Top 12 Albums of 2014: The War on Drugs — Lost in the Dream

This was the year of artists who had very good albums in 2011 and then came roaring back with even better ones this year, with maybe a single or EP in between. (See also: Real Estate, The Antlers). Maybe the three-year cycle is optimal. Makes sense with probable touring schedules and all.

Perhaps the most pure rock album on this list, Lost in the Dream has a readily apparent, oft-cited Springsteen influence. It’s also another of those “more Tom Petty than Tom Petty [this year]” albums. The organ swirls and vocal echoes provide a lot of atmosphere, but the overall structures are pulled taut.

Wandering psychedelia this ain’t. The songs firmly, steadily build the tension — musically and lyrically — for the couple minutes, then satisfyingly let loose with either a shout and slam of sound (like the “whooo!” and pounding drums in Red Eyes), or a drawn-out instrumental resolution (like the “and I’m alone here, living in darkness… all right” at 3:34 in Eyes to the Wind).

But it’s not just a nonstop wall of electric guitars, drums, and keys. The comparatively sparse songs, like the title track, also really highlight some nasally, stacatto Bob Dylan-esque vocal delivery. That’s a lot of heavyweight comparisons crammed into a short review, but given the band’s rise this year, it all seems deserved. This album also gets better and better with every listen.

Note 1: This Top 12 list is not ranked. It’s generally a good idea to have 2014 coverage be published in 2014. Before Christmas, even. If I had to rank these, we wouldn’t be done until next August.

Note 2: More on the “Put Your Money Where Your Typing Is” selection methodology here. Short version: These are the 12 albums I bought on CD/vinyl/both this year.