Scary great encounter of the third kind

A few weeks ago I bought after a long time once again a music magazine that (the second attempt) is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of its German issue currently. The board reviews arrived, I could not get specially on two discs. One of them was the album LOST IN THE DREAM of a band called The War On Drugs.

Flight I downloaded the part and burned it to a CD-R. That same evening, in the half-time of the Champions League match Bayern Munich - Manchester United, I put the CD out of curiosity in the player to times short 'a listen. And then something happened that had never happened before: The plate fascinated me were, namely right from the start so that I looked at the second half when switched off TV sound.

It was kind of surreal: two great football teams in the heroic battle for the semi-finals and to the music of a band of which I had never heard before. I could not help but always continue to listen. As it were an incredibly great encounter of the third kind.

The War On Drugs exist really only one really solid and creative member. His name is Adam Granduciel, he comes from Philadelphia, and I guessed he was about thirty years. On the bad cover photo of the new album, he acts like a heroin junkie in a seedy hotel room. Other current photos, however, show that he actually pretty clean and like a mixture of Rory Gallagher and Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) CIRCA 1977 looks. What course already unusual enough in the year 2014th

Granduciels vocals reminiscent, although lighter and less rasping, to Bob Dylan, sometimes on Tom Petty ("Suffering"). The music on LOST IN THE DREAM is based, say, Roughly in the seventies and early eighties. The opener, "Under The Pressure" is with almost nine minutes, the longest and celebrated a never-ending end how to do it (violent) recently in "Walk Like A Giant" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse on their fantastic album PSYCHEDELIC PILL has heard.

Mostly make The War On Drugs on a crazy laid back. Gentle guitar, to piano and organ swab in "Suffering" sometimes very briefly a dark saxophone as on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the MOON or Richard Wright Wet Dream.

The unbelievably wonderful "An Ocean Between The Waves" sounds loud the critics of the above-mentioned music magazine 'as if Dire Straits beamed after Atlantis' would. The purpose of this half-sentence, I have not understood well after five reading, but the musical point of reference is not already messed up. Dire Straits, Chris Rea, the first album of Sniff'n The Tears, of course Tom Petty, however, this is often a rhythmic simplicity that perhaps could have their origin in electronic music in Europe and especially in Germany.

How this is derived through the entire piece "Disappearing" withdrawing, strangely doubled drum pattern? I know that from a long-ago title, but falls in love with me 'out not one, whatever.

The repeated claims of connection to Bruce Springsteen reveals itself to me more than in "Burning", which on "Dancing in the Dark" is reminiscent (but also to "Walk of Life" by Dire Straits). Last but all mentioned but somehow based on Bob Dylan.

'LOST IN THE DREAM embraced the stunning, passive toleration, the bright, luminous beauty of pain', claims Andreas Borcholte in his review for 'Der Spiegel'.

Phllipp Holstein of the 'Rheinische Post' wrote: 'Sometimes you would like to force people to their happiness. The publication of the new board of The War On Drugs is another reason to think that: one might but people in a cozy and warm room requests without phone, close the doors and let them listen to the album several times "Lost In The Dream" , In the end they would be happier, that's for sure, they would smile and say thank you and then ask forcefully about that they may take the great CD to take home. '

Adam Granduciel himself says: 'If I had this album released mid-70s, the headline would have been: Old man making music. Today I can be taken seriously with 34 as a rock singer. I'm really grateful that I was able to develop my own pace. '

Their third album brought The War On Drugs such thing as a worldwide breakthrough. Place 18 in England, 19 in Denmark, 21 in the Netherlands, 26 in the US and Sweden, 28 in Australia and so on. Only here in Germany again was nothing. No comment.

The above-mentioned soccer game ended 3: 1 for Bayern Munich, the album LOST IN THE DREAM, however, with 10: 0 for The War On Drugs.