Lost In The Dream

Meh

Nothing else sounds like this, and I get why that's a problem for some people who are searching for some context. The reality is that this is just ambient chaos. A blend of sounds that seek to explore emotion, explore what a melody could be. It's lovely and captivating.

Lost in the Dream by The War on Drugs feels like an album from decades past yet still fresh and modern, blending nostalgic heartland rock with a dreamy, contemporary touch.

lost in the dream indeed!

Wow - didn't know this was 10 years old, Good stuff! Nice accessible Alt Music. Enjoyed!

Really enjoyable listen - I could see that it might get a bit samey but for the way that I listen to music this was exactly what I needed. Might even listen to it again today...

Were you 20-30 in 1983??? Did you long for nostalgia in 2003???? Are you sitting somewhere in 2023 wanting a new sound that is like you used to remember? These guys hit it out of the park. Making me feel a nostalgia I'm not even in the right demographic to feel

i didn't so much listen to this album as i *felt* this album. the daydreamy reverb throughout had me floating in nostalgia from start to finish, and i found myself not wanting each song to end. incredible vibes, this was added to my collection immediately.

This is a beautiful album, one that overcame me with emotion listening to it. It felt perfect for the end of summer, that melancholy departure of warm days on the beach in favor of an approaching autumn chill. Honestly makes me wish I had a convertible, so I could play this while driving with the top down along a coastal highway. I think I’ll have to listen to this one again soon.

Great album that particularly resonated with me today. I wouldhappily have left it on repeat play all day.

One of my favorite albums 10 years ago. Maybe not the strongest songwriting but it does an unbelievable job of creating a certain atmosphere. In between a 4 and 5 but rounding down as there are a couple of lulls. (maybe when I finally finish this list I will go back and change to a 5 star. My wife chose under the pressure as a song in our wedding and I thought that fit in with the ceremony quite well

Listened to this album probably a thousand times since it came out. It's beautiful, swaying and floating.. feels like a constant cool breeze on a warm day. Though yes it can make you feel sleepy listening to this album on a road trip.

First 2 songs are amazing, back half of the album wasn’t quite as good to me.

Am Anfang abgeneigt, aber es ist besser geworden. Perfekt für 23 Uhr zum runterkommen.

point9.

This is a band I've heard of but never listened to! I'd only heard of them recently through Sam Fender - so going off that I thought they'd be more rock? This was just coffee shop music to me though. Just blends into the background and nothing of substance. Wasn't bad just very bland. Tea with no milk or sugar 3 ⭐️

This album was beautiful.

Wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Feels like a mixture between Dire Straits and Tom Petty. Not as distinct a voice as Tom Petty, but good.

Good vibes only.

Easy to listen to

Ambient electronic rock Favorite track: red eyes other picks: under the pressure, an ocean between the waves, disappearing

They're smooth and talented but it's just not my vibe.

Very chilled, unhurried vibes that you have to let wash over you. I prefer TWOD at their more anthemic and pacey, so Red Eyes is the clear standout, but I generally just enjoy soaking in the atmosphere.

Definitely hear the Springsteen influence in the first two tracks. Overall it was fine, the songs were neither exceptionally good or exceptionally bad.

Not really my cup of tea but I respect it

Correcto

Love it, can’t believe over 10 years old

Didn’t find it engaging

Really enjoyable album. I'd like to see them live.

Genre: Heartland Rock The lead singer fancies himself a mixture between Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, two of the more boring rock icons of all time. The music turns out pretty okay, though. Not as jangly and overbearing as Bruce, not as prickly and indiscernible as Bob, with big early 00’s production. Some of these songs drag on unnecessarily, riding the same 3 chords to death. Not bad, though. Enjoyable. 3/5

Loved this one

nice - overly massive chords though

Love the long meandery and epic feel of 'Under The Pressure' Such a classic sound! Genuinely thought they were a 70s band till I looked it up during Red Eyes (which I enjoyed a lot). Suffering is SO good too. Real nostalgic feel to all of them, but first three are definitely the best.

I think I liked this band more when it was called Dire Straits, but this was nice at any rate.

I've never heard of TWOD or this album. An interesting album. Some of the music reminded me of Pink Floyd, but also of REM or U2. The first impression is good, but not really inspiring. I will listen to it again. 4/5

Sounds a little like sigor ros... Influenced? Very vibey

Sad white boi hours over here. It was ok, but then they used a similar drum beat for damn near every song. 2/5, did not enjoy all the bland sadness.

2.1

American Indie Rock. Very standard and kind of bland radio music.

Mostly moans, vaguely Bob Dylan. Like they took the worst of indie rock at the time and made an album from it. I am a fan of the genre but this was awful. Songs seemed like they created the bridge for it then stopped there.

Great songs to listen too on the road but need to be in the mood for it

Sometimes i think this is decent and sometimes utter 70s MOR garbage. One song in the mix would be great. All of it together makes me question things.....

Niet slecht, maar ik vind het wel wat saai. Op de achtergrond tijdens het werk komen ze er wel mee weg. Het lijkt in ieder geval alsof ze er wel moeite in hebben gestoken, het gitaarwerk is meer dan prima, het is lekker dromerig. De zanger is af en toe iets teveel het jongere neefje van Bob Dylan en de drums zijn te geprogrammeerd, maargoed. Je kunt het hier een stuk slechter treffen. Een uur is wat lang, maar eigenlijk moet ik daar niet over zeiken. Ik hoef nergens heen. Ik hou het op een toch wat grijze 3 sterren.

En av mine favorittalbum i nyere tid, helt magisk

Hauntingly beautiful. Reminds me of the soundtrack to Adventureland

All of The War On Drugs albums are well worth a listen but this is the one where everything really comes together. The first thing to note is that it's not an album where everything hits at once. These are songs that are long and unhurried, to me it feels like an old fashioned album that rewards repeated listens and grows on you over time. I can see why it isn't for everybody and you have to have the time to really soak it all in. Last thing, this record has the perfect title for what it sounds like.

A very solid, nostalgia dreamy indie rock album with some 80's stadium nostalgia.

it was okay! I liked how their description talks about the destruction of boundaries between genres.

i have been trying to go to The War on Drugs concert for most of my adult life and been thwarted. For that I give this a normal 3 stars.

