The War On Drugs have given us an album that is a look back into time, but also a reminder that great songs with soul and grit will always be welcome into our world. "Wagonwheel Blues" is the band's debut album, following on quickly from an excellent EP "Barrel of Batteries". It has the required mixture of solid guitar work, rousing melodies and a true and earthy voice to give the listener a vastly enjoyable experience. Hailing from Philadelphia, this five piece band have a certain quality, a depth of spirit, a rousing warmth, that is gratifying and rewarding. AT once reassuring, yet fresh and new.

A wailing harmonica gets things going with the standout opening track, "Arms Like Boulders". This great and rapturous song features humming guitars, a lively beat and the gravelly voice of songwriter Adam Granduciel. His measured tone, reminiscent of Dylan, is perfectly suited to the music. His sometimes almost spoken vocal floats and glides over the driving sound. Driven then is exactly what the second track is. "Taking The Farm" rocks and rolls, shimmies and shakes. It's a great blend of those cornerstones of classic rock and those melodies and harmonies of modern indie rock. This band also has an experimental edge, with some songs winding their way into interesting corners. With ethereal guitar lines and gossamery instrumentation, as evidenced on the instrumental "Coast Reprise" or the mysterious and eerie "There Is No Urgency". Then there is the bewitching "Buenos Aires Beach", a song full of joy and enticing sweetness, with its loping drumbeat. A song with a clear sixties feel is the vitalizing "A Needle In Your Eye #16" which comprises a delectable keyboard line and a steady and firm drumbeat. This album will always keep your mind entertained, another instrumental in "Reverse The Charges" leads into the ten minute epic of "Show Me The Coast", a psychedelic dirge that is almost hypnotic. This well rounded and well conceived album then concludes with the jaunty "Barrel Of Batteries", a short and sweet number that firmly states that The War On Drugs are a force to be reckoned with.

MP3: Taking The Farm-The War on Drugs