moves across the line. Am I losin' my faith? We're gonna lose it in time”), and glistening guitar passages off-setting his weary voice (Change).
There is intelligent restraint here, notably on the reflective ballad Occasional Rain: “Take me down where the river strays, where it flows outside the lines . . . I got swept up in a world so strange, one you'd never even recognize . . . but your words brought me out onto steady ground when I was wounded and ashamed . . . there's always some occasional rain”.
These 10 tight songs offer folk tropes wrapped in 12-string textures, pop-rock (the Simple Minds' grandeur of the title track overtly referencing Dylan), soulful alt.rock and dialed-back Springsteen melodrama.
At 42, Granduciel – the same age as Ladyhawke and with equally well-documented health issues – has intuitively repurposed established idioms into a fresh, creative space for this excellent, grown-ups album.
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You can hear this album at Spotify here.
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