Wasn’t

The instruments are quite satisfying to hear. Theyre sonically quite similar to my untrained ears. Actually, they become less similar the more you listen

Damn it, I knew this was going to be an indie band the second I saw the name and the album cover. Sure enough, that’s exactly what I got. If anything, going through this list has made me dislike indie bands even more. The whole album is a washed-out blur of reverb, mellow vocals, and endless mid-tempo tracks that go nowhere. The only thing that stood out was the guitar work on “An Ocean Between the Waves.” Everything else just melted together in a puddle of forgettable background noise. I was bored before it was halfway over.

Boring

En stjerne for hver gennemlytning ❤️

The War On Drugs trækker på en del inspirationskilder som jeg egentlig ikke er så meget til; Tom Petty, Springsteen osv. Men i deres lydunivers bliver det dejligt sfærisk. Efter utallige lyt (både i dag og tidligere) kan jeg ikke skille ret mange af sangene af, men det gør ikke noget at det hele flyder lidt sammen. Det album er en totaloplevelse

Mellow, but nearly a 4

Заинтересовали, хочется еще послушать и лучше расслушать.

Not a 2. Not a 4. Nothing absolutely stellar but it sounds nice enough. Vocals aren't my thing, doesn't sound like an album from the 2010s

Good enjoyable fun summer vibe album. Some songs just felt too long for no reason but it was still good.

Enjoyed but havent finished

I'd never heard of these guys. The music was mellow, soft and tolerable from a listening perspective. It wasn't bad, but nothing I would get excited about, or purchase. I would give it a 2.5 if I could grade in half point increments.....it's a "C" for me.

This one is a real contradiction to me. I truly liked the instrumentation on several songs and was super won over but then slowly lost interest cause I just do not care for the vocals at all. He’s not a bad singer by any means, but listening to this album made me feel like this is what Future Islands would sound like if they had a singer I didn’t care for. He just sounds too much like other singers I don’t like (ex Bruce Springsteen). But I would recommend this album to somebody if I knew they liked both Bruce Springsteen and Future Islands.

It reminds me of those buskers with too many reverb pedals.

It was just aight for me. Red Eyes was the only song that I clicked with, and the rest of it just felt like filler, Bruce Springsteen-esque. Red Eyes really hits the indie rock sound of that era.

I already know and love The War on Drugs so this is an easy 5 for me. This is the perfect music to listen to while driving through the woods

4,5

Roller-coaster, and I can't stand it

Послушал я значит этот альбом, и не помню почти ничего, прям как будто ниче не слушал, но пару воспоминаний есть, по ним рецензию напишу. Начнем с моего отношения к альбому, оно выше среднего, есть прям шедевры under the pressure, eyes to the wind и in reverse (вообще охеренный), и в целом альбом приятный, но затянутый, час это слушать не прикольно в самых скучных моментах, но после концовки ты понимаешь что это не конец, и ты будешь возвращаться к этому релизу несколько раз чтобы понять его . В общем слишком плохо запомнил его чтоб прям все рассказать про музыкальную составляющую, хороший крепкий инди рок. Из интересного продакшна был только первый трек с его рассинхронными ударными которые соединялись и рассоединялись если ты в 2 наушниках слушал, в остальном ниче по продакшну не заметил интересного за музыкальную сторону ставлю 4/5. Че по смыслу, я вообще хз, чет не углублялся в тексты, они тут все равни не главное. Влияние альбома: сломал мейнстрим 10х, во время рассцвета поп альтернативы (arctic monkeys) и электроники (random access memories (кста охеренный альбом, к сожелению в списке не встретим, а так получил бы от меня 5)) the war on the drugs бахнули НЕ поп инди с гитарами, синтезаторами и атмосферой радиохед, чем и сломали мейнстрим за ломку мейнстрима ставлю 3,5/5 (недостаточно большая революция, это даже не революция, а просто уход от мейнстрима). Посоветовать могу любителям инди и the cure, звучит этот альбом как если бы Йорк был бы основателем the cure. В итоге мы имеем крепкий но переоценный критикима альбом, не знаю зачем он здесь (хотя знаю но запихнул что нибудь другое, допустим величайший альбом всех времён lyft yr skinny fists like antennas to heaven) Итоговая оценка: 4 грустящих американца у окна из 5

I listened to this album two times in a row, back to back. I was painting our outdoor bench on my patio and it provided a pleasant soundtrack for this task. Did I enjoy the music? Sure, as I tend to like Indie and folk music. Was there anything truly remarkable that stuck out to me on this album and made me say wow? Not really. It was nice background music and I can see myself listening to this album again in the background as I am studying or reading or cooking… But it will not be one that I will seek out all the Time if I'm looking for up-tempo or high energy stuff. It was mellow, it was pleasant enough to listen to, but as for being one of the 1001 albums, I must hear before I die, I was a bit underwhelmed.

High 3/low 4 leaning 4, previously heard

I have been a pretty big WoD fan since their first record, back when Kurt Vile was still in the band. I've seen them live many times, from small clubs to festivals to opera houses. Generally, I thoroughly enjoy the overall vibe they put out, despite sounding like a perfect melting pot of 70s-80s heartland rock and/or the synth-ier side of Bruce Springsteen with very little innovation. But this record does seem to drag a bit. It certainly has highlights with plenty of groove, passioned vocals, blistering solos. But the lowlights are particularly bore-o snore-o to me and really upset the overall cadence and listening experience of the album. Even though I own the deluxe vinyl box set of Lost in the Dream, it's a 2.5/5 for me. 3/5

Great listen from start to finish. Have always liked what I've heard from them but never listened to an album straight through. Fantastic stuff.

It is a blended and exceptional album. Song styles range from remnants of Dire Straits to Bob Dylan. Sound blending is amazing and it is worth a listen time and again.

8/10 Favorites: Under The Pressure, In Reverse

4/5

Elements of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and even Pink Floyd all over the record, but some songs are too long, bland and monotonous. Seems like they lost the war on drugs... Well executed record though. 5.5/10

Good album. Very calming. Felt like a music that you listen to when walking around cityscape at night; observing, listening, and enjoying the living night full of people.

not my style

Unremarkable (to me)

Very familiar, a very good but not exactly a ground breaking album. Fantastic driving music.

