Lost In The Dream

Toch een beetje saai, lijkt elke keer meer te beloven dan dat ik krijg van het album. Maar als het goed is is het echt heel goed.

Just okay

It was slightly mediocre but nice lush sounds

On dirait les musiques dans les films un peu nul ou quelqu'un déménage et regarde en arrière sa ville natale, un peu cliché mais ca va.

Red Eyes is a banger but the rest were new to me. They're quite pleasant, I'll probably add them to the rotation.

Solid album. Feels like a less avant garde version of Radiohead.

Dull, without a single original thought. Re-treading the vibe of the Waterboys on a few, some Dire Straits guitars, some Pink Floyd guitars ... no redeeming features, at all.

Removed Album #12 Ever since I learned of there being 1089 albums on this website I have been interested in the unfortunate 88 that have had their "must-listen" status revoked. Fortunately, I don't have to quander any longer as I have just now assembled a list of 87 albums that have been expunged from future editions of the 1001 Albums book (I can live with not knowing what the forbidden, spooky, antisemitic 88th album was). Here's the list for anyone interested: https://pastebin.com/cSThNiK9 Interestingly, no albums released prior to 1999 have been removed from the list, which is eyebrow-raising as I can definitely think of a few that are worthy ("Shake Your Money Maker", "Scream, Dracula, Scream!", "Rip It Up", "The Electric Prunes", "Back to Mystery City"). Seems like Dimery and co. are taking the easy way out rather than actually revising and updating the list. There's some strange albums that have been zapped from the list. Of particular interest to me is that every Kings of Leon album has been scrubbed, which is funny. They also hit every album from Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, which I guess I can't fault. "They Were Wrong, So We Drowned" was also struck, which I strongly disagree with despite not really liking that album. "Gorillaz". I like that album, though I can agree with the removal. "Hail to the Thief", which is bullshit. Great album. "Frank" by Amy Winehouse. Both Beta Band albums, which I know this site isn't fond of. "The College Dropout" by Kanye, which is a surprising snub. I'm pretty sure that's one of the acclaimed ones. "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City", another surprise erasure. Holy shit, I need to shut up and talk about the album. It's alright. Mid-2010s indie and nothing more. Many of the songs start out with solid guitar hooks but lose themselves in the sauce as they're drawn out for longer and longer. Sometimes this loss of direction is nice, like with the way "Under the Pressure" lowers itself into some good reverberating guitars at the end, though most of the time these tunes go nowhere and leave me feeling frustrated. Some aspects of this album flat out do not work for me. The synth is a particularly big point of contention. I don't think it sounds good and serves as a detriment to the solid guitarwork. The vocals also aren't my cup of tea, though I do like how they're mastered at points with those wavy vocal effects. It's somewhat difficult for me to follow the lyrics of this album as a result - the vocals blur the line between being words and noise for me. Why was this album removed? I would need to know why it was on the list in the first place, which I do not. If I'm to take a shot in the dark, I would guess that this album was removed due to not being culturally relevant anymore. It's a very mid-2010s hippiecoded album, which is perhaps the most superficial movement you could ever be a part of. Would I save this piece of music from the album woodchipper? Have a nice slicing.

un poco largo, pero una escucha bastante agradable, muy melódico, pero muy etéreo. Bastante bien.

Really enjoyed this. For never having heard it before it gets an audacious 9/10

Technically good but it's a monotonous bore for me.

At first, it unfortunately sounds like a typical “indie” album from the early 2010s—boring and overused. My main issue—similar to what I felt with Franz Ferdinand’s fourth album—is that these so-called indie tracks are overloaded with synths, which, to me, is a clear sign of mediocrity. This is especially noticeable on the second track, “Red Eyes”—ironically, the most played song on Spotify. That said, “An Ocean in Between the Waves” isn’t bad; in fact, I’d consider including it on a compilation. When listening to “Eyes to the Wind,” the band comes off more like yacht rock at best. (“The Haunting Idle” would make perfect background music for a hot night with someone—though, unfortunately, it’s too short for that purpose.) And then there’s “Lost in the Dream”—a genuinely good song, though it’s clearly a Bob Dylan ripoff.

Too forceful to be indie but too cerebral to be 'guitar rock' (whatever that actually means), The War on Drugs isn't a war at all, more like a unification of various traditions: retrospecting and portending at the same time. Not folk rock either, since they don't neglect soul for a strained profundity or a wistful nothing. Adam Grundeciel sings w/ a contained turbulence in the way of a Bruce Springsteen, while the music balances length w/ essence. Lyrically, there's uplift and pain, like anywhere, but here compellingly and necessarily: 'Don't want another dark time to think to myself / We won't get lost inside it all, you're on my way'; 'I wanna rise on a road / Just let me rise up against the waves.' And wrenchingly beautiful as well.

Very good listen. Thoroughly enjoyed this one during my high. It meshed with the vibes perfectly.

One of those albums that are so aggressively just “fine” that you have to remind yourself to be paying attention to it. I hate Bob Dylan and Don Henley and this guy is a healthy mix of both unfortunately.

It is okay

This synthwave throwback trend was the worst because it fused the bad bits of 80s rock with a modern sensibility eschewing melody in favor of mood. The bad Dylan impression gets old fast too. There is nothing in these songs that justifies an 8 minute length.

I love this era of indie music and while I haven't heard this particular album before, I'm familiar with The War on Drugs. This is a solid album and one that I'll probably listen to again.

I'm not sure. It's fine to listen to but nothing really grabs me. I just don't feel much of anything here. Mayne in another headspace idk

Yawn

Still having problems getting into the sound/production of indie bands formed in the mid-late 00s .. Did see these live at a psych rock festival few years back..thought they sounded a little like an 80s Scottish Band (Deacon Blue, Texas) and largely sticking with that..more neo-Aberdeenshire than neo-psychedelia.

I liked this, though it did seem rather one paced. Very moody and atmospheric. Enjoyed it as weekend background music

La voz de Bob Dylan, la actitud de Bruce Springsteen y la guitarra de Dire Straits, trasladadas al indie etéreo de los 2010. Solo que de semejante amalgama acaba saliendo un gris monótono que no termina de arrancar. Aprecio la calidad musical (aunque la percusión es súper simple), su producción y la atmósfera onírica del álbum. Es bueno y muy relajante. Un álbum perfecto para tener de fondo mientras te concentras en algo. Pero no entiendo muy bien qué hace en esta lista.

Some of these tracks give me a Pink Floyd vibe, others something like a MGMT vibe. It's not unpleasant, and kind of a cool consistent vibe all the way through. Some psychedelia. 3.4/5

Really good listening.

This is the first album before a long pause, and it's motivated me a lot to keep going. It's got a melancholic but still optimistic vibe that makes it very easy to revisit on quiet days where you do not know what you are doing

Boring, fades into the background while listening.

