Lost In the Dream
by The War on Drugs
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
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  1. Rolling Stone
    Mar 20, 2014
    60
    As usual with T.W.O.D., these songs are only as good as their grooves.
  2. Exclaim
    Mar 18, 2014
    60
    A touch of '80s-style production, including occasional saxophone-as-emotional-beat, at times threatens to nudge things into a satirical mash-up of Dire Straits/Bruce Hornsby hits, but they ride the right side of that precipice.

Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best Album of 2014
29
#29 Most Discussed Album of 2014
19
#19 Most Shared Album of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 217 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 203 out of 217
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 217
  3. Negative: 7 out of 217
  1. WxJim
    Mar 18, 2014
    10
    This is album a masterpiece, and it will easily going to go down as one of the best of the year, perhaps even one of the best of the decade.This is album a masterpiece, and it will easily going to go down as one of the best of the year, perhaps even one of the best of the decade. My rebuttal to some of the criticism I see here can be summed up by saying that no, these songs are not simple; they are complex and don't always follow a traditional formula. I don't see this as a problem. You can hear how much careful thought was put into each and every song, as subtle changes in background keyboards or synth tones heighten emotion at just the right times. If the slow build of 'An Ocean in Between the Waves' doesn't get a rise out of you by songs end, I'm not too sure what song possibly can or will. Each song here will take you on a journey if you let it. Give this album a listen, you will not regret it.… Full Review »
  2. ckary
    Mar 18, 2014
    10
    Let me start by saying something I have most certainly never said before: I love The War on Drugs.

    It's fairly uncommon for an album to    Let me start by saying something I have most certainly never said before: I love The War on Drugs.

    It's fairly uncommon for an album to blend together elements of indie rock, heartland rock and post rock in such delicate and thoughtful doses. Adam Granduciel has made a marvelous and fragile record here; the meshes of ambient sounds echoing troubled thoughts and depressed emotions are very carefully juxtaposed with solid rhythmic accompaniment and distant, emotionally gut-wrenching lyrics.

    It's a harrowing listening experience for anyone who claims to be jaded by the state of music these days. Rock may be dead, sure, but it's albums like Lost In the Dream that feel like it's ghost is coming back to haunt us. You can hear the distant, faded likes of Springsteen, Dylan, Bowie, and Eno; so many revolutionary sounds recycled into a truly unique and refreshing outing that will most likely cause you to dust off the repeat button - at least, for the upbeat rockers like "Under the Pressure", "Red Eyes", and the album's dramatic climax, "Burning".

    The album has bluesy, soulful moments; the dreadfully beautiful "Suffering" is a work in creatively depressing balladry that is gently bolstered by beautiful guitar, piano and saxophone pulses that gently interpolate in and out of consciousness. The brevity and true sincerity of the lyrics in this track is breathtaking - although, most of the tracks on the album have this quality.

    "In An Ocean Between the Waves" is a near powerpop-esque rock-out that shares the depressed esteem of the rest of the album, despite conflicting itself with introspective lyricism of hope and, just maybe, a reality that simply got... lost in a dream. If "In An Ocean Between the Waves" were a party, "Disappearing" would undoubtedly be the hangover. The synth-poppy rhythm and carefully placed piano runs and guitar licks fall back, perhaps, to the 80's, with late-song guitar jabs that are reminiscent of the desperate balladry that shaped the core of true love songs of that era. It's swept away by "Eyes To The Wind", which sounds a bit like Seger, if you use your imagination enough (which this album undoubtedly encourages).

    "The Haunting Idle" is somewhat avant garde; and, surprisingly, one of the more generic pieces on the album. It leads into "Burning", which is toe-tapping, horribly depressing, beautifully destructive and gleefully rejuvenating all at once. Granduciel rounds off the album with the title track - an emotionally distant, folky "I told you so" kind of track - and finally "In Reverse", which almost feels like the album has completely given up on its own pathetic existence, only to rise up for one last fanfare, with all of the energy it has left to muster.

    If you go into a listening session with this album expecting something like Duke_Challenger was (I would love to see his record collection...), you won't get much out of it. Allow me to rephrase that... if you go into this with as much unfounded skepticism as Duke_Challenger, then you shouldn't be listening to indie music, anyways, or most music that requires brain activity to fully appreciate. If the instrumentals are paramount and the lyrics are a distant second that must be accompanied by 'qualified' music based on whatever standards he is referring to, then my taste in music is shot. Pavement - my favorite band of all time and a seminal act in indie rock - managed to make an astounding catalog largely on shoddy, lo-fi instrumentation that fit their mood, with amazing lyrics to boot. I guess by your standards, I should be burned at the cross for appreciating such an obscure and fascinating art form.

    Hell, Bob Dylan's early instrumentation efforts typically sounded like a sack full pots and pans being thrown against a wall. It's not like his legendary contributions to music never influenced wonderful, brilliant minds to come such as Adam Granduciel, right? If that's the standard we are to hold music to - more importantly, indie music - then screw music. I'll call it "educated noise" from now on.

    If it sounds anything like The War on Drugs, I'll sacrifice such a trivial label if it means the closed minded among us won't have anything to do with it.

    10/10    … Full Review »
  3. WishfulThinking
    Mar 18, 2014
    10
    Great Album. Don't really understand the criticism of the songwriting.. There is something to be said about lyrics that are direct and simple.Great Album. Don't really understand the criticism of the songwriting.. There is something to be said about lyrics that are direct and simple. They become even more powerful when they are mixed in such nuanced sound and atmosphere. That kind of contrast is what I believe makes the songwriting very good. Also, Adam Granduciel is truly a master in the studio.… Full Review »
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