Loved this. Like the Waterboys with Trashcans drummer and Paul Simon of vocals. Very high quality.

I feel like I'm the target audience to give a five star to this. Mega props for him being one of the few new guitar heroes created in this century and crafting an unmistakeable wall of sound. But 8 minutes a song?

4,2/5

Dreamy and ethirical

One of my favs have this one on vinyl already Incredible.

Chill, melodic rock. Very enjoyable, not particularly memorable

Nichtssagender, dahinplätschernder Indie-Pop. Teilweise mit New Age und ganz dezenten Industrial-Elementen aufgepäppelt. Trotzdem langweilig und nichts besonderes.

Fantastic album from start to finish.

This is just Bruce Springsteen if he was an indie rocker. It's not an insult in the slightest but the drawback is the song lengths. Three 7 minute song, one 9 minute song, three 6 minute songs, and the rest are somehow the normal length of 4 minutes. This album could have easily been like 10-15 minutes shorter by cutting some songs short. But the songs are pretty good so I guess I can't complain too much.

Repetitive, lackluster, exactly the type of album that someone you can’t stand would love.

I love this album and the atmospheres it creates, contemporary treasure!

I'm joining the "war on drugs" on the side of the drugs. Favorite track: Under The Pressure 2.5/5

Not my genre, but i enjoyed 2 of them. Besides of that, very generic album, everything feels the same, only thing i enjoyed are those Brian Eno feels in a couple of songs

This album made me feel two very different feelings. On one hand, the very melancholic nature of some of the songs hit me kind of deep. I don’t know how to describe it, but I felt a weird sense of nostalgia; a longing for some of the times I experienced a decade ago. I think it had to do with the reverb guitar. It was kind of beautiful to be honest. On the other hand, it was boring as shit. The album drones on for too long and some of this sounds like a depressed Tom Petty. All the emotional fluff gets shoved aside and then I beg for the song to end. This wasn’t bad, but it’s way too slow for my tastes. If every song was cut in half, I probably would have enjoyed it more. Favorite track: Suffering Other hits: Disappearing, Lost in the Dream, In Reverse, The Haunting Idle

Chill. Maybe a bit too chill. The vibe was nice but there wasn't much that stuck in my mind or impressed me about this one. Enjoyed a bit, though. Kinda reminiscent of Arcade Fire

My opinion hasn’t changed much since this came out. It’s very pretty and I do think has moments of greatness, but I can’t survive on just the vibes for the hour runtime.

2014 Philadelphia. Indie rock, Americana, psychedelic rock, heartland rock. !!!!!

Erg zweverig, wat normaal niet ijn ding is. Maar kreeg hier een zeer relaxte vibe van. Weet alleen niet of ik dit perse nog een keer zou luisteren.

Great

One of the best, all vibes “Dudes Rock” album since Dire Straits?

Just say no

Great band name. I only knew the first two tunes before today and loved them both and his no idea they appeared sequentially on one album. So pretty strong start. The rest holds its own pretty well mostly charting the space between those first two tunes. But that's ok. This music creates a great atmosphere.

I think I first came across The War on Drugs through Pandora (probably not the best thing to admit, I know), and I was drawn to something in their 80s-throwback/nostalgia sound, so I'm glad we got an album by them in this collection. I'll admit, though, that they're kind of a one-trick pony, in that I have yet to hear a song by them that doesn't sound largely like all of the others. Good for a music mix/playlist, not as much fun during an hour straight of their distinct take on life, music and somber reflections. But I'm glad to hear other tracks than their singles, and I enjoyed the videos for "Under the pressure" and "Red eyes" (more so the latter, with its talent show story, than the too-long former). I know the Wikipedia entry cites Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan as influences (or at least inspirations, both musically and lyrically), but I'll admit that every time I hear them, I think more of Don Henley, especially "Boys of summer", albeit in a much more minor/bleak key. Bummer that Adam Granduciel couldn't have found some way to mention seeing a Dead Head sticker on a Cadillac....

Nice album. Track 1 is my favorite; enjoyed the hints of Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen in a few songs. Mellow kind of spacey rock.

3.5

I liked the music in this album.

Pretty good, kind of atmospheric

I liked the opening song, but every one afterwards sounded the same. His voice sounded like a bad imitation of Bob Dylan...I don't like Bob Dylan.

This was a fun listen while doing some chores around the house

yeah pas 5/5 parce que c’est dépressif

I've had this on my phone for a few months on the advice of my brother, who told me to listen to "Red Eyes." I hadn't listened to it all the way through until today. I really liked this! I do think all the songs sound the same but I dig the sound. The throwback rock sound makes me nostalgic as this sounds like something my dad would have liked.

3.5

I don't like indie rock sorry

BGM personified. 2.5 Stars

was walking down the pretty park with the stunning sunset, so this album made me feel like i’m in a video clip. 5/5 want to experience it again

Started off as an easy listen but then it got annoying towards the end with how repetitive the songs were

Felt like the drums were the exact same beat every time, just at different tempos, anyway decent album, nothing special in my opinion, it’s got a nice mellow feel and sound to it like you could easily just get lost in it to calm down or something but didn’t really have that affect on me it was just a bit boring. No standout songs aswell as they felt pretty similar. Overall, 5/10.

I adore this album. One of my favorites. I listened to that album a ton in grad school in this coffee shop while studying. It takes me right there 10/10

It was ok

4.5 Wow. This is one of the best 80s albums I've heard. I wished I hadn't seen the year on Spotify before listening to it because I'd have been blown away. Drawn on so many inspirations, some of which I like (Dylan, Young), some of which I don't (Springsteen) and blends them into something that is so much better than the sum of the parts. First track immediately grabs you. Possible the highlight of the album, but it never really dips far from there. My one gripe is the second half of the album, the last 5 tracks certainly not as strong as the first 5. Eyes to the wind and Burning are for example a bit too Springsteen esque, without the other parts that actually make it interesting. Still, excited to explore more of this band.

