The War on Drugs – “Eyes To The Wind”

If I were to choose the songs from 2010-2019 that make me feel the most free, in a sense that is entirely liberating and nearly indescribable, “Eyes To The Wind” could easily top that list.  Adam Granduciel allegedly wrote this song in only four minutes, in his kitchen, and the song flows with a kind of freedom that could only come from such a spontaneous, organic conception.  Although he reworked it over the course of thirty takes and five months – curating it to perfection – the gentle, breezy sway that serves as the track’s driving force remains intact, uninhibited by studio effects or overproduction.

“Eyes To The Wind” is simply a gorgeous piece of Americana, riding wave after wave of acoustic strums which are carefully underscored by elegant piano notes while Granduciel wistfully sings about returning home; his lines not all that symbolic on paper, but incredibly poignant amid the backdrop of lush folk: “There’s a cold wind blowing down my old road, down the back streets where the pines grow, as the river splits the undertows.”  It’s not a happy homecoming necessarily, as you can feel a forlorn/dejected weight upon his shoulders, a burden illuminated within the last few lines of the song: “As you set your eyes to the wind, and you see me pull away again / Haven’t lost it on a friend, I’m just bit run down here at the moment / Yeah, I’m all alone here, living in darkness.”

There are moments on Lost In The Dream that eclipse “Eyes To The Wind” in terms of sonic adventure, but I believe this is Adam at his best – stripped of the shoegazey indie production and left to his own raw whims and emotion.  This is the kind of song I want playing when I’m driving through the countryside, hiking in the woods, or out on a boat with nothing but open sea in front of me.  There’s just this limitless aura, this feeling like nothing really matters so I should just close my eyes, let the wind blow through my hair, and feel it all – and just be present wherever I’m at.

Read more from this decade at my homepage for Sowing’s Songs of the Decade.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5JjmQsvmmmOBFnUjP7FLu4