Weekly Release Spotlight: The War on Drugs

Posted on 8/14/2011

The War on Drugs
Slave Ambient
Secretly Canadian

By releasing their second LP, the indie rock trio known as The War on Drugs added themselves to Philadelphia’s finest in the music business. Frontman Adam Granduciel delivers an effort in Slave Ambient worthy of recognition. With a voice comparable to the likes of Bob Dylan, Granduciel lifts The War on Drugs to a level at which attention from indie rock listeners should be expected. A successful mix of folk rock, pop, and electronica, the sound of The War on Drugs flows like graceful poetry.

The album’s intensity fluctuates very little, as each track flows seamlessly into the next. The moderate energy stays constant throughout, which makes Slave Ambient sound like an intentional work of art rather than twelve songs of decent quality strung together. Every song on this album sounds somewhat similar, which is a good and bad thing. There is no doubt that The War on Drugs is committed to the style of their music, but for listeners who prefer a heavy, aggressive twinge in their rock music may lose interest in Slave Ambient if played front to back. The songs “Best Night”, “I Was There”, “Baby Missiles”, and “Black Water Falls” are the highlights from the album.

Overall, Slave Ambient is a mellow album that will please almost any folk music enthusiast. It serves as excellent background music for a lazy summer day. So if you find yourself lounging around in these final weeks of August, download this album and give it a listen. Take note of these guys, for The War on Drugs will become a hot topic in coming years.

Written by Luke Hochrein, Radio K Volunteer

Stream: The War on Drugs - "Baby Missiles"

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