Wagonwheel Blues
Wagonwheel Blues is the debut album by American indie rock band The War on Drugs, released on June 19, 2008 on Secretly Canadian. Primarily a collaboration between founding members Adam Granduciel and Kurt Vile, it is the only studio album to feature contributions from drummer Kyle Lloyd.
| Wagonwheel Blues | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 19, 2008 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, rock, Americana | |||
| Length | 43:03 | |||
| Label | Secretly Canadian | |||
| Producer | Adam Granduciel, Kurt Vile, Jeff Zeigler | |||
| The War on Drugs chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Wagonwheel Blues | ||||
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Background and recording
Upon the album's release, vocalist and guitarist Adam Granduciel noted that the album's songs "each have their own little time frame spanning over the last six-to-seven years."[1] Granduciel elaborated, "There are sounds on these songs from over eight years of home recording; bits and pieces here and there, dumped from cassettes, MiniDiscs, samplers, rough mixes run through amps and sampled, but most importantly all the performances are fresh and invigorating."[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[3] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[4] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [5] |
The album received generally positive reviews.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Adam Granduciel, except where noted
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Arms Like Boulders" | 5:20 | |
| 2. | "Taking the Farm" | Granduciel, Vile | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Coast Reprise" | Granduciel, Vile | 3:15 |
| 4. | "Buenos Aires Beach" | 3:23 | |
| 5. | "There Is No Urgency" | 6:19 | |
| 6. | "A Needle in Your Eye #16" | 4:54 | |
| 7. | "Reverse the Charges" | 3:20 | |
| 8. | "Show Me the Coast" | Granduciel, Vile | 10:03 |
| 9. | "Barrel of Batteries" | 2:29 | |
| Total length: | 43:03 | ||
Personnel
The War on Drugs
- Adam Granduciel - vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, drums, organs, samplers, rhodes, ms16, piano
- Kurt Vile - electric and acoustic 12-string guitars, lead jazzmaster, vocals, OB-8, wurlitzer, trumpet, piano
- David Hartley - electric bass (1 & 2)
- Kyle Lloyd - drums, percussion, Casper (1 & 5)
Additional musicians
- Paul Cobb - left and right drums (2)
- Ryan Cobb - sweep guitar (2)
Recording personnel
- Adam Granduciel - producer, recording (3, 4, 7 & 9), mixing (3, 4, 7 & 9)
- Kurt Vile - producer
- Jeff Zeigler - producer, recording (6 & 8), mixing (6 & 8)
- Ryan Cobb - recording (1, 2 & 5)
- Paul Cobb - recording (1, 2 & 5)
- Michael Johnson - additional engineering
- Kyle Lloyd - additional engineering
- Brian McTear - mixing (2 & 5)
- John Martin - amplifier preparation
Artwork
- Adam Granduciel - SX-70 photos
- Daniel Murphy - art direction, layout
References
- James (25 June 2008). "[Interview] The War on Drugs". Pop Headwound. Blogspot. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- Raggett, Ned. "Wagonwheel Blues – The War on Drugs". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- Ubaghs, Charles (6 June 2008). "Album Review: The War On Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- Deusner, Stephen M. (10 July 2008). "The War on Drugs: Wagonwheel Blues Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- Fitzmaurice, Larry (30 September 2008). "The War on Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues". NME. Retrieved 3 August 2020.