It was the success of their second album, Slave Ambient, that really put The War on Drugs on the map. Adam Granduciel
talks psychedelic reels and blue-collar rock to
JIM CARROLL
THE HARD SLOG is always worth the effort. Just ask Adam Granduciel. Since he landed in Philadephia around a decade ago, he has been making records, playing shows and hanging around in bands. Up to now, Granduciel is a name studious (or nerdy) music fans will have seen bandied around in assocation with Kurt Vile as well as his own vehicle The War On Drugs.
He was never one of the names in bold print, just another indie rock soldier in the game. But last year's Slave Ambientalbum has pretty much changed all that. While The War On Drugs' 2008 debut, Wagonwheel Blues, was a delight on every level, not enough people got around to digging its fantastic, colourful roots rattle to spread the word. Slave Ambient is a different matter: it's the record which people actually have heard, loved and, best of all, recommended to other people.
Slave Ambientwas for the people who had responded so positively to his debut album, says Granduciel. "I worked as much and for as long as I did on Slave Ambient for the people who got behind Wagonwheel Blues. The reaction to Wagonwheel Bluesblew my mind. When that record was released, you had a bunch of people all over the place who were really into it so I wanted to make sure when I released the next one that they could see the progress and evolution between the albums. I was really happy when I finished the new record, but I've been amazed at how far it has got out there."
Slave Ambientmade hay with its grand, hazy, epic, big music jams. It was as if American heartland heroes like Springsteen, Petty or Dylan had got caught up in a Krautrock machine. A combination of psychedelic reels and blue-collar rock fired up the imagination and added to The War On Drug's fanbase.
Granduciel has always had a strong sense of how classic rock’s weather-beaten shapes can be recast in a much more vibrant, nuanced and magnificent way.
“I’m just trying to write songs which are full of heart, and maybe the themes are a lot broader than other bands,” he says. “Maybe there is something in the music and in the feeling and the passion of those songs which conjures up those references. It’s coming from a place that I know. I was never a huge indie rock kid when I was in high school. I’ve been listening to people like Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and John Mellencamp all my life.
"There are definitely things about Springsteen which I've loved and enjoyed since I was little, like Born in the USAand The Riverand the synth sounds on My Hometown, and I want to try to get some of that in some capacity in my music.
“Techniques have broadened. If you’re making guitar-based rock music in 2012, you probably grew up listening to a bunch of stuff from new wave to classic rock. Your frame of reference is very broad compared to what used to be the case. Nowadays, you’re looking back at so much stuff so it’s inevitable that the references informing your music will be varied.”
Putting the album together took three or four years. “It took so long because I was searching for a certain sound which I wasn’t able to locate for a long time because I didn’t know exactly what I was after,” laughs Granduciel.
“The musicians and the engineers must have thought I was lost because they thought the album was done, but I was just so unsure. I had images in my head of how the songs should sound and I just couldn’t find a way through. In the end, I went back to earlier mixes and drafts to find the feeling I was after to blow people’s minds. I know it’s a little crazy to realise I probably spent all those extra weeks in the studio recording to then go back to the first recording, but what are you going to do? Hey, at least I could pay for the studios.”
Granduciel also learned to trust others during the Slave Ambientprocess. "I've realised I can never express what I want in the way I really want to the people I work with. I'll say to someone 'more blue' and they'll go 'what the fuck are you on about? I'm playing a piano here'. What I've learned is to just get people to play what they want to play and see what happens. Instead of trying to explain what I wanted from the songs, we just played them and these little things and sounds and worlds opened up. It's exciting to relinquish control now and then to see what happens."
For Granduciel himself, the success of Slave Ambientmeans he can continue to make a living from music. "This wasn't the case for a long time," he says.
“I used to go to work and when I’d come home, I’d jam with friends and record. But once I got my feet in the water and released records and started to tour, the music took over. I think it becomes serious when touring becomes serious. Your confidence and ability as a player improves. You feel this connection to what you’re doing and it comes through when you’re working on new songs. If I hadn’t spent so much time playing guitar and writing songs, I don’t think we’d have made the record we made.”
Thoughts have already turned to the next record, and Granduciel promises it won't take as long this time around. "We went into studio a few days ago and recorded some incredible songs. Slave Ambienttook me so long to do that I missed so many deadlines and so many people were concerned about if I'd ever get it finished. I don't think I could make another record like Slave Ambientbecause it was just too much time and too intense. But the lessons I learned about myself as a musician and recording techniques will always be there. The songs we're recording sound great, they sound like War on Drugs songs already."
Those who go to see The War On Drugs in Dublin this weekend can look forward to some special cover versions. "Whenever we play in Ireland or the UK, people always say to me that we sound like The Waterboys, so about six months ago, I bought every Waterboys record I came across and just played them non-stop. A Pagan Placeis one of the best records I've ever heard. I want to cover A Pagan Placeand maybe The Thrill is Gone live in Dublin."
The War On Drugs play Whelan's, Dublin tonight. Slave Ambientis out now on Secretly Canadian