It's so meh that i actually forgot that i had the album on. It just completely faded into the background.

This was good. There were a couple times where I thought this was Bruce Springsteen or Paul Simon based on the way the singer was singing. It had a good vibe and I will probably go out and get the album.

The never ending alt rock album. This was fine.

"American indie rock band" usually means I will hate it, but I really enjoyed this one. It kinda has a 70's smooth rock vibe to me, though the vocals and a few songs get dangerously Dylan-esqe a few times. Not so much that it threw off the vibe, but my brain sure as hell perked up in those instances.

Definitely an album I overlooked with several tracks I love

Pretty chill background music album

Imala sam prevelika očekivanja, ali i dalje dosta dobro. Red eyes ću i dalje slušati. Malo dylanesque 🤌🏻

na momente bro tinks hi bob dilan, na trenutke heri stajls ez it vaz šalu na stranu, sasvim solidno

Cool ambient vibe

It sounds like really drawn out Tom Petty songs. The songs get a little long. But they keep good energy during those longer songs.

Sooooo vibey. Some songs are kinda boring and the singing leaves a lot to be desired but the atmosphere and instrumentals are undeniable.

not my favourite of their’s but very very good

Thought it was quite solid, enjoyed it but wasn't something I would repeatedly listen

A drizzly Monday evening finds me at home, with the window open starting what appears to be the saddest album ever written. At least the guy on the front looks like they just closed the MEC closest to his ethical encampment at the base of the mountain he hallucinated on his ayahuasca retreat. May his flannel rest gently over his mending heart, and may the shipping on the carabiners/gu-gels be reasonably priced. This is a good time to mention that I’m using the desktop Spotify today and my big headphones. Should every album receive this attention? Yes. Will it? No. Do you realize how many television programs and books and games and also foods and outdoor activities and music exists?? I also have to spend most of my hours chained to a desk and the rest in a comatose state of rest, so some of these get hit on the fly or at work. Sue me. Hold that thought. Let’s wait and see what the worlds saddest hiker is about to uncover. Under the Pressure - A title track this early? What did we do to deserve this kind of simplistic album pacing? Oh god, this is a Bryan Adams vocal line. Big shit. The label is Secretly Canadian but I didn’t expect them to take it that literally. You know what this song could use? Drugs. This 9 minutes has felt like considerably more than that. Red Eyes - 170,000,000 plays. What a treat. This sounds nice-ish. Has that washed out sound from the first track with a little more purpose. Still kind of millennial wedding-y and really hammered home the boredom by the end Suffering - I’d say I’m getting close to that, yeah. Oh wait, he wasn’t asking me. I’m really happy this is a 6 minute song. Fuck this would’ve ruined my Good Friday. I was riding a high on that crucifixion and this would’ve plummeted me right into the doldrums of resurrection. Sad really. Pass me that phone. If the pharmacist can’t increase my Prozac, I’m turning to crime. An Ocean In Between the Waves - Bryan Adams trying to be sensitive. Just admit you like Corey hart and Bryan Adams dude. Nobody will make fun of you. Don’t dress it up as 2014 indie. It’s ok. Be yourself. Disappearing - The clue is “what will this album will be doing from the listener’s memory 5-10 seconds after ending.” Start the clock. Oh I know this one, ugh hurting, no that doesn’t make grammatical sense uhhh emanating? No uhhhh oh oh oh DISAPPEARING *ding ding ding ding ding* YEEEEEAAHHHHH. Congratulations music reviewer! In completing your own password, your reviews have won immunity from criticism. Such is the gift of this website given up for you. Eyes to the Wind - No wonder your eyes are so red. Between the MEC closing, the wind, and of course the drugs, I’m surprised you’ve got any intact blood vessels left. Rest your weary corneas here my good man. Wait for this bus stop of a song to be over and dry those tears. Bob Dylan called, he said stop busking in his voice at the bus stop. The Haunting Idle - At least there are no vocals here. Best thing so far. Burning - We’re back to the 80’s after our foray into a world without a vocalist. While it was boring, it was less painful. A reprieve from the horrors. Neutrality felt blissful. Lost in the Dream - Man, how is there still almost 12 minutes to get through here. This is more quiet, poppy, country tinged boredom. Usually these things are lyrically weighty, but I’m finding nothing is grabbing me there either. It could be I’m just too intellectually dull to keep up with this millennial Bob Dylan impersonator who headlines a third rate university campus’ pub. Yeah. It’s probably that. I have been outpaced in the neurological arms race by slob Dylan. In Reverse - Welp. I throw my right hand over the passenger seat after putting the car into reverse. I slowly lift off the brake as I begin to roll backwards. I then jam the gas and mow down a commemorative peanut statue en route to plunging my 01 Camry to the briny depths beneath the pier. It’s a good life down here. And to see that smug peanut float down next to me, makes this a peaceful exeunt. Makes me almost not hate this song so bad. I am so bored. Talk about end of long weekend blues. I had to check my pulse near the end there. I think the almost decent minute or so of “In Reverse” reminded me that I’m on planet earth. If that’s indeed the true name of our planet. It could be M’aarthoum N’ak N’aa or as the Chortillian hordes of the sixteen moons once referred to it, Spylon the Eye of the Outer Ring. Wipe that dust from your outer eye ring and look towards the infinity of space. Succumb to the silence of its enveloping eternity. But first, turn this album off. Play something bitchin’ like Gangrel’s Theme Song. This thing? Nobody can hear me scream up here. 0.5-1 HIGHLIGHTS: The Haunting Idle

I rather liked this

At some point in the 2010's, a friend of mine told me to listen to this album. He described The War on Drugs to me as 'your new favorite band.' He'd said the same thing to me about The National a couple of years before this, and he was spot on, so I decided to listen to this album. I immediately fell in love with this album, and it's an album that I return to very often. I know this album like the back of my hand, and I'd easily list as one of my favorites of all time. But enough of my introductory rambling. Let’s get lost in the dream! I’m always struck by just how beautiful this album is. From those opening clicks and piano notes of “Under The Pressure” to the closing notes of “In Reverse,” I’m just in love with every part of this album. Listening to The War on Drugs reminds me of Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, and Bob Dylan, and on this particular album, it reminds me of Rod Stewart’s “Young Turks.” I always find myself completely consumed by the dreamlike atmosphere of this album, and it’s a feeling that’s truly a treat to embrace. The guitar playing, various pianos and synths, and vocals are all perfect on this album. The songwriting is fantastic too. This album is full of songs that I love, but even the ones that I enjoy a little bit less still have a perfect home on this album. Take “Suffering” for example: it’s sandwiched between “Red Eyes” and “An Ocean Between the Waves,” two of the best songs on the album. “Suffering doesn’t have the blending of pianos and guitars or the restrained energy of the two songs on either side of it, but it has beautiful horns and piano playing that fit perfectly between those two faster paced songs. Back to those vocals though. Adam Granduciel’s singing is absolutely perfect on this album (and every War on Drugs album I’ve listened to). I know his voice is reminiscent of Bob Dylan, but to my ear, it’s more of a combination of Dylan and Mark Knopfler. I love the way he paces out his words, creating gaps in his singing while the arrangements are almost always full of beautiful sounds. That contrast works so well for me. As much as I love the first half of the album, the second half is incredible too. “Eyes to the Wind” is another beautiful, slow ballad, with some fantastic piano playing, and the instrumental “The Haunting Idle” is a perfect lead-in to “Buring.” “Burning” reminds me so much of Rod Stewart’s “Young Turks,” but “Burning” still feels incredibly unique on its own. “Burning” just creates a sense of longing and nostalgia in me that I really love. I could go on and on about how much I love this album, but I’ll close by saying that I listened to this three times before writing my review, and I enjoyed every second of it. Lost in the Dream is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I’m so glad I got to revisit it today.