The War On Drugs is another band where I just don't get the hype for, sure have some good tracks. I especially like 'Thinking Of A Place', which is not even on this album. But even 'Lost In the Dream' has some moments. Just not many. For an album praised into oblivion nearly 50 minutes out of this one hour project is just mediocre rock soundscaping.

I still listen to this one on occasion. Red Eyes is a banger.

I got an ad, and thinking that the song I was hearing was a part of the album, I looked down and immediately got kind of upset that it just an ad. Semi-Jokes aside, the atmosphere was neat. I really liked that ambient track towards the end. Past that I don't see myself coming back to this one.

A little too mellow. Nothing to really grab you. Very repetitive.

loved it

Surprisingly good. Caught me off guard at points

I love a good dreamy vibe. I think I've listened to this album before at some point, but didn't remember a lot because it's not very catchy. It's very pleasant though.

While not quite to my tastes, I can't deny there's something here. Initially I dismissed this as a Bruce Springsteen-Tom Petty-Modern Indie rock mish-mash, what makes this endearing is Adam Granduciel's heart-on-his-sleeve lyrics and a bright mix between moody 70s guitars with 80s drum machines. Lost in the Dream is not a fun record, but feels like it would be great to listen to while driving to the beach or through the valley.

É bem okzinho

fav: under the pressure 4-/5

Gold

Gerði ekki mikið fyrir mig því miður. Var alltaf að pása plötuna og setja á eitthvað skemmtó.

Voða vandað, huggulegt og þægilegt, en get alls ekki hlustað á þetta til lengdar.

As many others have said, it’s the same drumbeat on almost every song. The songs go on and on with little to no variation. It’s simply boring

This was not the mid 2010s for me. My experience of this era was bright bop, getting all tropical house with it. So coming to this cold without the cushion of nostalgia is hard. The album is ok but it's not enough to captivate me or inspire me to listen to it anymore than once. My favourite track is the one that sounds like a lost Springsteen song.

An honestly ethereal experience. I could listen to this record on loop and not get tired of it. Intensely catchy in a very specific way... like I can tell these melodies are going to be popping into my head off and on for months now. Felt... well... dreamy! The Springsteen influence is definitely felt at times, too.

Had to listen while road tripping with family across northern Oregon but general consensus in the car was favorable. Agree this was surprisingly easy to listen to and quite good. Several songs were radio hits and familiar but rest of album was good.

J - 4/5 Best Track - "Red Eyes" F - 3/5

Wasn't bad, but it is very repetitive and lost me in the back half.

Never heard of the artist or any of the songs. This is a solid album with a few decent songs - nothing sticks out as bad or great. I'm not exactly sure why this was so critically praised. It seems like a an 80's cover band wrote their own average songs. This isn't a bad album, but not one that I will revisit. Best songs Under the Pressure Red Eyes Burning

very easy to listen to, the album is like songs I grew up with

I really enjoyed. Felt like a journey

"Under The Pressure" is a great song. Very easy listening rock and roll at the beginning, and some great ambient post-rock-ish minutes towards the end. "Disappearing" is a nice easy-listening song. I like the ambient background instrumentals on all of the songs so far. All of the tracks have been quite long thus far, but they have a lot of distinct sections within them, so they aren't getting too stale. "Eyes To The Wind" had Dylan-esque vocals. The song was nice but a little boring. I really like "Lost In The Dream". Also very Dylan. This is my favorite song so far. This was a long album, but it was easy enough listening that it didn't feel draining to listen to. There was a lot of variety in here, and I enjoy the slow ambient sound underlying many of the songs. 8/10

Love TWOD

Lost In The Dream.. more like Lost In The Sea of Same. While I enjoy most every song on this album, I don't think this is a great album. Mostly I feel that the material offered at hand is lumped in with every other synth-coated, jangly-guitar indie rock band that's come out in the 2010's. I genuinely couldn't tell them apart if you made me. Every song is atmospheric synth-rock with like 2 verses, and then 5 minutes of meandering guitars and keyboards; and this goes for an hour straight. Now, maybe certain songs will end up on a playlist of mine, or I might revisit a track or two from time to time, I don't think I'll be listening through the whole album again. Overall, I don't feel like this is an album one should sleep on, the songwriting is top-notch and the production is fantastic; but I don't vibe with the style The War On Drugs is giving enough to listen to another album from them. If you enjoy indie from that era, you'd probably love it, I just can't get it.

bad

Ganska lugnt och chill, typ bra middagsmusik.

Amazing stuff ngl

I LOVE TWOD

Loved it, especially after the Radiohead yesterday. 4.5 stars tbh

A pretty good album, I liked Red Eyes, An Ocean In between The Waves and Lost In The Dream.

Reading their Spotify description, I was really excited to listen to this album. Thought maybe something like Black Country New Road came to mind. However, come to find the description itself was just pretentious. I get hints of Springsteen, Dire Straits, Wilco, The Killers, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, etc. more or less just a classic singer song writer style of the 80s with the early 2000s Indie style. However, these guys bring nothing new to the table. Everything by the artists listed before them is better. Nothing is innovative. The drums all sound the same on every track.

OK, but a bit dull

80's vibes. Vocal like Bob Dylan.

Did not expect the way this guy sings, like Pop Bob Dylan

This album is very 80s. Gives me Bruce Springsteen vibes. Maybe a little Bob Dylan? Idk. I like it a lot. Its fun. Rock but also dreamy. The solos were cool, vocals were great, and I could listen to this on loop. Actual rating...3.5. Liked Songs: "Under The Pressure" , "Red Eyes" , "An Ocean In Between The Waves" , "Eyes To The Wind" , "Burning" , "Lost In The Dream" , "In Reverse"

I don't love the Bob Dylan vocals with the somewhat generic sadboi indie music. It's not bad, but it's not very exciting. 2.5

Regular

Never heard of this group, but you can definitely hear the 80's rock influence right off the bat. Very Springsteen-like in performance and sort of Dylan-like in the vocals. Plenty of ambience here too, long intros and outros if you're into that sort of thing. That being said, the sound ended up being a bit bland and similar all throughout. I could see how this would strike a chord with some, though, given the vulnerability in the lyrical themes.

Fucking great.

7.5/10

Not overwhelmingly amazing or ground breaking but a good album. Love the ambient rock stuff.

