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Lost in the Dream

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Untitled

Lost in the Dream is the third studio album by American indie rock band The War on Drugs, released on March 18, 2014 through Secretly Canadian. The album debuted at number 26 on the Billboard 200 and received universal acclaim from critics upon its release, appearing on and topping numerous end-of-year best album lists. The album produced five singles: "Red Eyes", "Under the Pressure", "Burning", "Eyes to the Wind", and "An Ocean in Between the Waves", all of which were released as radio promotional singles only.

The recording session, which took place over a two-year period, was characterized by numerous rewrites. The album's lyrical theme were influenced by the loneliness and depression Granduciel faced after he finished touring. Musically, the record was inspired by 1980s rock, as well as Americana, with influences coming from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Spacemen 3 and Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

Background

After The War on Drugs' second album Slave Ambient was released to much critical acclaim, primary songwriter Adam Granduciel spent much of 2011 touring. After the tour was finished, Granduciel had a hard time adjusting to everyday life, later recounting that such feelings "started to spiral into emotional distress and physical manifestations of depression and paranoia."[5] This depression and paranoia served as an inspiration to the lyrical theme of Lost in the Dream.[5][6]

Production

Recording

Recording on the album began in the summer of 2012 and took place over a two-year period in Philadelphia, New York City, North Carolina, and New Jersey.[7] Granduciel wrote all the songs on the album.[8] The album's recording was characterized by Granduciel's anxiety and second-guessing, with Granduciel remarking "I started going off the rails a little bit in my own head, getting a little too sucked in."[9]

Songs on the album went through several versions. Granduciel scrapped the original demo for "An Ocean in Between the Waves" two weeks before the album was supposed to be turned in to the record company after spending a year writing the song, saying that "it wasn't the vibe of the song that I was searching for."[8][9] "Suffering" went through several variations before Granduciel decided go back to the original demo.[9]

Music

The music on Lost in the Dream is inspired by 1980s rock, as well as Americana and Krautrock.[10][11][12] Artists who have been cited as influences on the album's overall sound include Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, The Waterboys and Spacemen 3.[10][13][14] The album's sound is characterized by synthesizers, keyboards, horns and "ambient guitars".[13][15] Whereas the previous albums by The War on Drugs contained several instrumental tracks, Lost in the Dream only has one instrumental track, "The Haunting Idle".[16]

Critics have compared the song "Burning" to Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" and Rod Stewart's "Young Turks".[10][13][16] Fleetwood Mac's influence was noted on "An Ocean in Between the Waves",[2][13] while Pitchfork Media compared "Disappearing" to Tears for Fears' "Pale Shelter".[10]

Cover artwork

The album cover features an image of Adam Granduciel standing in front of a window in his home. Granduciel commented on how the album's artwork was a reflection of his involvement in the recording process, saying "This wasn't a band record. This was a solo record. I knew that. They've all [The War on Drugs' albums] been solo records."[8]

Release

The album was announced on December 4, 2013. That same day, the first single from the album, "Red Eyes" was released.[7] The band debuted the tracks "Under the Pressure", "Eyes to the Wind", and "Burning" during the band's December 2013 tour of Australia.[8][17] On March 5, 2014, a music video for "Red Eyes" was released.[18] The album was streamed in its entirety on March 10, 2014 on The Guardian's website.[19] On August 20, 2014, a music video for "Under the Pressure" was released.[20]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic86/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The A.V. ClubA−[22]
Chicago Tribune[23]
The Guardian[24]
The Independent[25]
NME9/10[2]
Pitchfork Media8.8/10[10]
Q[26]
Rolling Stone[27]
Spin9/10[15]

Lost in the Dream received acclaim from contemporary music critics. On Metacritic, it holds a score of 86 out of 100 based on 40 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[21] Pitchfork Media's Stuart Berman gave Lost in the Dream a "Best New Music" designation and remarked that the album is "loaded with songs whose greatness is revealed slowly, where the simplest, most understated chord change can blow a track wide open and elevate it from simply pretty to absolutely devastating."[10] AllMusic's Fred Thomas called Lost in the Dream "the War on Drugs' Daydream Nation or Disintegration" and wrote of the album: "It's a near flawless collection of dreamy vibes, shifting moods, and movement, and stands easily as Granduciel's finest hour so far."[13] Dan Caffrey of Consequence of Sound felt that over repeated plays of the album, one gradually realizes "that Granduciel is discovering the problems of his life, not figuring them out or even reflecting on them. This all makes for an album that truly sounds like it's coming to life."[16] Ross Horton of musicOMH called Lost in the Dream "a tender, inviting, consoling, comforting record that you'll play again and again (stoned or not)" and "perfect in every way".[14]