aina pelottaa tämmöset, hirvittää mutta iloinen yllätys.. heti oli iwbes wibes ibes ibes wibes www www kirjain vittuilee jahas.. tosiaankoja niin että mukava mukavaa miusikkia, pari ongelmaa kuitenkin tulee esiin että ensimmäisexi jos sitä ambienttia aletaan aletaan semmosta moodia niin sanotusti luomaan niin pidetään sitten yll vähän pidempään, antakaa hengittää plis.. ei mitään kolmen minuiutin pikku juttuja antakaa 0minuutin thematic masterpiece selvästi riittää pälli siihen, palikat on ilmeisesti päässä niin miksi pitää. ja toinen ongelma emt, ei oo nii hyvä albumi oikeesti.. siis joku neljä varmaan.. under the pressure

Nothing exciting, an album of filler tunes

Enjoyed listening whilst on a run, but scoring lower cos it’s Manc Wanderers favourite band. You can hear how much this band has influenced the sound of Sam Fender

It's a bit repetitive perhaps, but it really doesn't bother me on this one. The album is very chill and pleasant to listen to and feels like some crossover between classic rock and modern indie. Under the Pressure and Lost in the Dream are pretty big hits and feel like the stand outs on this album. I like the whole of it though, even if I wouldn't necessarily seek it out myself. I could listen to their meandering playing for hours.

if bob dylan tried to make a space rock album and ended up with a somehow more boring version of coldplay

Fine, not my scene, really. Kinda samey and a bit overlong. Pleasant enough background music, inoffensive.

I really wasn't sure what to expect, but on the whole it was very good. I could definitely hear some 'Springsteen' in there, and also some Bob Dylan influences. I'm planning on a re-listen in a few days time as that is often the best way for me to fully gauge an artist or album.

Loved the sound, loved the album. Not much to say.

Dreamy, atmospheric modern rock with a strong 80's influence. I enjoy the chill, almost shoegazy vibe it has. This one's going on my summer road trip soundtrack for sure.

You like Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan? Well this guy obviously does and he's drawn out the songs to over 5 minutes so you can make sure you hear it! Like its fine but then it was a struggle to get through because the okay song then lasts past five minutes for no reason, not changing at all just still going the same... The album is a drag in more ways than just one. Tired. I'm glad its over.

I've never figured out why critics lose their minds over this artist. The music is aggressively mid and grows more tedious as it rolls along. There's nothing in here that others artists haven't done better, but some people want to act like they reinvented music.

Kunne gitt 4 for første halvdelen. God klang. Bra både de rolige og de med litt mer fart, nesten pausemenymusikk fra gammel fifa. Siste halvdelen ble litt tam, og trekker ned.

Sensationell - I love it! One of my favorite Bands.

Red Eyes is brilliant but the rest is average.

"Shoegaze Springsteen" is a delightful sonic palette. but as a full record? a bit too monochrome.

I am an indie rock fan. But this is one of the most sterile-sounding albums I've ever come across. It's not unpleasant to listen to, but it's like what I'd imagine elevator indie rock music would sound like. The song "Burning" also clearly imitates the song "Young Turks" by Rod Stewart... i assume that was intentional? Weird.

Interesting indie rock.

I get it. Bob Dylan is cool. But we already have one. And he’s not as dreadfully boring as this album.

Too sleepy to be interesting and too spacy to provide any solid grooves. I don't take much away from albums like this. A vibe is fine, but I want a little more from music than just vibe. I look for sounds that pique my interest, melodies with emotional dynamics, and grooves that make me want to move my body. I didn't find any of that here

Really liked most of this one, though there were a few times it strayed towards a Rod Stewart kind of vibe.

I enjoyed this more than expected. It ended up putting me on a really contemplative mood. I don't know how often I'll revisit it, but I'm glad I listened to it.

I've loved Red Eyes since it came out in 2014. I also just enjoy TWOD in general. I think I've listened to this album a handful of times but not in many years. Listening to it in its entirety now is interesting. It's a pretty good album but it's also kind of boring mostly because a lot of the songs sound the same. It's certainly not a bad album but the sum of its parts are not greater than the whole. This wouldn't be an album I'd ever buy the physical copy of and it will mostly just be a couple of songs that get thrown onto a big random playlist I never listen to.

I love this record. This is very much a record from my early adulthood. An important one for the elder millennial. I love the progressive nature of the songs, it kind of has that Bruce Springsteen anthem / stadium element to it while also being really spacey and kind of psych. I've always felt like this is an artists that I can just kind of vibe with. At its low it can be kind of "vibey" and nice to have in the background, at its best it can blow your mind and get you amped for no reason. Red Eyes is a perfect example of that. So considering those 2 ranges, I think this is a really effective album and well deserving of its spot on the list.

That album seems like a prototype for so much that came after

Track one is one of the best long songs I've heard in a while. So moody, beautiful guitars, dreamy atmosphere. Same vibe with 2-3. Track 4 has more of a groovy touch, but still great relations between the instruments. An AMAZING SONG. Wow. 5 continues with the big guitar sound, great keyboard as well. Love the harmonica in the beginning. Track 6 good, although more usual american rock style to it. After a transition track track 8 begins with a great rithem, a bit Cure. Another good song. 9, beautiful classic rock ballad. In reverse, one of the strongest songs in the record to finish it. Beautiful lyrics. Another quality album. Great time.

Great album. Connected with lyrics and great guitars. I’ll have saved this one as one gem discovered .

Definitely not what I expected. This is like an indie tribute to a very specific type of 80s rock. I got a lot of 80s Bruce and Rod Stewart, but people nailed it with Don Henley. Here’s the problem, these songs are too long, and the singer is too mediocre to outshine those better songs. There’s a few highlights, but my god are they too long

Nice

Finns väl något där men det mesta känns bort skrubbat

En flott gjennomlytting av albumet som har tydlig inspirasjon fra flere velkjente band/artister. Bra lydbilde med flotte instrumentale øyeblikk. Får litt Dylan/Springsteen vibber av både musikken og vokalen. Det som trekker litt fra albumet for min del er spilletiden. Det blir litt langstrekkelig med 1t (men siden dette er kun første lytt, så er det mulig fremtidige lytt vil si noe annet). Kok det ned til 40 min så hadde denne nok fått full pott.

