Released: 2021
We might as well get it out of the way now, because you’re thinking it anyway. At the beginning of their career Dire Straits found themselves tucked away, more or less out of sight and mind at the release of Sultans of Swing and their eponymous debut album. Remember that this was the height of punk in Britain; still, Mark Knopfler and co. Slowly climbed the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, much no doubt to their shy label’s (Private) delight.
This story is worth raising again as A) lean back haters of The War on Drugs have frequently made comparisons between the two and B) like Knopfler, their leader Adam Granduciel has continued to follow his musical north star in spite of what they said. It took slightly longer, but by the beginning of the twenties the group had reached the stage of being critically bombproof, to the extent that most of commentators greeted I Don’t Live Here Anymore with toothy enthusiasm.
The title track was every grand statement, backwards looking indulgence and grown up salute to living as you wish ever uttered. Now a father, Granduciel used it lyrically as a form of reminiscence, but it’s road-eating aesthetic and soulful bearing were perfection. Inside looking out, he knew that patience was a virtue he could teach those who knew him least.
The Voice Of Unreason 
I loved their earlier work more but they’re still fantastic live.
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