I was expecting more drugs and less war. Pleased …. Bruce would be proud

Man, I was allllll about this record 10 years ago. I think it still holds up, but I think it has more lulls than it needs in hindsight. Some of the production and the synth/digital beats are a little thin for me now, but overall it still slaps when it slaps. I just wish it slapped more.

I’m really torn between a 4 and a 5 for this album. It’s got everything I love — the best parts of folk and 80s pop with fresh, crisp, modern production. I fully expect this band to make it into my regular rotation. That said, I feel there are better 5-star representatives for this genre. So I’ll be conservative and round down.

This is exactly the music I don't like. Almost made The National exciting.

My best description here would be some kind of modern, atmospheric Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan-type inspired music. Strangely, it was pretty good, even though I don't particularly love either of those artists. Whether it deserves to be on this list, I'm not so sure; it seemed like it was a fine representative for 2010s indie music, but maybe not more than that. I'd say the compositions were focused on the overall picture rather than the individual components, which helped form the atmospheric, ambient nature of its sound. Even so, there was different instrumentation present on all the tracks. Guitars, keys, percussion all filtered in and out to make the greater piece. Most of the album was at a more laid-back pace, though some parts went a little harder. My biggest issue with it came from the length. I didn't mind the whole album being an hour, but some of the songs felt like they went on for too long without really having a reason to do so. They used that extra time to kinda just go nowhere. Other than that, the sound was a bit bland at points given the overall style was consistent throughout. Some songs stood out a bit, which helped with that issue. I did like this album and enjoyed the listen, even with its negative aspects. I'm just not sure I'd call it an essential album. Maybe that will be the case with some more time behind it. As of now, I wouldn't say it's more than just solid to good. Overall: 3.25/5

Another band I had a vague prejudice towards only to be confronted with the fact that... I actually really vibe with it.

Somewhat bland.

7/10

Very atmospheric, but i wouldn't reach for it again

Pretty good, chill rock album, very enjoyable

Perhaps too much variation. Didn't get into this.

Was already familiar with this album. Really strong, captivating opening. A joy to listen to, even if it doesn't grab your attention all the way through. Great driving music. No bad songs.

This should be right up my alley, and it's nice but doesn't really hit. I'd go and see them at a festival, and may very well stay for the whole set, but equally likely to go and get a drink after 20 minutes and see who else was playing.

Nine minute opener is it aye. We'll fucking see. Hmmm slightly generic 10s indie so far. There's something going on with the sound that steps it up tho. Distortion and shit. Yeah not really my era of indie but I can still tell this is decent enough i can see why you'd be into this. May or may not revisit

The neo-Springsteen comments are true, and it's a lovely rock album and it gives you some of that feel-good driven sort of music you've got to crave. As such, the more upbeat tracks hit better than the slower ones for me, and the first half of the album stands pretty firmly above the second The spirit of Rock 'n' Roll flows through my body and bones

Really solid album. Melodic, with a great Springsteen-esque sound. Have listened many times and will again. More than a 4.

Wow

Starts strong but really loses steam and gets so dull. Very forgettable music to me, I just feel like I listened to something that left me with so little after.

It was laborious to get through the first song, skipped the next two after about 30 seconds, and then listened to one of my playlists. I wasn’t feeling this at all. Like the real War on Drugs, this album is a waste of time.

I was shocked how much I like this and to hear how much they influenced more recent Killers material. Will be looking up more by them.

Inoffensive but so sleepy.

Like it 3/5

Good album. Nothing hugely stuck out to me, but enjoyed.

If Bob Dylan was good.

there's parts of this album I really enjoyed and other parts where the music just went on too long. they clearly are inspired by rock with hints of 90's nirvana motifs. I quite enjoyed suffering and disappearing

Great album

At first I was thinking I quite like this style, but it gets kind of samey. Disappearing has the gated reverb drums which I enjoy, so it stood out a bit more, and Lost In The Dream is quite nice too It's more like an atmospheric post-punk, new wave, post-rock adjacent thing for me, driving drum beats and bass with reverb drenched guitars. Which sounds like something I should enjoy but it's just ok Highlights: Disappearing, Lost In The Dream

Een atmosferisch en hoopgevend album over het overwinnen van een break up en de daar bijbehorende eenzaamheid. Granduciel weet een bepaalde snaar bij mij te raken met de combinatie van soundscapes, teksten en zijn stem. Het album begint heel sterk met 'Under The Pressure' & 'Red Eyes', wat ik ondertussen wel persoonlijke klassiekers durf te noemen, waarna het in het midden wat rustiger wordt ('Eyes to the Wind' herontdekte ik vandaag weer), om af te sluiten met weer drie meeslepende en instrumenteel intrigerende nummers. Het album heeft geen enorm diepgaande teksten en ik zie ook wel waarom men het nogal eens beticht van inconsistentie, maar het gaat me persoonlijk nooit tegenstaan. De CD, die ik ooit gekregen heb, lag tijden lang als enig luistermateriaal in mijn auto en zette ik steevast op als ik rond zonsondergang een ritje moest maken (aanrader!). Het album zal vast niet voor iedereen zijn, maar ik heb weer als vanouds vermaakt met dit album. Een dus welverdiende 4+.

Begint goed met een 909 hihat (Under Pressure), en dan vanaf 30 seconden drukt een valse piano de pret. Can't unhear. Vind de stem met die Bob-Dylan-achtige wankeling niet fijn om naar te luisteren. Wel catchy melodieën, lange nummers, en goede productie dus toch 3 sterren.