Fair background music, but nothing to really grab the interest of this listener.

Нормальный альбом, но мало песен попали в настроение

5/5. An ethereal and shoegaze-y album inspired by 70's and 80's rock is not something you find every day. The songs go on for 5+ minutes usually with minimal lyrics and just backing guitar riffs and solos sometimes. When I first heard the album when it first came out a while ago, I don't think I quite felt like it was for me. As the years have gone by, and my listening has diversified, I can hear and appreciate the influence and excellent songwriting. This is such a great road trip album while also being a good one to just let it wash over you in headphones. The production is fantastic and you can hear the passion in his voice. Glad I had a chance to revisit this one. Best Song: Under The Pressure, Red Eyes, Burning, An Ocean In Between The Waves

Dry, low energy, never really comes alive. Gets an extra star just for red eyes tho

Kändes väldigt i sin samtid.

Biased review/score as a big fan, I think Adam Granducial is a modern day genius, this record is great, the vocals are Dylan-esque, heavy 80s Springsteen vibes in the drums/synths. But it's mixed with shoegaze/dream-pop to create this beautiful wall of sound. The pace of record is great, big synth/guitar driven hits mixed with slower more introspective songs.

Decent, soft rock

Low-key rock

My kind of modern rock.

Listens: 2 Stand out tracks: The Haunting Idle 80s vibes. A few tracks has vocals that sounded like Bob Dylan. I enjoyed the transition from The Haunting Idle to Burning. Atmospheric, moody qualities.

Liked this but it didn't particularly take me. Lot better than expected, gave he impression that if I listened to them more I would become a fan

Springsteen and Dylan should collect royalties for this. It’s fine. Some songs should end a minute or two sooner. It forces some synths in between in an attempt to make it mysterious, when there’s really nothing to be mysterious about. Some songs are comforting that feel familiar to what embodies the late 70’s/early 80’s .

3.5 Stars.

Inoffensive and catchy enough. Nothing bad, nothing great. Happy to listen to this as background music but probably wouldn't want to intentionally listen to this. 2.5/5 stars.

A very interesting album. I can see several references to great artists of the past in the sound of the songs. The lyrics are very beautiful and profound. Call me crazy, but it sounds like a distant cousin of Bob Dylan with great influences from Pink Floyd, singing in a dreampop band. Coo-coo. Anyway, 4 stars sounds good.

Все какое-то однообразное, как фоновая музыка для кафе пойдет, один трек можно послушать, но альбомом это слушать невозможно скучно

Fav: Red Eyes Least Fav: The Haunting Idle “We have The Killers at home” The Killers at home:

So calming and relaxing. Loved the whole album, vibes similar to khrungabin. Easy listening

I don’t get it

Very Radio Paradise. Sounds like two or three familiar artists I can’t quite place. Really like it—giving it a 4 which could have gone up to 5 if I’d had a chance to listen a couple more times.

I kinda hate this band Will I listen to again: 0%

A beautiful folk-pop album without a clear hit track. 8.7/10

Timelessly great

Very melodic, calming album. Have thoroughly enjoyed.

Is good background music

would be a lot better if it was 25% shorter, solid but not much stood out to me, and the things that did got stretched too thin.

Bland

7/10 I love me some sad boy music, I do. 3-27-2025

Opener song "under the pressure" feels like it matches the "theme" of the album closer to the end with the like, 3/4 minute wooey woo instrumental (he said before he realized every song had a wooey woo instrumental). Another "vibes heavy" prog rock album, the more spacey songs are pleasant but not super engaging otherwise, The Haunting Idle is just 3 minutes of reverbed guitar strumming and other random chords which i think the album could do without. It is easy to hear the Dylan/Springsteen influence in some of the guitar and vocals (eyes to the wind, burning), but like - I'd rather just listen to Springsteen or Dylan. The drums really do sound the same on every song which isn't the worst thing ever but does not help anything either. 4.7/10.

Lovely

gar nicht mal sooo schlecht, kannte ich bisher überhaupt nicht

Amazing

Ten album brzmi jakby ktoś nasłuchał się za dużo Dylana i Springsteena i postanowił nagrać płytę z lat 80’ trzydzieści lat później. Mi to nie przeszkadza, bo lubię ten klimat, ale nie jestem pewna na ile to przetrwa próbę czasu. 7/10

bleargh

I really liked this one. I get some Dire Straits vibes from the guitar work.

Interesting. But I don't get all the rave.

I’ve had a hard time getting into these guys. I like some of it but not all of it.

Somewhere between Sting and Tom Petty. Catchy.

Lovely stuff….

I have come around on this band so much over the last several years hell fuckin yea brother Best Song: Red Eyes Rating: 8.5/10 Excellent Stars: 4/10

I’ve heard this band’s name but can’t say I ever knowingly listened to their music. Hey siri, play some indie rock! That’s kinda what it sounds like. Somber, with all kind of effects enveloping the songs. Overly serious and humorless as far as I’m concerned. Kind of the same feeling throughout.

3.5 Stars

3.5

Wish I liked this as much as I wanted to but under the pressure will always be a favourite

Rad as hell. Big fan of it. Like being embraced by a softer, more ethereal album by The Replacements. Spent the weekend listening to this album and it’s grown on me even more. Probably my favorite so far.

Pleasant dreamy trippycana - it's an album for a lazy weekend

Seems like they are just copying that “classic” American rock sound, done (and better) by so many before them. A lot of the songs were too long but I think that was to add to the dreamy-ness of the album.

War on war

I found this to be rather dull

Pheasant background noise, if a little whiny.

Just another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex I can't quite work out what this wants to be, sounds like some mashup of Springsteen, Arcade Fire and other Americana. Either way, it's all very middle of the road.

My favorite song off the album was "Red Eyes" because it sounded very coming of age. This was a very pleasant listen.

Nice sound - I only knew one song from them before

Lindos temas, lindas voces, letras un poco más interesantes de lo común. Nada muy guau, no sabría que destacar. Nota: 2.8

This answers the question nobody was asking - what if Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen had a kid, and Bob taught the kid to sing and Springsteen taught the kid how to compose music. But really, it feels like there's a line between influence and imitation. I refuse to believe that that is Adam Granduciel's voice, in the same way I refuse to believe that Josh Kizska had never heard Led Zeppelin until he hit high school. I mean it's possibly true, but come on. All that being said, this is a cool meeting of heartland rock sounds, folk, and modern production quality. It was a little hard, at times, to move past the obvious influence/imitation of Bob Dylan, but after a while it was just part of the sound as a whole. Off the bat I thought this could be a five-star venture. As it went on, I started to feel like there wasn't enough variation in the tracks. The more up-tempo tracks all sounded very similar to each other, and the slower ones were boring enough that I couldn't differentiate those much either. In all, it just kind of became two big sounds and I wasn't totally blown away by either. It could've been great, it was just good. Three stars. Standout Tracks: Under the Pressure, Red Eyes, An Ocean in Between the Waves, In Reverse

Is this prog rock? Idk. Chill, atmospheric, easy to listen to. Would revisit.

