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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 19, 2008 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:03 | |||
| Label | Secretly Canadian | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| The War on Drugs chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Wagonwheel Blues | ||||
| ||||
Background and recording edit
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 edit
| 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 edit
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 edit
The War on Drugs edit
- 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 edit
- Paul Cobb – left and right drums (2)
- Ryan Cobb – sweep guitar (2)
Recording personnel edit
- 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 edit
- Adam Granduciel – SX-70 photos
- Daniel Murphy – art direction, layout
References edit
- ^ a b 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.