Wagonwheel Blues

Wagonwheel Blues
Studio album by the War on Drugs
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
Barrel of Batteries (2008) Wagonwheel Blues (2008) Future Weather (2010)
Singles from Wagonwheel Blues
"Taking the Farm" Released: September 29, 2008

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.

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

Professional ratings

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

Per the album liner notes: ^[6]

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 and percussion (1, 5)

Additional musicians

• Paul Cobb – left and right drums (2)
• Ryan Cobb – sweep guitar (2)

Recording personnel

• Adam Granduciel – producer; recording and mixing (3, 4, 7, 9)
• Kurt Vile – producer
• Jeff Zeigler – producer; recording and mixing (6, 8)
• Ryan Cobb – recording (1, 2, 5); mixing (1)
• Paul Cobb – recording (1, 2, 5); mixing (1)
• Brian McTear – mixing (2, 5)
• Michael Johnson – additional engineering
• Kyle Lloyd – additional engineering
• John Martin – amplifier preparation

Artwork

• Adam Granduciel – SX-70 photos
• Daniel Murphy – art direction, layout

References

1. James (June 25, 2008). "[Interview] The War on Drugs". Pop Headwound. Blogspot. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
2. Raggett, Ned. "Wagonwheel Blues – The War on Drugs". AllMusic . Retrieved August 3, 2020.
3. Ubaghs, Charles (June 6, 2008). "Album Review: The War On Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
4. Deusner, Stephen M. (July 10, 2008). "The War on Drugs: Wagonwheel Blues Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved August 3, 2020.
5. Fitzmaurice, Larry (September 30, 2008). "The War on Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues". NME. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
6. "The War On Drugs – Wagonwheel Blues (2008, CD)". Discogs. Retrieved August 26, 2024.