The War on Drugs – Red Eyes
SoundCloud
Lost in the Dream is the eagerly awaited follow-up to The War on Drugs’ breakthrough full-length, Slave Ambient. The album essentially picks up where its predecessor left off, only this time the layering digs deeper, the streaked melodic colors are richer and alongside the feel-good wanderlust and free-spirited demeanor, there’s a more apt mind working the gears.
Lost in a Dream sees The War on Drugs plant two specific flags into the ground. The first being one that is fashioned out of driving, radio-friendly rock that’s both a little bit Springsteen and a little “The Boys of Summer” at times. The second arena in which the record works is home to beautifully tendered fields of hazy fuzz and warm, flowing waterfalls of psychedelic ambiance.
It’s inside this second, blissful territory that it truly is easy to get lost within the dream. Although this is a good thing — and believe me, it really is a good thing — the occasional overindulgence in this practice leads to tracks blending in together and overlapping a little too much. From time to time, faded borders see The War on Drugs bury themselves a little too deeply beneath their own meditative tendencies. The album shines brightest when it’s pulling both ends of its creative spectrum closer together and crossing over elements from both sides; the album truly feels most alive when floating atmospheres are spiked with bending guitar notes burning into the atmosphere or charging tempos are pulling behind them in a blur. The addition of harmonicas, brass and the extra use of keys not only help bulk up the record’s sound, but also gives it a wonderfully curious dimension that can only be described as psychedelic bar room blues.
Lost in the Dream is definitely an advanced and more muscular version of what The War on Drugs have previously offered, and all its inner workings and improvements make for an enjoyable listen. That being said, now that that they’ve demonstrated how well they work in this area, it might be time to see them further expand their repertoire.