First time met dit album/deze band. Volgens mij kon dit prima in 40 minuten. Meestal ga ik juist goed op het wat uitgestrektere spul maar ‘t kan hier wel echt kabbelen. De vocals zijn er wel maar meer als sfeer en nodigen daarmee niet om actief te luisteren. Af en toe wel geinige mixkeuzes als een loeiharde (maar softe) gitaar op Suffering, die vervolgens een beetje aan ‘t noodlen slaat. Of de delays op de drums van Dissapearing en de bitcrushed snare die sporadisch langs komt, nice. De drums op Under The Pressure die op 5:25 voor de laatste paar maten nog even op alleen links geklapt worden, cool effect als het niet een heel nummer/album lang is à la early beatles stereo. Anders dan dat zijn er weinig dingen die eruit springen. Deze tracks leunen op slechts 2 akkoorden (en bij Suffering de juiste 2 (( I, IV)) heerlijk). Zo ook op Dissapearing (en grote delen van Under the Pressure) maar dan (IV, V) net wat minder heerlijk. Op An Ocean In Between The Waves is het minuten lang (VI, V) waar ik dan weer helemaal slecht op ga. Dan zijn 7 minuten erg lang. Excuseer de muzieknerderij. Doet soms denken aan tracks van Jesus and the Mary Chain maar dan heel soft. Of hoor ik een Springsteen/ Tom Petty achtig anthem (Burning) maar dan heel soft? Soms 80s wave als inspiratie. Al met al denk ik dat dit erg lekker weg luistert in de zon. Het is heel veel major key (yay!), strummy gitaren, softe synths en soms ritmisch stuwend. Het snoozegevaar ligt wel voortdurend op de loer maar mocht je in slaap vallen en 5 minuten later wakker worden heb je én niks gemist, én een dikke kans dat je nog steeds naar hetzelfde nummer aan het luisteren bent. Beste: Lost In The Dream / Suffering / Burning / Red Eyes Minste: An Ocean In Between The Waves / The Haunting Idle Albumhoes: Ondanks ik dit nooit geluisterd heb, zit deze hoes wel in m’n hoofd sinds release in 2014, samen met dat Warpaint album wat volgens mij rond dezelfde tijd uitkwam en een soortgelijke groengele wazigeheid was. Blijkbaar trekt me dat dus wel maar hij doet me een beetje sad aan en dat voel ik niet bij deze plaat. Misschien moet ik ‘em nog eens luisteren en meelezen 3/5

*snuuuuuurk* wat? Stond er een plaat aan? Archetypisch voorbeeld van het zeer succesvolle genre "hipster liftmuziek" Opgenomen in weet ik hoeveel studios en de mix is nog steeds een wasmachine ontworpen om de zwaar ondermaatse songwriting te verbergen. Lidl-huismerk Springsteen Mom can we have Neil Young No we have Neil Young at Home Neil Young at Home: Kan op de radio uitgezonden worden als goedkoop alternatief voor diazepam om zorgkosten te drukken. Ik kan nog wel even doorgaan. En lang dat het duurt ook.

Eerste nummer klinkt erg off. De bas is nergens. Dat getik aan het begin werkt niet voor me, maar het is vooral de piano die gewoon niet lijkt te kloppen. Red eyes is een erg chill nummer. Suffering heeft een mooie staart en is verder ok. Ocean in between the waves is best leuk, maar de drummer had net zo goed een bandje kunnen zijn. Disappearing is voor mij filler in een album wat het echt niet nodig heeft. Eyes to the wind is wel weer gezellig. En hier stopt mijn rating denk ik. Ik kom hier niet zo goed doorheen. Ondanks dat ik een aantal nummers van ze echt wel fijn vind, is het als album niet geslaagd. Misschien kan mijn brainrot aandachtspanne niet dealen met dit alles, maar misschien is 4 minuten aan staart aan elk nummer plakken (hoe mooi die staart dan wel mag zijn) ook geen goede opbouw voor een album. Ik denk dat uiteindelijk the haunting idle me gebroken heeft. Daarna kwam alles niet meer zo binnen. Jammer, want het zijn wel veel nummers die welkom zijn in mijn grote spotify afspeellijst. 2/5 voor het album. Ben nu ook een beetje bang om de andere albums in hun totaliteit te luisteren. Misschien houd ik het maar gewoon bij singles.

Prima albumpje, de stijl van het album geeft me zweverige vibes waarna je bij een crescendo van de instrumenten weer op de grond raakt, waarna je weer rustig opgetild kan worden.

De dreamy, psychedlische indie rock van de war on drugs is direct herkenbaar en dit is het album waar dat geluid is vastgelegd. Niet alles kan helaas de aandacht vasthouden, maar de a-side is naar mijn mening sterk.

Op papier checkt dit album heel veel boxes van dingen die ik chill vind in muziek, maar op een of andere manier weten ze het als een groot monotoon snoozefest te presenteren waarbij vrijwel geen enkel nummer m'n aandacht echt pakt. Als ik de klank van de vocals chiller had gevonden had het nog wel een aangenaam achtergrond album kunnen zijn maar voor nu niet iets waar ik echt meer van wil.

Op plaat is het tegen de verwachting in minder slaapverwekkend dan live. Desalniettemin is het de meest inspiratieloze troep die ik in het genre ken. Het voelt alsof ze bewust muziek schrijven met de gedachte: "hoe maak muziek die mensen okee achtergrond muziek vinden als ze op een grasveldje zitten en niet teveel van hun gesprek afgeleid willen worden?" Echt een band waar ik me moeilijk kan voorstellen dat je de muziek op zet om er naar te gaan luisteren. Eerlijk gezegd kan ik me nieteens voorstellen dat de band zelf geniet van de muziek die ze dag in dag uit op een podium staan te spelen. Wat een bestaan...

I hadn't listened to The War On Drugs before, this is a cool mellow album with a psychedelic feel to it.

Sonically beautiful, but not making any connection otherwise. I could have this as background music all day or when relaxing and I still wouldn't be able to name or sing a song.

Good album

Very good Good melodies, easy to hum along to having never heard it before. Enjoyable High 3

it's a rare day when there's an album with a 1 hour+ runtime and I don't get bored or agitated

A big and atmospheric album with a psychedelic sound. Meanders a little too much, but really strong in spite of that. Best song: Under the Pressure

Te veel van het zelfde, melancholisch wel

An album with a lot of emotion poured into it, especially in instrumentation. Combines folk with an almost dark synth presentation. Whole album feels like a long form jam session, which maybe feels tiresome at some points. Fave Tracks: Under the Pressure; An Ocean In Between The Waves; Lost In The Dream Worst Track: Eyes to the Wind

Ah come on give me something good

Great album, but repetitive.

Mellow

THis album seems to be divisive on here. I loved it! The atmospheric mix of guitar based alternative rock really landed with me.

