A Deeper Understanding felt like a spiritual experience the first time I heard it. Principal songwriter and lead vocalist Adam Granduciel had created a world so lush and abundant it was almost disorienting at first– melodies that bloomed and transformed before your eyes, soft and sentimental, seemingly lacking a true center. It all sounded so wonderfully nostalgic. It was the feeling of homesickness, that undeniable feeling of missing something deeply and yearning for its tender embrace, while knowing you will never be able to feel that same way ever again. But in that melancholic longing and wistful recanting of the toll that life had taken, it also spoke of the faith and a belief in brighter days, offering glimmers of hope in its mournful hymns.
From the piano chord voicings that pay homage to the great Bruce Hornsby, the shades of Bob Dylan’s vocals that blow gently in the wind, the echoes of Bruce Springsteen and his ability to make you feel butterflies in your stomach, this album is one of the rare few which borrows from the greats of old but creates something new which transcends those foundations. The time-worn albums found in Granduciel’s repertoire are paid their proper homage but never truly copied.
Contemporary music makes a very conscious decision to get to the point and make a clear statement. The War On Drugs reject that notion, taking you on eight-minute long sojourns which feel like amalgamations of emotions that you feel throughout your day. These extended jams never outstay their welcome– in fact, they become even more poignant and meaningful as the bars drag on and reveal new bits of ear candy tucked tidily into the corner of a mix. It is an album that rewards you for the experience of listening to it in a way that I haven’t felt before.
In a word, A Deeper Understanding is perfect. And it will forever remain one of my favorite albums of all-time.
Standout Songs: “Pain”, “Strangest Thing”, “Nothing To Find”, “Thinking of a Place”, “In Chains”, “Clean Living”
Matthew. 