Top 25 Albums of 2011: #14 Slave Ambient by The War on Drugs

I was playing The War on Drugs’ Slave Ambient in my apartment the other day, when my roommate remarked that she thought it sounded a lot like Bruce Springsteen.

I almost had a panic attack.

Could it really be that one of my favorite albums of the year resembled the music of an artist that makes some of the cheesiest and uninspired music I’ve ever heard? 

I started to rack my brain for alternatives, and I finally was able to ignore any Springsteen comparisons and replace them with that of Tom Petty, whose music I love and respect.  Disaster averted. 

In reality, though, Slave Ambient is just a perfect slice of Americana that artists like Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and yes, even Bruce Springsteen have had enormous success with.  

Like many of their works, Slave Ambient is an ideal road trip album. Adam Granducial’s folksy vocals seem to cascade down the backing guitar melodies, a great accompaniment to the rolling hills you might see pass by your window.  

Granducial’s voice sounds enormously similar to that of his ex-bandmate Kurt Vile, which obviously makes a lot of people compare the two acts. But the songs in Slave Ambient have a touch more atmosphere and sound a little bigger than Vile’s, making them all the more perfect for the great space of the open road.

Standout tracks:

The War on Drugs: “Come to the City”

The War on Drugs: “It’s Your Destiny”