Soft rock with that ambient, spacey feel. This probably isn’t up a lot of people’s alleys, but it is up mine.

5/5, i absolutely love this album. Great listen from start to finish

Good music, I enjoyed listening to it, though I didn't find it particularly noteworthy

Y'know, Imma go ahead and give this one four stars. I found myself enjoying it quite a lot, which is rare for albums on here.

f the haters, I love this record

Really enjoyed this, nice to have on while I'm working. I'd go back to it again.

If bob Dylan and Sam fender were good

Really liked this album. Kept forgetting it was newer, kept thinking it was an 80’s album. Reminded me of sting for some reason.

I did not vibe to this. This was uninteresting to me. I only liked the last song on the album.

yllättävän rento

it’s like if role model and timothee chalamet as bob dylan had a baby and that baby was a sad millennial. that said, it was chill but entirely forgettable

Not mind-blowingly good but really enjoyable. I’m happy to be introduced to a new chill indie rock group

Really good, especially for passive listening. (Also I'm a grandmaster at battleship if it's playing)

Calmer background music. I like the use of synths Edit Apr 15 2026: 4 --> 3

generic and anonymous in a very nice way

This bored me. The songs were all quite simple, repetitive bits with vaguely dylan-esque vocal lines and layers and layers of instrumentation, but I didn't really get much beyond that. A few times they ended a song with 2-3 minutes of ambience - I think I'd be more interested if they leaned into that and worried less about the 'song' part. When the song did come through they reminded me of The Waterboys. Nothing wrong with the waterboys, but I feel like they already exist, so try and do something different.

really enjoyable, but it didn't stick out to me overall. red eyes and in reverse tho ♡

Thoroughly enjoyed. Would play again

It's a bit monotonous—not every song seems part of a master plan. But a long walk in the rain put it in context. It's slow, but it's *deep*. It's simple on its face, until you hear a secret saxophone slide in. A shimmery synth line float past. A goofy lil' piano chord chirp in the back. Its layers swell and breathe. It takes its time, but when it gets there...oh man.

Fantastic

Lame

Just didn't catch me much, listenable though. Would give a 3.5 if I could.

This was an ok album. I found it relaxing but could get a little repetitive at times.

Half a decent pop album, the other half kind of boring folk rock.

Meh, didn't leave an impression on me.

Moody and melodic. I liked it.

I really loved this album. I remember I listened to this album once before and I didn’t think much of it, but returning to this now I guess I notice many things I didn’t back then. I loved the ambiance of this, the extended ‘soundscapes’ I guess you’d call them. The opener is probably my favourite, but Red Eyes, An Ocean In Between The Waves, Burning and In Reverse are great as well. This slow, mellow vibe was just perfect for a Monday morning bus ride.

7/10. Pretty decent Heartland rock.

Starts strong.

1/2 80s pop album, 1/2 bad Bob Dylan impression. I didn't mind the 80s parts.

2014 was a funny year with a lot of weird music. This is a good album with an amazing imersive experience. This is all I can say.

Pretty chill album. Moments reminded me of Bruce Springsteen, others of Bob Dylan with better singing and less crappy harmonica. 4/5

would listen again, drags slightly but v good

my nostalgia goggles have led me to believe that this album is way better than it actually is. it’s cohesive to a fault AKA most tracks sound the same. that being said, they could never make me hate you red eyes!!

A newer one from this century… very happy to hear - good vibes on this but not very memorable.

Bloody good album. Heard bits and pieces of them but never sat down and listened to a complete album. Worth it.

4/5

This was good! Did it need to be an hour? No, but its really good.

Pretty chill

Wow. I am completely blown away by this record. This is perfect. Maybe it’s because of the moment I am listening to it but I am sure it is great nevertheless.

- Feel like I should enjoy this more, but it's Americana inspirations inspire me to seek out those roots rather than listen to this album more. - "Red Eyes" is the only track with longevity, but it blends in with everything else once the whole album is played. I instead found myself gravitating to "Eyes To The Wind." - The Killers would go on a similar Americana bender a few years later. This is more atmospheric than that, but I am not sure that is doing it any favors.

The moment I saw Indie Rock as the listed genre for this cut, I felt at peace. It was like I went home to see my parents, say hello to my dogs, like I found the nicest coffee, or enjoyed the warmest hug. The genre I’m most in love with. The War On Drugs decided to greet me with an anthemic, cathartic opener, and then proceeded to hold my hand throughout the rest of the record, combining the familiar sound I know and love. The album was fantastic, would recommend to anyone.

Strong album

spokojny album ale na czasie

Mellow, good lyrics and well crafted but ultimately one dimensional. Reminds me of Don Henley’s 80s work, Bryan Adams, and in its best moments a glimmer of Dire Straits and Bob Dylan. 3⭐️

I get the point that "it all sounds the same". But that sound is glorious - "Red Eyes" probably one of my favourite tracks from recent years. *checks album release date - it's over 10 years old* Shhhiiiiiiiiiiiiit - me is old.

Mix of too many emotions. Great production. Guitar solos>>>>>>

Buen grupo, un poco monótonos.

Probably first on the list that I don’t see a need to go back to. Most songs settle into a groove and don’t change much. Do like some of the 80’s inspiration.

Lost in the Dream is a beautifully immersive album that feels like one long, hazy road trip through nostalgia, melancholy, and hope. From start to finish, it’s a consistently great listen; layered with shimmering guitars, dreamy synths, and Granduciel’s distant, Dylan-esque vocals. There’s a kind of meditative consistency to it that’s both a strength and a minor drawback; the songs tend to blend together after a while, but it’s hard to complain when they’re all good. It’s one of those albums that invites you to get lost in it, and chances are, you won’t mind staying a while.

Their 3rd album. Indie Rock. Under Pressure and Red Eyes are two good tracks to open with. Burning is another good track. The lyrics throughout the album are lovely. Production is tight. So easy to listen to. Such a nice album. Melodic, calm yet deep. Porch, scotch and contemplate life kind of music.

Pretentious, pondering, over-long tracks.

