Telltale signs that you too might be a nerd:
1) You start looking at other writers who might be attractive rather than people actually in the bands. (Guilty.)
2) Instead of looking at the score on Pitchfork album reviews, you look at who wrote the review before deciding whether to pay attention or whether to skip it because it’s either a writer you regularly disagree with or one who consistently puts out poorly written crap. (Very Guilty.)
3) You’ve noticed that there are certain record labels that you like more than others. Therefore, you’re more likely to go “Ooh! Ooh!” like Horshack from “Welcome Back, Kotter” when you see new releases from those labels…without knowing anything else about the band.
Number 3 leads me to The War On Drugs. The Philly band has their six track EP (only three of which are actual songs) up on the Secretly Canadian website for free download right here. I guess it’s been up there for the past month but I’m just discovering now that dude, this label may have just struck gold again. The lead singer Adam Granduciel has very Dylan-esque vocals but the opening notes of “Arms Like Boulders” sound almost exactly like the opening notes of “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” from The Arcade Fire and the instrumental vibe sounds a little bit like a less intense version of The Twilight Sad. Their full-length album Wagonwheel Blues will be out on Secretly Canadian in June and like I mentioned, you can download the Barrel of Batteries EP now. I’ve also included a track here for your listening pleasure. Let me know what you think.
MP3: The War on Drugs :: “Arms Like Boulders”
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Great list – agreed! And the EP rules, too. Can’t wait for the album to drop.