Exceptional.

The War on Drugs makes the best soundscapes, the whole ensemble when it clicks is just so good. Also true live. And under the pressure is a banger. But when they slow down or just meander, soundscapes aren't enough. But thoroughly enjoyable album with some standouts (first two songs especially)

Under The Pressure Is an Amazing opening track. in General, on the record, the longer a song is the better. I'm just a little disappointed by the drumming which is too simular in between tracks. an Ocean in between the waves is the only that caught me by surprise, with its 80s drums. But great record will come back to it for sure

I didn't find it earth shattering but it was a nice discovery. I listened to it through an airport and some metro rides around Milan and it grew on me. High 3, or low 4?

Lush and chill. I've heard a few of their songs before on the radio, back when I used to listen to a radio, and remember liking them then. It's interesting how they incorporate familiar late 70's and 80's guitar sounds and song structures with a more modern atmospheric vibe. Will listen again.

I liked the second half better. This one had to grow on me.

Wow...really, really liked this one. Hard for me to give an album a 5 on its first listen, but this one came as close for me as any that we've listened to.

On reading some of the reviews, I discovered it was not an original thought to hear the album as Variations on a Theme by Don Henley. Each identical drumbeat has that same quailty of watching a high speed activity in slow motion that makes Boys of Summer so evocative, but here it is only evocative of Boys of Summer. Everyone else is right of course: there's 80s Springsteen, 80s Rod Stewart, Dire Straits. Also there are echoes of The Big Music - The Waterboys, 80s U2, Big Country - but the Big Music aimed for the epic and anthemic, whereas this is anemic. The first song ends with a long noisescapes, such as other bands would leave for the closer, indicating that the climax has been reached and all the coherent energy spent. This load is shot too early and its only a puff of retained childhood air. 1 This album is bluntly derivative of other rock music; Dire Straits, Springsteen, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan (specifically ‘Oh Mercy’) all spring to mind. However, there is nothing here of the desire to please an audience that is indicated in the absorbing, storytelling lyrics of those acts. Indeed there is no real songwriting here at all - just 80s American heartland rock ‘vibe‘. These lyrics, fragmentary evocations of Springsteeny backwater life in the streets in the darkness on the edge of town and the river and some girl or other (unnamed but presumably Mary, Jane or Wendy) are for the most part muttered in a manly Mark Knopflerish way from a bath of reverb and delay. Which sounds alright except once you’ve gone off and checked what the lyrics are the whole thing feels like the work of an A.I Springsteen lyric generator. Here’s a snippet: ‘There’s a cold wind blowin' down my old road/Down the back streets where the pines grow/As the river splits the undertows/ But I’d be lyin' to myself if I said I didn’t mind/ Leave it hangin' on the line…’ And another: ‘On a drive, I'm takin' back roads/ High against where the rivers are flowin'/ I didn't think that our love had grown…’ Not even through the courageous act of pinching melodic fragments from Dancing in the Dark or I’m on Fire or Tougher than the Rest to set them to, can this nonsense be redeemed. Still - those Springsteen tracks are only pop song length and these War on Drugs tracks are really long so they are bound to be profound; the greatest album of 2014 the critics said, and for all I know they were right. 1/5

This was very pretty music. Nice.

Idk wie oft ich das im Sommer 2025 am Weg nach Lamasté versucht habe ganz durchzuhören, aber Juli 2026 hab ich es endlich geschafft. Under The Pressure und Red Eyes sind extrem geil, aber ich finde, Alben sollten meistens nicht 1h lang sein. Trotzdem, ein sehr cohesive und sehr voll klingendes Album

Wonderful production value and catchy songs.

This was unexpectedly excellent

Really cool album. I like it.

One of the most beautiful albums I've ever listened to, pure magic

# 433 : 11/03/2025 : I don't love it, I don't hate it. A couple of things stood out but I thought it was very ordinary quiet forgettable and I doubt I'll ever go back to this. every song used the same template, chords, ....everything. If you've heard one song, you've heard them all...

A fantastic album. Nothing less…

Good Indie Rock

No está mal, sonido alternativo.

Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Artwork: 😓🪟🛏️ Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🌃🌊🔮 Rating: 🩹🩹🩹(🩹)/5

One of my best friends is a War On Drugs diehard, and I wish I were able to access the same level of passion for this music. It's very polished, but I think I wish it extracted the interesting parts of Bruce Springsteen's music (like, say, The Hold Steady) instead of what it settles on. Which is not to say that I don't like this album, because I certainly do, particularly the great one-two punch that starts it off. But it's hard to be too enthusiastic about it.

I can tell there is excellent production, musicianship and heartfelt lyrics on this album. But it would take a real investment to get into it. I listened, admittedly while working, but it just faded into the background for me. I can have a hard time with these indie opuses - if it doesn’t capture me right away, I don’t really feel motivated to immerse myself long enough in its world to care.

😳

Meh, not really for me. I found it to be boring at times.

Not really sure what i was listen to, a werid missmash of progrock and folk music. Got bored and gave up after the 4th song.

They defined a signature sound and stuck with it. Fine, because it's a very pleasant sound, but it doesn't keep entertaining me. It escapes me why many people hear Dylan and Springsteen in this.

Still dig it and the drum grooves

Sean Tanos Monday at 10:22 AM I was listening to this music in the car with my wife while we were driving to Minden on our break. I think I mentioned Bob music before, which is just music my friend Bob likes. My wife looked at me after the 2nd song, and asked if Bob had ever heard this band because she thought he'd love it. Definitely Bob music.

Imagine it's raining, and you hear thunder. You think "this is great weather to take a nap". That would be the scenario where this album would be okay. Otherwise, it's pretty bland.

I wish there was a way to attribute authors on here but this is from a reviewer post on December 20, 2021 and it sums up my thoughts very well. I didn't hate it, but was hoping for more. "I was excited after reading their extremely pretentious description on Spotify but the result is underwhelming. I was really hoping for some genre bending/blending, instead it's just a dylan/orbison/petty not-quite coverband that delves into sound scapes ala Wilco meets Brian Eno."

boooorrrriiiinnnnggg. I couldn't wait til this was over. Was suprised to see this record was released by Secretly Canadian.

Felt like it never picked up. Just didn't capture my interest once.

Dreamy. Really love the vibes. Can imagine playing this album in the summer, chilling in a car with the roof down, feeling the warm breeze. Love the production. Groovy beats. Cool synths. The melodies are so nice to listen to. Kinda giving a cross between Bob Dylan and Sam Fender. Songs are long but I don’t mind that, they keep me hooked. I will listen to this again.

I shamelessly enjoy this. It was easy to get lost in and had me head nodding from beginning to end.

Their write up on Spotify is so pretentious, it’s like it was written for Portlandia. So far, it sounds like a Don Henley / Fleetwood Mac cover band. First song absolutely references Boys of Summer by minute 3. It’s cute. But it’s not exactly innovative. A lot of this sounds like Arcade Fire. A lot is repetitive. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s easy listening, for the most part. But not new, not essential. Just nice.

not a big fan

Ten seconds into the first track, I knew I was going to love the album. In spite of the reverb, I felt like I could make out all of the instruments and I really enjoyed the long outros. Sometimes I like that kind of thing, especially in this kind of psychedelic music. Bops throughout.

Really vibed with the instrumentals on this album, but the lead singer's voice kind of got annoying after awhile. A bit too whiney and talk-like for my taste. I also thought some of the songs went on for too long. But the music produced wonderful psychedelic hints at times and some upbeat feelgood tones at other times that I really enjoyed.

Halfway through I realize this album wasn't released in the 80s. Really put a damper on my enthusiasm. I wanted to hate the whole album but I couldn't. Red Eyes is a banger. I bought the long pretty good to a couple others. And general I didn't mind the excessive length of the songs. It's somehow fit the style. In general though I didn't like the vocals, they sounded like Bob Dylan crossed with Paul Simon and drowned in reverb. Also kind of pissed that they had a whole song of just ephemeral ambience.

Another high note listening experience courtesy of the 1001 album list :) This one has been on my radar to immerse myself in for quite sometime but somehow fell through the cracks, so I was delighted when it came through the generator today as my album to review. I was already familiar with the two opening tracks as well as the reputation this release has for sounding very Dylan-Springsteen-Americana-esque, which it very much dose, however not to the degree that it compromises from its own distinct identity. This is a very cohesive album, each song flowing nicely into the next, contemplative in feel that is pleasantly airy and dreamlike. I put this on while I was driving along rural backgrounds and the scenery complimented these tracks beautifully. 🎧 Classic Track- Under The Pressure 🎧 Hidden Gem- Suffering 🚫 Skip Track- In Reverse The slow burn instrumentals are exquisite albeit extends the runtime of the album overall a tad too long, coming in just over an hour averaging 6 minutes per track. A wonderfully produced indie rock gem that I look forward to revisiting! 🖼️ Album Artwork: ❌- nothing special Click the thumbs up icon below if you enjoyed my take on the album :)

Very good album I never thought I would like the war on drugs but they are a great band

I went to a concert of theirs a couple months ago, I was freezing cold and had a migraine so I laid down on the blanket we brought, and just kinda dissociated to the music, it’s pretty good dissasociating music

the only drug they're gonna take off the streets is ambien. at least daft punk had the smarts to bring in nile rodgers to lively up their retrofetish horseshit. they worship a guy who said "don't look back" but make some Lot's wife-ass music.

Nice enough

Pretty cool

not bad not special

I like A Deeper Understanding a lot more than this album, but this is still a solid album. The production and vocals feel comforting

Great Springsteen album

Very atmospheric album I enjoy this kind of music, I can see why someone mind think it’s boring but I see it as moody, and cinematic. My favorite part of this one was for sure the production it was excellent throughout. Favorite Tracks: Under The Pressure, Red Eyes, and An Ocean Between The Waves.

It’s ok. A few really solid songs and a bunch of meh ones.

I never heard of these guys before. Was good for my background music—overall, it’s too hazy and “on the highway at dusk” for me to reach for often.

This album started out with a great first song, and I was ever hopeful of a new discovery. It soon sunk into a dreary, repetitive mess. Thinking about the drums specifically I realized early on that I could play drums on this album. And that’s not a compliment.

Dreamy Springsteen. The typical WoD blueprint. About as good as Slave Ambient.

Greaat

It'd been a while since I last listened to Lost In The Dream and glad that it still holds up as a lovely, vibey record. Great for just putting on in the background and letting the music wash over you, but not noticeable enough to ever surprise. I do understand why some people really love this, but I do wonder if it's quite distinct enough to really earn its spot here

If these guys were contemporary with their genre, they would be 60% as interesting as anyone else. But they're not, and that's worse. Instead, it sounds like a 40th anni reunion tour that lost its spark, but without any original. It sounds like they were familiar enough with Americana to know that Mark Knopfler could jam on an intro/outro for 4+ minutes, but not enough to know that Mark Knopfler could do that because he had chops.

Bit of a let down. I really like that 2010s synth Americana sound and this teased it a lot but never really did it, and ultimately it was very one dimensional and vibey

Uh is this a album for bob dylan lovers that are also about to OD lol - idk it was downer

Never listened to them before and I really enjoyed it. Definitely my style.

After seeing them live again a couple of months ago, I realized how well these songs have stood the test of time, especially when compared to the rest of their repertoire. There's a bit more depth, energy, and tension in these songs than in everything that came after. Additionally, all of their songs tend to be longer and more stretched out than their earlier work, particularly those featuring Kurt Vile. It's not a five-star album because of the slog in the middle.

Like Pink Floyd with Paul Simon or the Dire Straits - very good listen

Cracker! Great driving record as well.

Man, this is tedious. I don't care for it. Lot of skilled musicianship and production, but it is clearly drawing from a lot of 80s pop rock sound. I don't know, this is some Free Willy soundtrack type stuff I can't get behind. 2/5 listen, 3/5 for the hard work and skill that went into making this.

num foi feito pra mim, mas cade o kurt vile

meh

Why would you create Bob Dylan Boomer music in 2014?!

I liked this. It's in no way special, but I enjoyed listening to it, and might listen again.

Not bad

Perfectly fine. Has forever been uninspiring to me. Would much rather listen to a Kurt Vile record.

Good

Fine. Not offensive but a little too chill and just didn't do it for me.

Enjoyed it.

Lovely, peaceful, sounds familiar?

Favorite Track: Lost in the Dream

Does Springsteen get the royalties? This passes me by in an audio soup of delay, reverb and plodding tempos. I find it dull and samey.

Meh

Un inmenso esfuerzo donde se nota el trayecto duro y depresivo al que hace referencia. Buenas influencias Springsteen, Young sobresalen notoriamente

Wow. This was actually really good. I always thought this band were a lot older than they were, I had heard of them before but I didn’t realise they had releases as soon as 2014. I was very pleasantly surprised by this record. It’s a fun indie album, reminding me of late-season Skins on Channel 4. It has a melancholy sound at times which creates beautiful melodies paired with decent vocals, with a good modern blend of sounds and genres. It kept my interest, despite the length (as usual, I thought one or two songs could have been stricken from the record but I don’t feel too strongly about it to mark it down) and I found it quite an easy album to listen to. The instrumental breaks, such as Haunting Idle, were really good too. It’s a very poignant album, very thoughtful and at times emotional. It reminds me why I love indie rock so much. I’d definitely listen to it again and I’ll be interested in hearing more from this band.