2.5. No wonder America lost the War on Drugs when it’s this forgettable.

It's a really nice album to listen to, and there will probably be times and moods where I'll come back to it, but it's so one-dimensional, making it meander along at one pace. For an hour long album, this can become quite tedious

As for whether I like the album, no. "Lost in the Dream" is boring, yep! Have I heard of the band "War On Drugs" before, it's completely unknown to me. Will I ever consciously listen to any more of their material? I see no reason to.

4/5

album longo demais, a sonoridade é boa mas pra que um album com musicas de 8 minutos? bfr

Entirely unoriginal and their spotify bio reflects how egocentric this group acts about their music. You aren't geniuses for playing bland indie rock with a bob dylan impression!

Otro disco que no me llamó la atención. Es notoria la inspiración de Bob Dylan en la voz y me gustan los momentos ambientales, los tiempos reflexivos que se toman, en lugar de simplemente ser canciones upbeat de 3 minutos. Es notoria la atmosfera melancólica y depresiva que el compositor intentó capturar en base a su estado emocional de ese momento. A pesar de estos aspectos, no encontré algo interesante a mi gusto.

Good mellow music.

meh, this didn't do much for me. very samey throughout and just generally depressing. easy listening in the sense it didn't spark much joy or focus to it, so I guess I would listen again, but can't say i'd recognise anything that made an impact on me

This album was a perfect fit for this rainy, cool, spring day in Denver. My office had more than half of the people working from home or off and it was really chill low-key day. Throw on Lost In The Dream and it matched the vibe perfectly. It’s a slow burn of what is not quite soft rock but isn’t really rock. There is strong Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen influence on the vocals and delivery. Not bring a fan of either, this wasn’t one of the strongest parts of this album, though I do think it was a solid performance. Each song kind of blends with the next since the tempos aren’t much different and the drum are seemingly just a loop of the same 4 notes over and over for a full hour. Overall this is album was pretty good but lacking any real umph. The blend of Tom Petty, Springsteen, Dylan with a bit of 90s twist into a more modern feel is a good marriage but nothing that I would go running to tell anyone about. I will throw this on for some chill vibes when I need to focus. This album lacks anything that would be considered unique, innovative, or just all round captivating and makes me wonder why this was added to the list. I don’t know if it was added by the original editor, but this vanilla album doesn’t seem to be one that deserves a 1001 (1089) ranking, even if I liked it more than some of the previously reviewed album. 5.8/10 #49/1001

Boringgg

Si on aime le rock progressif avec de la reverb partout. Under The Pressure est pas mal, le reste sans plus à mon gout.

First track is a masterclass on balancing a track. Lots of competing melodic instruments, but it never gets muddled. It's overall a nice sound; at its best it's a stripped down LCD Soundsystem. Definitely a vibe. But didn't hook me. Just not sure what it was trying to say. Glad I listened, probably won't revisit.

I'd give this a 3.5, I think. When it first came out, I was excited by a band and album that was going back to 80's rock like Petty and Springsteen and others. However, it feels like a shadow and facsimile of those things rather than a continuation or something that really stands beside them, to my ears. So, it's not bad music and is pretty easy to listen to, but I just never really want to listen to it on my own time, as I'd rather just go back to the older, original stuff.

I really enjoyed this, the album opener really brings you out of the real world before immersing yourself into this album. Great tones, and well put together. Never listened to TWOD, but really pleasantly surprised. 8/10.

Pros: Not the Kings of Leon.

There are moments when the record threatens to take off. But then it just sits down.

Boring. Not offensive, but very bland. And this is one of those albums on the list that I don't agree is influential because there's nothing new in it.

Aural wallpaper. I can't imagine how they stayed awake for an hour recording it. And didn't they win a Grammy for Best Rock Album (I think it wasn't for this one)? This is not rock.

Solid, chill guitar solos. Almost my vibe.

I found the first half more captivating. I found the melancholy (hate using that word as I feel it’s overused) tone to be never boring and meandering to cool places. But it admittedly feels a bit samey by the second half (of maybe it’s because the whole album felt that way and I got bored). Under the pressure, red eyes, and suffering were my fav tracks

I mostly enjoyed the album, but at the end of the day, some of the songs sounded like he was doing his best Bob Dylan impression, which I didn't care for. Where they lack Dylan's poetic flourish, they make up for it with much better instrumentation. The album felt pretty front loaded, as the latter half of the album had several long instrumental sections (e.g.,"The Haunting Idle" and the first two minutes of "In Reverse") that could only be described as ambient music. Favorite track: An Ocean in Between the Waves

First off, why is he doing his best Bob Dylan impression at the beginning of "Under the Pressure"? This creeped out again later in the album--not a fan of that style of inflection. As for the rest of it, the album is a bit too ambient for my taste. I can dig chill, laid-back music, but it does need to be going somewhere. I feel like there were too many moments on this album where I found myself wondering how long the songs were going to go on, even if they were enjoyable for the first few minutes.

SO good! Chill summer vibes and reminds me of Outer Banks.

Emo Bruce Springsteen. A few legit good songs but way too much empty bits. They probably have an excellent album in them. This wasn't it

Like the vibe and the voice of the leading singer 3/5

Very instrument based, a bit of a journey

Liked the atmosphere

Overall, this was a pretty nice album having in the background, nothing too exciting but it was definitely better that some of the things that we've had on here, because it is chill and it's not a burden when it's playing on the side while you're doing something.

Well produced, it starts strong, then it starts sounding a bit too repetitive. I listened to it a couple of times, there's something in it. It is a good record, some rythm variety here and there. I can listen some Bob Dylan influences, even sounds a bit 80's at some point.

4/5

A good album, but suffers from some unnecessarily long tracks

Just dull. Dull, dull, dull.

I couldn't get into it at all - I listened to it and it entered my brain and immediately exited without leaving any trace it had ever been there. As I'm leaving 1/5 scores for things I actively dislike, I guess this gets: 2/5

Really pleasant to listen to and felt quite earnest, despite being released in 2014 it sounds like it came out years before then.

Just the sort of 80s, American, MOR, soft rock sound that has never done it for me.

A pleasant listen although most of the songs are a bit long. But for three stars I'm missing at least one song to really stand out. favourite: "Burning" 2,5

Heard it before. I really like Under The Pressure but overall the album is just not really for me 2/5