LogFAQs > #956750133

67. The War on Drugs Red Eyes (2013)
from the album Lost in the Dream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LmX5c7HoUw

Key lyrics:
I would keep you here, but I cant

The War on Drugs are obvious about their influences, Red Eyes being the best heartland rock song this side of Bruce Springsteen. But to command a familiar sound decades after it is established requires a finer touch. Though this captures the propulsive energy of an escape song, The War on Drugs balances a soft ambience atop their traditional rock arrangement. Those opening notes suggest something colossal, setting a tension for the building wall of sound to capitalize upon. Few songs expand so convincingly.

The song opens with a sustained synth, followed by a simple pairing of drums and guitar. The opening suggests a mellow piece, with several moments where the guitar pulls back, leaving just the quiet synth and a heavy beat. But then Adam Granduciel leads into the chorus with an explosive shout, the hardest hitting exclamation in music since the end of Wont Get Fooled Again. The lead guitar picks up a heavy riff while a handful of instruments add to the wall. Granduciels vocals become so layered they border on incomprehensible. Right as everything takes off, Red Eyes takes an extended bridge, again reducing itself largely to the beat and muted ambience. The various instruments are slow to ramp up again, but the effect is like kicking the dust up while barreling down a country road.

Red Eyes is not a song I liked at first. It is a slow build without so much a payoff as a steady flow. But the more I listened, the more I fell into its unique rhythm. Though easiest to compare to Springsteen, the true success here is its subtle touch of dream pop. Granduciels woo is the finest of wake up calls, effortlessly bridging two wildly different genres.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/