Das war echt überraschend gut Oh 😮 Gut entspannt und abgehend zugleich

Good stuff

I actually vaguely know this album. I had heard a few of their songs before but my buddy scored free tickets to see them right around the time this album came out. He told me, "You have to listen to this 'Under the Pressure' song." So, I did and being a fan of jam bands, I wasn't put off by the runtime. The thing is: it IS a good song but the "jam" is just kind of boring. It doesn't do much. But I still like it. Well, the rest of the album feels the same way. It's enjoyable but just a little uninteresting. I'd definitely listen to it again but it's best as background noise.

perfect album

OK, a bit depressive and too neil young vocals but the melodies were pretty good and catchy overall

This is good! I instantly fall in love with the sounds. Some of those melodies reminded me of old classic 60s or 70s rock but with brand new dreampop-shoegaze arrangements. This is cool I love it. A solid 4/5.

Heartland rock is really cool idk why its been so long for me to listen to this. But really homey and warm album.

This was ok.

amazing album, very creative, good ambience (95/100)

Love this album - Bob Dylan meets Bruce Springsteen

Sublime, atmospheric, melancholic majesty. Traces of Dylan, Springsteen and Bon Iver combine to make for a wonderful album.

I like it's good. Would happily listen to it anytime, although probably wouldn't seek it out myself. Rating: 3

This was nice

Good solid album for its time. Repetitive but never tiresome. Good vocals and sounds capes.

Great album to have in the background while working/thinking/writing.

This is the most three-star album I've heard on this list. Very moody and had good atmosphere.

Dreamt and thoughtful without being pretentious. Some of the best of what 21st century indie can be.

Alright

Mellow

Good album, bit slow

boringgg

I don't want to listen to dad rock anymore

What an amazing string of albums! This album does much to me (Under The Pressure! Red Eyes! Burning! An Ocean In Between The Waves!), but in another way, it is also full of filler material in my opinion. It's also not as perfect as the follow-up album.

Ja, dit is gewoon perfectie he. En het is niet eens hun beste album. 5.0

Similar to Still Corners but with male vocals.

3+ Stars (9/15)

Ezek a srácok is hallgattak valamennyi Neil Youngot. Meg Springsteent. Meg Dylant. 😆 Nem mintha panaszkodnék, nem rossz ez, de azt pl szeretném tudni, hogy miért teljesen ugyanaz a beat minden egyes szám alatt. Amilyen lelkes voltam az elején, olyan csalódott vagyok a végére, mert ez nagyonjó is lehetne, de így egy hallgatás után azt hiszem, hogy nem az.

Wasn't familiar with, The War On Drugs" and my pre-conceived idea of their sound was different than I thought. It was quieter and more thought provoking than I expected and overall I liked their sound and songs. A bit of a Wilco-vibe and even an Americana feel, so it was comfortable and easy to listen to. I thought though, the songs became a little "samey" as it wore on and it did drag and became less interesting towards the end. Good, but not great (or essential), but worth the time and worth a future dive into their album catalogue.

Day 36: Lost in the Dream - The War on Drugs. War on Drugs album 1/1. I can hear a potential influence coming from 1970's rock music. However, it does not feel as authentic or nostalgic. It's somewhat difficult to remember what happened in the album at all after listening to it. Bruce Springsteen is a significantly more interesting artist form the Heartland rock scene. The music seemed to fade into the background. It's a lot better than some of the mainstream pop music that came out around the same time, but this album still isn't too impressive. I find the selection of new albums in "1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" to be quite arbitrary. There are so many more important albums that came out more recently. Unless I am mistaken, this album only survived in the 2016 edition of "1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". While a lot of great albums suffered the fate of removal from the list purely for being newer albums, I do believe that it was an appropriate action to take for this album. Personal Enjoyment: 3/5. How Much It Belongs Here: 2/5.

Amazing album, inspired thoroughly by Bob Dillon but with the energy of the killers.

This is basically Wire Train.

Top album. Love this.

Under the Pressure 4.3 Red Eyes 3.8 Suffering 4 An Ocean in Between the Waves 3.7 Disappearing 3.6 Eyes to the Wind 3.4 The Haunting Idle 3.2 Burning 3.4 Lost in the Dream 3.8 In Reverse 3 Score: 3.62

Real elegant stuff. I loved this album when it came out.

Fantastic album

honestly kinda mid. nothing stood out.

-this wasn’t too bad. maybe a bit indie contemporary for my taste, and damnnnn some of those songs could’ve been cut down -some of them were absolutely beautiful and captivating though. i LOVE the lead singer’s voice and the 80s / 90s rock influence -Favorites are Suffering and An Ocean In Between The Waves

I have always liked The War on Drugs but I have never, and I mean never, understood the comparisons to Heartland rock, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp. It doesn't sound like them at all. Even reading the reviews of other listeners I see a couple of Don Henley and Bryan Adams references. I don't hear it at all! I often feel like they could be one of my favorite bands, yet they are just missing something and I can't put my finger on it. I really like them and feel like I could love them. Sometimes the music is too long and sleepy for me. I really need someone to explain the Bruce Springsteen and Heartland rock thing to me though. I can't hear it no matter how hard I try. Otherwise, I like the album and there are quite a few jams. Can the songs sound similar? Yeah, probably. Under the Pressure is a good way to start the album (even if it is 3 minutes too long, potentially), Red Eyes is just an absolute jam, Suffering is the closest to Bryan Adams/Don Henley I hear, Ocean Between the Waves is another great track, Eyes to the Wind is the closest I hear to Springsteen or Heartland rock, Burning and Lost in the Dream are all really good songs. I wish I understood the comparison of The War on Drugs to other bands but this is a very worthwhile listen.

The music that plays during a dramatic scene in a teenager focused drama on the CW.

I liked this... Easy listening and inoffensive, however, it didn't excite me and is very "background friendly"

I like the style of music and lyrics and could easily listen to 2 or 3 songs in one go, but listening to the whole album in one session was a bit too much

Decent album, not my vibe though

Definitely a slow burn, but a pleasant one. The songs go on and on, and then you realize you’re kind of into it. An Ocean In Between the Waves has a very slow build up and rocks for the last few minutes. I’m enjoying it as an album, but so far there are no singles I would stick on a playlist. Songs are more introspective and long. 3.5 ⭐️

really dreamy I like it

Nice, not really special

I liked my wife didnt

This is good, but I like there other stuff more.

