We are almost at the 3/4 mark of 2011 and my top albums of the year list seems to be close to 10 deep. Add The War on Drugs' sophomore release, Slave Ambient, to that list. The Philadelphia group blends psychedelic drones and with touches of Americana, creating an album that both shoegazers and troubadours can bond over. Album opener "Best Night" sounds like Real Estate given a shot of adrenaline, well maybe at least a bit of caffeine, and a splash of electronic haze. The equally enjoyable "Brothers" sounds like the best song Kurt Vile never recorded as his solo album, Smoke Ring for My Halo, bears a striking resemblance to many of Slave Ambient's more laid back numbers. And wouldn't you know it, Vile was a founding War on Drugs member. It all makes sense now.
Throughout the album's most placid moments, lead singer Adam Granduciel's vocals are Dylan, Petty, and the aforementioned Vile like, while when the band really gets going, Richard Ashcroft ( The Verve) and Dan Boekner (Handsome Furs/Wolf Parade) can be heard in Granduciel's delivery. The synths that open "Baby Missiles" shine and shimmer, while the heartland sounding harmonicas that come and go throughout the album give the blistering tune a rollicking rootsy feel. The M83 esque "The Animator" gives listeners a chance to chance to catch their breath as dreamy synths and a breezy, subdued sax flow effortlessly into tension building "Come to the City".
The instrumental "Original Slave" give way to the album's most stripped down track. Slinky electronic guitars subtly weave in and out of the mostly acoustic based "Blackwater" while delicate xylophone notes and one final blow of the harmonica lead the track, and album for that matter, to a sudden, yet blissful end.
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