While stating that Lost in the Dream fails to consistently live up to its peak moments, Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune nonetheless concluded that Granduciel "is on to something with this more band-focused release, and that new dynamic deserves an even deeper exploration next time."[23] In a mixed assessment, Mike Powell of Rolling Stone felt that "seven-minutes-plus songs like 'In Reverse' and 'An Ocean in Between the Waves' have enough locomotion to go twice as long, while slower tracks like 'Suffering' are deadwood in search of a spark."[27] In an otherwise positive review, Mike Walmsley of The 405 criticized the second half of the album, writing "Unfortunately, as they pass the Midwest on their road trip, the Mustang appears to have run out of gas."[28]

Accolades

Based on 139 year-end top ten lists compiled by Metacritic, Lost in the Dream was the most critically acclaimed album of 2014, appearing on 54 lists and being named first on 13 of them.[29] Paste named Lost in the Dream as their album of the year, writing "from all the muck and malaise that midlife produces, something beautiful and permanent has been revealed—an enduring contribution to the canon."[30] Consequence of Sound named it their album of the year, writing "In tune with Granduciel’s way of evoking synchronicity, there’s a cosmic truth to Lost in the Dream triumphing this year. For one, Granduciel is personally seizing the crown off the head of his musical soulmate, Kurt Vile ... and, for Secretly Canadian ... it’s a poignant landmark following the year it lost its godfather, Jason Molina."[31] Other publications that named Lost in the Dream as album of the year included Uncut,[32] Q[33] and Under the Radar.[34] The album was ranked #2 on Mojo's, American Songwriter's, MusicOMH's, Stereogum's and The Guardian's best albums of the year list for 2014.[35][36][37][38][39]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Adam Granduciel, except where noted

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Under the Pressure" 8:51
2."Red Eyes" 4:58
3."Suffering" 6:00
4."An Ocean in Between the Waves" 7:11
5."Disappearing"Granduciel, Michael Johnson6:49
6."Eyes to the Wind" 5:55
7."The Haunting Idle" 3:08
8."Burning" 5:46
9."Lost in the Dream" 4:08
10."In Reverse" 7:41
Total length:60:27

Personnel

The following people contributed to Lost in the Dream:[40]

The War on Drugs

Additional personnel

  • Jon Ashley – assistant engineer, drums
  • Brad Bell – engineer
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Dusdin Condren – cover photo, photography
  • John Congleton - engineer
  • Steve Fallone – mastering assistant
  • David Fishkin – saxophone
  • Pat Berkery – drums, percussion
  • Ricky Ray Jackson – pedal steel
  • Michael Johnson – ARP 2600, composer, engineer, Eventide
  • Sean Kelly – assistant engineer
  • Jon Lowe – engineer
  • Daniel Murphy – design, layout
  • Jon Natchez – saxophone (baritone)
  • Ted Richardson – assistant engineer
  • Matt Schimelfenig – assistant engineer
  • Joseph Shabason – saxophone
  • Mike Sneeringer – drums
  • Mike Sobel – lap steel guitar
  • Paul Sukeena – guitar (electric)
  • Carter Tanton – guitar (Leslie)
  • Nicolas Vernhes – engineer, mixing, organ, tambourine
  • Gabe Wax – assistant engineer, mixing assistant, tape effects
  • Jeff Zeigler – additional production, drum programming, engineer, mixing, pitch adjustment, pre-mixing

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[41] 28
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[42] 3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[43] 69
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[44] 37
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[45] 19
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[46] 21
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[47] 9
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[48] 26
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[49] 66
UK Albums (OCC)[50] 18
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[51] 4
US Billboard 200[52] 26
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[53] 6
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[54] 7

