The ticking percussive start to Under The Pressure from War on Drugs' third album Lost in the Dream sets the scene perfectly for what is to come on the rest of the album.
Kurt Viles' old pals have created a rhythmic, driving percussive beat of an album, whilst when the mood takes, they kick back and relax, and are not afraid to let tracks drift into the seven or even eight-minute mark.
After lead single ‘Red Eyes’ has been and gone, the pace is stepped back a notch with ‘Suffering’’, with some dreamy psychedelic guitar licks over some Nick Mason style drumming and time keeping, you won't be suffering listening to this beautiful song.
I've been trying to put my finger on why I love this album so much more than previous album Slave Ambient, and I think it's because it seems like everything has been turned up a notch; the tunes, the guitars (Dire Straits anyone?), the vocal and lyrics, and definitely, the drumming. On my 6th or 7th listen now, and the drums are the absolute backbone of virtually all the songs on this hour-long journey. Half of those listens have been in the car, and it's seems to sit perfectly as a driving album too.
My favorite track on the album is ‘Eyes to the Wind’, a gorgeous jangly affair, with even a touch of lap steel and sax thrown in for good measure. Adam Granduciel's vocals hit centre stage on this one, and he does remind me of a young Bob Dylan at times (partly explains why Uncut gave the album such a good review?)
‘The Haunting Idle’ is exactly that, a 3-minute instrumental of reverb guitars which gives the album a short break before heading back into that rhythmic beat on ‘Burning’.
The beautiful title track is the penultimate on the album, a mere 4 minutes, before ‘Closer In Reverse’ starts with what sounds like the tide ebbing and flowing.
So, an urgent yet languid album with great tunes and a blissed out mood and I'd be very surprised if this isn't high up in my end of year top Ten. It's going to take something special to top it.
Keith @kjsmith4082
10/11
