Albums to watch

Slave Ambient

The War On Drugs

Slave Ambient

Second full-length album of Americana from this Philadelphia group, the first since founding member Kurt Vile has left.

ADM rating[?]

7.9

Label
Secretly Canadian
UK Release date
15/08/2011
US Release date
16/08/2011
  1. 10.0 |   Uncut

    It's a thrill. Something's happening wherever you turn on tracks that are dense with detail and brilliant accumulations of incident. Print edition only

  2. 9.5 |   The Quietus

    A near-flawless rock album, and certainly one of the best you'll hear all year
    Read Review

  3. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    Slave Ambient doesn’t recall the past so much as a bright, unexpected future, where bands like this inexplicably are still dreaming in new, refreshingly outsized ways
    Read Review

  4. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    An amazing record, but it is far from immediate as these songs take time to develop into something tangible
    Read Review

  5. 9.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    The melodies on Slave Ambient know when it’s their turn. So does the noise
    Read Review

  6. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    A fine album that deserves to be recognised amongst the finest to have seen this lap of the sun
    Read Review

  7. 9.0 |   Blurt

    An album of the year, built not upon flash or novelty, but a new take on traditional rock and roll that is always pushing forward
    Read Review

  8. 8.5 |   Beats Per Minute

    Place Adam Granduciel as one of the musicians with serious talent and songwriting acumen in modern indie rock
    Read Review

  9. 8.5 |   Bowlegs

    A gorgeously interesting hybrid of tracks that easily surge past the point of lazy comparison.
    Read Review

  10. 8.3 |   Pitchfork

    The really amazing thing about the album is how anthemic and affirming it feels despite the near total absence of proper sing-along choruses
    Read Review

  11. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    There are interesting shadows and kinks to the music that turn literate, big-hearted tunes like Your Love Is Calling My Name, Baby Missiles and Come to the City into irresistible grooves
    Read Review

  12. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Blazes forward on its own path more than it follows in the footsteps of the others
    Read Review

  13. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    A quilt of warm, humming music
    Read Review

  14. 8.0 |   Prefix

    An expansive statement from beginning to end
    Read Review

  15. 8.0 |   FasterLouder

    A strange, joyful experience
    Read Review

  16. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Makes a triumph of the unlikely premise that US heartland rock and Krautrock would mix like old friends – it is the sound, if you like, of the Neu! Street Band... A wonderful record
    Read Review

  17. 8.0 |   Clash

    Sweeping melodies and classic rock flow effortlessly through this catchy sophomore album
    Read Review

  18. 8.0 |   DIY

    War On Drugs does an excellent job of sequencing their songs, interrupting batches of well-penned and structured songs with more explicitly textural instrumentals
    Read Review

  19. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    A swath of nostalgia in a storm of mind-bending audio. This is boss-gaze, and—sorry, old dudes and purity chasers—it's stupendous
    Read Review

  20. 8.0 |   The Fly

    It’s rambling, sure, but when the wispy clouds disperse, there’s something of an epiphan
    Read Review

  21. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Echoes with vibrant life, helping make it a work of real wonder. Print edition only

  22. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    [Kurt] Vile may get all the end-of-year glory, but his comrade’s first full-length effort is just as laudable and commendable
    Read Review

  23. 8.0 |   Rave Magazine

    An immaculate and quite beautiful offering
    Read Review

  24. 7.5 |   The 405

    A classic rock album that rarely sounds like classic rock
    Read Review

  25. 7.5 |   Paste Magazine

    Slave Ambient makes you feel good, and I’m glad that’s all they ever wanted
    Read Review

  26. 7.0 |   Rave Magazine

    If you ever wondered what it would sound like if you smooshed Tom Petty and Neu! together, Slave Ambient might be a good start
    Read Review

  27. 7.0 |   BBC

    Full of decent songs with a lot of heart
    Read Review

  28. 7.0 |   NME

    If this lot are attempting to wage war, it seems that at the moment the drugs are still very much winning
    Read Review

  29. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    This glacial, considered approach might not win The War On Drugs many radio plays, but it’s a method that pays off handsomely across a full album
    Read Review

  30. 7.0 |   Spin

    It's vexing - in exactly the right way
    Read Review

  31. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    Inconsistent, but nonetheless impressive
    Read Review

  32. 6.0 |   Slant Magazine

    A well-studied rock crew with an honest experimental streak
    Read Review

  33. 6.0 |   The Observer

    His songs thrum and drone and hum like, well, loose ambient rock
    Read Review


blog comments powered by Disqus

Watch it

Roll over video for more options

Hear it

Preview & download it

The War On Drugs: Slave Ambient

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. Best Night £0.99
  • 2. Brothers £0.99
  • 3. I Was There £0.99
  • 4. Your Love Is Calling My Name £0.99
  • 5. The Animator £0.99
  • 6. Come To The City £0.99
  • 7. Come For It £0.99
  • 8. It's Your Destiny £0.99
  • 9. City Reprise #12 £0.99
  • 10. Baby Missiles £0.99
  • 11. Original Slave £0.99
  • 12. Black Water Falls £0.99
  • 13. Digital Booklet - Slave Ambient N/A
  • Service provided by 7Digital

Latest Reviews

More reviews