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] Gold 100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Herzog, Kenny (March 18, 2014). "How the War On Drugs Dream Became an Indie Rock Reality". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Cooper, Leonie (March 18, 2014). "The War On Drugs – 'Lost In The Dream'". NME. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  3. ^ Mariani, Mike (March 14, 2014). "The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  4. ^ "Album Review: The War On Drugs – Lost in the Dream". LA Music Blog. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Hann, Michael (March 13, 2014). "After depression and paranoia, the War on Drugs' Adam Granduciel is happy to get Lost in the Dream". The Guardian. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  6. ^ Briggs, Sam (December 4, 2013). "Adam Granduciel from The War On Drugs: "I was mostly dealing with total loneliness, paranoia, and total isolation"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  7. ^ a b Minsker, Evan (December 5, 2013). "The War on Drugs Announce New Album Lost in the Dream, Share "Red Eyes", Plot Tour". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d Leas, Ryan (March 6, 2014). "Through The Haze: The Struggles, Visions, And Revelations Of The War On Drugs". Stereogum. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  9. ^ a b c Hyden, Steven (February 26, 2014). "The War on Drugs Gets Ready to Play the Big Rooms". Grantland. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Berman, Stuart (March 18, 2014). "The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  11. ^ Empire, Kitty (March 15, 2014). "Lost in the Dream review – the War on Drugs turn 80s arena rock into something more intriguing". The Observer. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  12. ^ Simpson, Dave (December 29, 2014). "The year music critics surrendered to the War on Drugs". The Guardian. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Thomas, Fred. "Lost in the Dream – The War on Drugs". AllMusic. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  14. ^ a b Horton, Ross (March 12, 2014). "The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream". musicOMH. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  15. ^ a b Menconi, David (March 18, 2014). "The War on Drugs Conjure a Gorgeous, Wide-Open Claustrophobia on 'Lost in the Dream'". Spin. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  16. ^ a b c Caffrey, Dan (March 14, 2014). "The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  17. ^ Sadler, Denham (January 6, 2014). "28th December 2013 @ Northcote Social Club". Tone Deaf. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  18. ^ Beauchemin, Molly (March 5, 2014). "Video: The War on Drugs: "Red Eyes"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  19. ^ "The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream – album stream". The Guardian. March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  20. ^ Fox, Jesse (August 20, 2014). "Premiere: The War on Drugs' Gorgeous New Music Video for 'Under the Pressure'". Vulture.com. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  21. ^ a b "Reviews for Lost In the Dream by The War on Drugs". Metacritic. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  22. ^ Brusie, David (March 18, 2014). "On Lost In The Dream, The War On Drugs channels musical memories". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  23. ^ a b Kot, Greg (March 7, 2014). "War on Drugs finds better chemistry". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  24. ^ Dennis, Jon (March 13, 2014). "The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream review – 'A dash of Springsteen romance in motorik grooves'". The Guardian. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  25. ^ Gill, Andy (March 15, 2014). "Album reviews: The War On Drugs, Lou Adler, Woo, Rick Ross, Sisyphus". The Independent. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  26. ^ "The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream". Q (333): 109. April 2014.
  27. ^ a b Powell, Mike (March 20, 2014). "Lost in the Dream". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  28. ^ Walmsley, Mike. The War on Drugs - Lost In The Dream. The 405. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  29. ^ Best of 2014: Music Critic Top Ten Lists. Metacritic. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  30. ^ Danaher, Michael. The War on Drugs: The Album of the Year. Paste. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  31. ^ Arroyo, Steven. Top 50 Albums of 2014. Consequence of Sound. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  32. ^ The War On Drugs' Lost In The Dream named Uncut's Album Of The Year 2014 Uncut Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  33. ^ The War On Drugs' Lost In The Dream named Q's Album Of The Year 2014 Q Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  34. ^ Fink, Matt. The War on Drugs – Adam Granduciel on Under the Radar’s #1 Album of 2014. Under the Radar. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  35. ^ MOJO’s 50 Best Albums Of 2014: The Final Score. Mojo. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  36. ^ [1]. American Songwriter. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  37. ^ [2]. MusicOMH. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  38. ^ The 50 Best Albums Of 2014. Stereogum. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  39. ^ Virtue, Graeme. Best albums of 2014: No 2 – Lost in the Dream by the War on Drugs. The Guardian. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  40. ^ Lost in the Dream - credits. AllMusic. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  41. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  42. ^ "Ultratop.be – The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  43. ^ "Ultratop.be – The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  44. ^ "War On Drugs: Lost In The Dream" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  45. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  46. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  47. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  48. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  49. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  50. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  51. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  52. ^ "The War On Drugs Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  53. ^ "The War On Drugs Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  54. ^ "The War On Drugs Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  55. ^ "British album certifications – The War on Drumgs – Lost in the Dream". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Lost in the Dream in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

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