A few years ago, having taken notice of several then-nascent musical revivals, I predicted the entire previous century would come back into vogue in the first decade of the current one. With new bands under astronomical pressure to stand out, genres would rub against one another and fuse into strange new musical forms. Nothing as dramatic as the scenario I foresaw has occured yet, but there is ample evidence that many of the more interesting bands are drawing inspiration from intersections. Wagonwheel Blues, at times, sounds like a collaboration between Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Guided by Voices. Despite a vastly ecclectic range of sources, though, The War on Drugs have integrated their influences into a surprisingly coherent sound. It would not severely tax the imagination to picture this solid, frequently transcendant debut becoming the catalyst for a flood of ambient shoegaze Americana imitators.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The War on Drugs: Wagonwheel Blues
A few years ago, having taken notice of several then-nascent musical revivals, I predicted the entire previous century would come back into vogue in the first decade of the current one. With new bands under astronomical pressure to stand out, genres would rub against one another and fuse into strange new musical forms. Nothing as dramatic as the scenario I foresaw has occured yet, but there is ample evidence that many of the more interesting bands are drawing inspiration from intersections. Wagonwheel Blues, at times, sounds like a collaboration between Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Guided by Voices. Despite a vastly ecclectic range of sources, though, The War on Drugs have integrated their influences into a surprisingly coherent sound. It would not severely tax the imagination to picture this solid, frequently transcendant debut becoming the catalyst for a flood of ambient shoegaze Americana imitators.
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