The War on Drugs

2008-06-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Yo friends!
Wagonwheel Blues is now available! You can buy it from the secretly canadian website or at your local record store (!!!) or a bunch of places online like Amazon...I also saw a few on ebay. Do it!

'Taking the Farm' was the song of the day today on NPR.org and they actually tried to dissect some meaning from it! Niiiice!

Anyway here are some recent reviews to persuade you to head downtown and ask for it.

- http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/13253

- "Philadelphia's War on Drugs have seem to come out of nowhere with an album that’s been in constant rotation on my stereo for the past month. Wagonwheel Blues is an amazing debut, and every time I listen I find different things that I love. At various moments I hear Dylan, Springsteen, the Walkmen, Animal Collective...the list goes on. It’s the perfect amalgamation of classic rock and modern day indie, with the songs to boot. And there’s no throwback or retro here, just all around great rock music. "Arms Like Boulders" opens the record with a wailing harmonica, a wall of guitars, and a Dylan-esque vocal delivery. It is one part-roots rock, one-part indie, and one truly great song. "Taking the Farm" (which we recently featured as our Download of the Week) is a distorted, barnstorming romp of a tune. Easily one of the best songs that I've heard all year, it’ll have you have you jumping around singing, and is sure to put a little spring in your step. Any time "Buenos Aires Beach" comes on the stereo, everybody here at OM immediately thinks of the discordant pop stylings of Animal Collective. I can hear it, but come on...can you be in any better company? Not a bad reference, at all! "There Is No Urgency" starts with a wall of noise, then kicks in like a lost song by NY's very own the Walkmen while "A Needle in Your Eye #16" has a slight Velvet Underground feel, with a repetitious melody and some killer, witty lyrics. Damn, does this album have a bad song? Well, to tell you the truth… not a single one! The War on Drugs have given us one of the best debuts of the year..." - other music, NYC

Upcoming:
July 11th - WXPN Festival in Camden, NJ
July 13th - Mercury Lounge, NYC w/ Titus Andronicus (drugs on first)
July 19th - TBA, philadelphia

August 9-20: European Tour/Festival Dates w/ Spiritualized,Sigur Ros, Magik Markers and more!

2008-05-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Wagonwheel Blues now available for pre-order!!!

The LP comes with a coupon for downloadable tunes so you can still cruise the strip to it.

New Tour Dates!!

06/07/08 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's - w/Kurt Vile and Ape School

08/08/08 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
08/09/08 Venlo, Netherlands - Zomerparkfeest
08/10/08 Courcelles, Belgium - La Posterie
08/11/08 London, UK - The Old Blue Last
08/12/08 London, UK - Club Fandango at Dublin Castle
08/13/08 Farnham, UK - The William Cobbett
08/14/08 St. Malo, France - Le Festival du Rock
08/15/08 Crickhowell, South Wales - Green Man Festival
08/16/08 Yeovil, UK - Orange Box
08/17/08 Dublin, Ireland - Crawdaddy
08/18/08 Bristol, UK - Thekla Social
08/20/08 Brixton, UK - Windmill w/ Bowerbirds

2008-05-28T12:27:00.001-07:00

2008-05-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

May 14th - IronHorse, Northampton, MA w/ Bishop Allen
May 15th - Middle East downstairs, Boston, MA w/ Bishop Allen
May 16th - Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, w/ Bishop Allen
May 18th - Black Cat, D.C. w/Bishop Allen

May 21 - Grog Shop, Cleveland, W/Blood on the Wall
May 22 - Magic Stick, Detroit, w/ Blood on the Wall
May 23 - Empty Bottle, Chicago, w/ Blood on the Wall

June 7 - Johnny Brendas, Philadelphia, official 'Wagonwheel Blues' Release show

2008-04-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

"it's not often that we totally nerd out and say things like: This album is so well sequenced, because, like, what does that even really mean? It turns out that it means The War on Drugs' upcoming Wagonwheel Blues is JAMMING and also totally Springsteeny and Dylany without getting caught up in all the nostalgia that comes along with taking cues from those dudes. The War on Drugs made a totally serious album, shimmering and sprawling—it's as inspiring as it is exhausting and dense." The Fader

May 5th at Pianos in NYC for the Brooklyn Vegan Party
May 14th - 18th - on tour with Bishop Allen : Northampton, Boston, Brooklyn, DC
May 21, 22, 23 - w/ Blood on the Wall : Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago
June 7th - Philadelphia
August - Europe!
Fall 2008 - More USA and more Europe!

Keep checkin the myspace for new tunes, venues and new dates

2008-04-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

yo so Secretly Canadian reissued the Barrel of Batteries ep (2006) and it's available as a free download from their website. Or if you feel like helpin a sweet dude out...buy it from Apollo Audio for $4. Either way....check it out. If you already have it then download it just to hear the 'new' full band recording of 'Arms like Boulders.' It's a different version than what will appear on the full length and it was recorded by the brothers Cobb and mixed by Brian Mctear. Wagonwheel Blues out soon and a whole lot more after that...

http://www.thefader.com/articles/2008/3/31/freeload-the-war-on-drugs-i-barrel-of-batteries-i-ep
http://theyellowstereo.com/?p=2424
thanks to brother mark for the tips...

2008-03-27T09:12:00.001-07:00

Three new songs from the upcoming Wagonwheel Blues are now posted on the myspace page. A Needle in your Eye #16, Taking the Farm and Arms like Boulders. Dig.

2008-03-19T11:11:00.001-07:00

Thursday March 20th at the Khyber
The War on Drugs Live with Citay (Dead Oceans)

We played a few parties in Austin for sxsw--duo style with granduciel and vile rippin it on guitars and now we're super psyched to jam it for our philly friends. The drugs are super loose right now...in a tight kinda way...so make sure to cruise out.
Full length album, Wagonwheel Blues, will be out in June on Secretly Canadian. Got to meet the whole crew down in austin..man, these guys (and one gal) have got THE SPIRIT! Some sweet tracks from the record will be on myspace soon enough...

2008-02-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

Wagonwheel Blues
Arms Like Boulders
Taking the Farm
Coast Reprise
Buenos Aires Beach
There is no Urgency
A Needle in your Eye #16
Reverse the Charges
Show me the Coast
Barrel of Batteries 2001

March 15th - Austin, TX - Lambert's 12:50pm
March 20th - Philadelphia, PA - Khyber with Citay (Dead Oceans)
April 9th - Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar

2007-09-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

- Recording is underway for the anticipated full length that's due out sometime in the spring...

- If you would like a copy of the Barrel of Batteries ep from 2006 you can stream it or buy it ($4) from www.apolloaudio.com or you can email adam@thewarondrugs.net if you'd like a tangible one.