Perfect album from one of my favorite bands.

a little bob dylan, a little bruce springsteen, honestly not good enough to be either, but hard to fuck up when you’re primarily drawing from two influences like that

It was pretty music but it just didn't really captivate me like I would have liked. Ethereal sounding with a touch of new wave, synth-pop. Light melodies. It was a fine album but didn't really invoke enough emotion from me.

Both this album, and the individual songs on this album, are too long. If something was going to happen in these songs, it would have happened within 3 minutes or so, but nothing ever does. These songs are the equivalent of sitting in a dentist’s waiting room. And when someone lets out a weird high-pitched “WHOow!!” in a dentist’s waiting room, it doesn’t make me think that the dentist’s waiting room is exciting, it just makes me think the guy yelling is nuts.

Not bad, maybe a little tedious. "We have Bob Dylan at home" set to the music of Bruce Springsteen.

Dit is hem toch net niet

Good stuff. A little repetative and boring, but I appreciate the heady Greatful Dead/Folk Rock. If this is something you're interested, I implore you to consider the various other 2010's folk rock revival bands. Shakey Graves, Houndmouth, Lumineers, Mt. Joy, and Dawes. Kudos tho the War on Drugs was featured on a Greatful Dead tribute album in 2016 called "Day of the Dead" they did a brilliant cover of Touch of Grey.

Drömmigt och sorgset. Lite för mycket domedagskänsla. Gränsen mellan tråkig och ljuv är hårfin och det lutar lite för ofta mot det förstnämnda. Bäst en kväll i en stuga någonstans i fjällen, alltså kommer aldrig lyssna igen.

About halfway through, this album is super boring. It's pretty much been the same song for the whole first side. It continues through the second half as well. I mean it's got some great guitar work, and great sounding guitars, but it's just not engaging at all. Pretty sure the drummer played one beat the entire album. It is super atmospheric, all the reviews saying to play it during a rainstorm or while driving through the woods are spot on. But that doesn't mean I would want to play this again. Even if it was raining or if I was driving through the woods. I was happy when it was over. 2/5

Pretty good

I have never heard of this band, but i liked the album. Seems to be my style of music

for some reason i accidentally gave this a 5 star rating despite never hearing this a day in my life so i'm listening and editing my rating Under The Pressure - 4/5 Red Eyes - 4/5 Suffering - 3/5 An Ocean In Between The Waves - 4/5 Disappearing - 3/5 Eyes To The Wind - 4/5 The Haunting Idle - 1/5 (zzzzz) Burning - 4/5 Lost In The Dream - 4/5 In Reverse - 4/5 Average score: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ok I thought it started interesting enough. But then the songs, chord progressions, drums and even the "weird" noises don't sound original to me. I wanted to like this music but I ended up bored as fuck. It's all the same long boring crap. Where the fuck comes all the praise for this set of 10 dog turds???. Well sorry, I'm being too harsh. I'm sure this is someone's baby. But I'm still looking for the "goosebumps factor". Haven't found anything yet and, certainly, this is not it. What I can say is that I find this album less unbearable than the Wilco album I got a few days ago. So it's an improvement!. Still I'm not giving it more than 2 stars because this is not music I would listen again except for background music when I set my IPod to shuffle. Omg I just tried to listen to this album again. It's... So... Damn... Boring! :( and I hate that I feel this way about it because I need to see the positive side of life. But this is too much for me.

all sounds v similar. didn't enjoy heaps, not very interesting or emotional - just has a nostalgic feeling too it

All I know about this band is that Mark Kozelek wrote “The War On Drugs Can Suck My Cock.” Anyway, I put this on while I emptied out my shed and reorganized it a bit, and it was all fine until the wind started blowing during the last four tracks or so. And then, that’s when this record really started to piss me off. It sounds sort of like The Church at some points, but not as energetic or catchy. Apparently, what they’re going for is some sort of Heartland Rock revival (which I found out after listening to this), which it doesn’t really sound like. It sounds more like a Captured Tracks band made an AOR album. I don’t know, the vocalist seemed like he was kind of going for the affect that Bruce Springsteen or Tom Petty has, but sexless and barred out.

This one was good. The sound of it was nice. 4 stars

S - really like the War on Drugs and have been a fan of this album for some time now!

Hij was eigenlijk wel beter, maar gewoon een beetje saai.

Can’t believe I just found this band last year. Instantly became a favorite of mine. So good

Dinged a star because the drum tracks are all sooo flat and clearly drum machine.

It’s like Bryan Adams with a pedalboard

Kinda boring I’m sorry.

an album full of the 7 minute songs i play on new works hour when i need to stall to think of some actually good songs

It’s ok as a background music, I guess… very bland It’s like a mix between bob Dylan’s vocal style, arcade fire-ish melodies and the most basic indie rock sound. Not one song stood out to me, an hour long kick-snare-kick and lots of reverb

Great album! Took a while to grow on me but I like it on a summer Sunday afternoon

We kick off with an eight-and-a-half minute track that goes absolutely nowhere. It’s downhill, or rather, level ground with no ups or downs from there. I forgot about the existence of this album halfway through listening to it.

Great album. 4.3/5 Many stand out tracks … under the pressure, red eyes, an ocean between the waves, burning.

да че за залупа нахуй томная

this album was just an absolute beauty. it mixes sort of that classic indie rock sound with elements of post-rock, ambient, psychedelic, glitch, grunge, singer-songwriter, and many more. Probably one of my favorite albums I've heard this year.

The beauty of this one is high up there.

Fand es war die perfekte Autobahn Musik und ab und zu auch mitgenickt. "An Ocean in between the Waves" war sehr chillig. 4 Sterne

Als Hintergrundmusik war es in Ordnung. Das Album scheint ja eher heavy zu sein, da müsste man nun mehr auf die Lyrics achten um es besser bewerten zu können ggf. So, aber 3 Sterne für mich.

Great album. The band really feels like they have come into their own here.

Okayish

A warm fuzzy blanket of sprawling, melancholic rock music

classic sound

Quite enjoyable but I'm not convinced it's essential listening.

Really liked this.

Really enjoyed this album. IMO the 2010s were the best decade for alt Rock and I love being able to here the 90s alt rock influences

Not my taste

Not good. So much reverb!

Boring and bland, not really gripping song writing. Great band and sound, but I have plenty of vanilla in the cabinet

The War On Drugs sounds like everyone other than an original band. Coldplay, Springsteen, OK Go, some 80’s yacht rock. It’s a solid album, great musicianship, vocals are decent, songs are bland. Maybe they should have tried drugs? I dunno.

I’m a big TWOD fan and I think this, along with the album A Deeper Understanding, is their best work. The close out track “In Reverse” is a perfect end to a truly fantastic album and, while I would (and do) listen to it in isolation sometimes, it always hits harder when listened to as part of a whole album start to finish listen.

I like it. Good background music to listen to while working or just chilling.

bleh

Bojack type-shi Love it Depressing and sad On a journey