
I happen to like it when bands name themselves some word or statement that makes the listener say something possibly funny or misinterpreted when they talk about them. Like, “I just got into The War on Drugs,” “Nirvana sucks” or “I love Meatloaf.” The War on Drugs was formed when frontmen Kurt Vile and Adam Granduciel met at a party and immediately became BFFs. They started recording music together, releasing their first album in ’07, and released the album Slave Ambient this year.
I like this album a lot. It’s like if a band like Arcade Fire, with a grandiose and layered sound, had a lovechild with a 60s folk-rock band. The result is somewhere between the two. “Baby Missiles” sounds just like an Arcade Fire song, whereas on “Best Night” and “Brothers” the vocal stylings sound exactly like Jeff Tweedy or, more accurately, Bob Dylan. Which isn’t surprising, because apparently both Kurt and Adam are big Dylan fans.
Listen to “Best Night” below, and if you’d like more, definitely check out the rest of Slave Ambient and start supporting The War on Drugs.
To me they sound a ton like Tom Petty too.