Jun 18 2008 2:04 pm,
4.0
The War On Drugs
‘Wagonwheel Blues’
(Secretly Canadian)
The War On Drugs follow the ‘Barrel Of Batteries EP’ with ‘Wagonwheel Blues’, their debut album. The band’s west-coast sound is a timeless one – or at least, it’s certainly not of this time. A mix of
Americana and “country-cana”, acoustic and electric, it’s immediate, listenable and addictive. Obvious reference points include Springsteen and The Hold Steady, yet the dreamy waves of widescreen sound wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the Apocalypse Now soundtrack. Don’t be fooled by the name – this is no US-government sponsored psychological warfare. Nor is it likely to be the music the villagers hear as the helicopters rise over the horizon. Still, if you are going to go to war on drugs, a dose of ‘Wagonwheel Blues’ will see you right.
Martin Kahl
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