The War on Drugs' Adam Granduciel writes, then rewrites. He records, then deletes, destructing and reconstructing the empyrean Americana of his songs until they arrive at their proper architecture. For two years, Granduciel and the Philadelphia-based band worked on their third full-length, Lost in the Dream. Some songs were scrapped and redone two weeks before the album was due to the label, Secretly Canadian. Levels of sanity were up and down. Prolonged touring coupled with the end of a long-term relationship left Granduciel disconnected. Lyrics reflect isolation and anguish. Sonically, production on the album is pristine, sifting the sounds through an analog hourglass of tape echo. Vocally, Granduciel sings in tones of an astral Dylan, or Joe Walsh, with vocals being a product of the song. Guitars are layered, rising slowly out of sections like a waning crescent moon over the molars of the Cascade Range. Crisp licks are tagged, then effects pedals spread them out by osmosis into the lilac marble curve of an early evening sky. Should be nice floating over 10th and Pike. Granduciel spoke from Brooklyn, where he'd been helping his manager move and taking it easy for a few days.

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