It seems that California prog-rockers Wand have been on a quest to find themselves. In the past year, the band released two different albums on two different record labels — Ganglion Reef on GOD? and Golem on In The Red. Now, the group drop their third and newest effort, 1000 Days, via Chicago-based label Drag City.
Where Ganglion Reef shone with sunny textures and Golem was all glammed-up psychedelia, 1000 Days combines the two while applying the simple structures of 1960s and 1970s British rock'n'roll. The album is held together by a fuzzy guitar backbone, with sweetly arranged harmonies (eerily evocative of the Beatles) floating overtop the heavy kaleidoscopic breakdowns.
Though the triumph of 1000 Days is its fusion of light and dark, there are some moments that feel out of place: the murky noise on instrumental "Dovetail" is a bit harrowing against the gentle acoustics on the title track, while "Little Dream," a 38-second spurt of woozy punk, appears and disappears out of nowhere.
Nevertheless, the effervescent scuzz of "Passage of the Dream" alongside the soft ambience of "Morning Rainbow" demonstrates that Wand are capable of sonic equilibrium and indicate that might have just about found what they're looking for.
(Drag City)Where Ganglion Reef shone with sunny textures and Golem was all glammed-up psychedelia, 1000 Days combines the two while applying the simple structures of 1960s and 1970s British rock'n'roll. The album is held together by a fuzzy guitar backbone, with sweetly arranged harmonies (eerily evocative of the Beatles) floating overtop the heavy kaleidoscopic breakdowns.
Though the triumph of 1000 Days is its fusion of light and dark, there are some moments that feel out of place: the murky noise on instrumental "Dovetail" is a bit harrowing against the gentle acoustics on the title track, while "Little Dream," a 38-second spurt of woozy punk, appears and disappears out of nowhere.
Nevertheless, the effervescent scuzz of "Passage of the Dream" alongside the soft ambience of "Morning Rainbow" demonstrates that Wand are capable of sonic equilibrium and indicate that might have just about found what they're looking for.