In the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, a constant thematic touchstone you see is a concept known as the Rule of 10,000 hours. The idea, of course, being that anyone who practices or dedicates to something productive for 10,000+ hours can achieve a mastery of it. Reading any interview with Adam Granduciel, the leader behind The War On Drugs, and you can tell he's at least that much time into this in regards to his recording process. Maybe more.

As a listener, it was obvious to me even few minutes into A Deeper Understanding that there's a consummate power brought about by sheer obsession and attention to detail. The arrangements are classy, lengthy statements with a lot of ebb and flow. When 'Up All Night' starts with a repetitive piano riff a'la Randy Newman, Billy Joel, you think "yeah I know how this goes'. But once that acid drenched axework comes in like greased lightning, you suddenly don't. Adam's plaintive voice isn't special in any way: the songwriting is just that good.

Still, this is a very moody, reflective record. The production is bright enough to snort a line off of, but so immaculate that its hard not to get sucked into the subtle details. A hint of trumpet here and there. A Rhodes piano lick reverberating between the verses, just out of focus but strangely present. There's a point in the second half of 11-minute centerpiece 'Thinking Of A Place' where a harmonica comes rolling in like a miniature tsunami and its just damn beautiful. Like the best thing Destroyer has never done on steroids, with some 80's college rock-styled guitar melodies near the end as interpreted by Wes Montgomery.

In short, this is an 80's styled album for people who would normally hate the 80's. This thing may be saddled with enough E Street Band nostalgia to make John Hughes blush, but it works like a charm.