Like many debuts, The War On Drugs' Wagonwheel Blues is the product of a lifetime spent toiling over concepts and ideas about what a full-length album might sound like: “There are sounds on these songs from over 8 years of home recording... bits and pieces here and there... dumped from cassettes, minidiscs, samplers, rough mixes run through amps and sampled etc... but most importantly all the performances are fresh and invigorating.” says Adam Granduciel. You can feel the presence of Kurt Vile, who was still a close first mate to Granduciel’s skipper, and the rough, fuzzy sheen that permeates the sound of Wagonwheel Blues bears more resemblance to KV solo records than where The War On Drugs were heading. There are large helpings of Bruce, but pay close attention and you’ll pick up traces of Neil Young, Suicide, Velvet Underground, John Coltrane (more specifically, the sound of Tom Dowd's mixing board) and The Fall - all artists who had profound influences on the recording sessions. Special edition blue vinyl celebrating 25 years of Secretly Canadian, limited edition.

• blue colored vinyl
• w/ obi strip + full color printed insert
• digital download included
• limited edition
• music label: Secretly Canadian 2021

reviewed by plain tiger 06/2018