Musical Thesis: The War on Drugs “Wagonwheel Blues”

At the center of every album is a musical thesis. This thesis can be the driving force behind the album, a theme that interweaves songs together, or a feeling you are left with after the last song plays. With some albums, the thesis is easy to find. On others, it is hidden and requires you to be more than a passive listener. These reviews are not about rating an album. Instead, it is about uncovering a musical thesis.  

And so now, now that you realized
That planets are spheres with oil on the inside
And your God is only a catapult
Waiting for the right time to let you go
Into the unknown, just to watch you hold your breath
Yeah and surrender your fortress

It was the summer of 2014. I was listening to my Discovery Weekly playlist on Spotify. “Under the Pressure” from Lost in the Dream by The War on Drugs came exploding out my speakers with a rush of sound that made me pay attention. When the song ended, I was hooked like a drug addict. I needed to hear more. I had to uncover everything I could about this rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And, just like every other band I deeply love, I had to dig through their discography.  

This odyssey eventually delivered me to their early work, and the album, Wagonwheel Blues. This first time I dropped the needle on this record, I was unsure what to expect. Would I discover a sound resembling Lost in the Dream and A Deeper Understanding (both albums I consider nearly perfect) or would I point to a moment in time where their sound began to evolve?  

If The War on Drugs is defined by sweeping guitar solos and lyrics in the same vein as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, then it is this album where you see the seeds planted of that defining sound. This album isn’t as radio or theater friendly as their later work, but it does possess an unpolished playfulness evoking a more sonically inclined Dylan. The only difference is that what made crowds boo Dylan for changes to his sound works beautifully here.  

Overall, the guitar work is cleaner here compared to Slave Ambient. It feels like a band tinkering and trying to uncover a unique sound they can call their own. This sense of experimentation may be the thesis behind the album. So many bands get stuck in endless comparisons to other groups they can never escape. They either double down and ride the wave, or they evolve, return to the lab, and experiment. When The War on Drugs emerged from these sessions, a more ambient approach would define their next album. But when you combine Wagonwheel Blues and Slave Ambient, Under the Pressure makes a lot more sense.  

While I am a bigger fan of their later work, I find a deep appreciation for what I hear here. It may not instantly hook me, but it does make me turn up the volume. Most days, that is enough.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan