Wand is a psychedelic rock band based out of Los Angeles that was first formed in 2013. According to the group’s Wikipedia page, their style incorporates flavors from psychedelic rock, garage rock, noise rock, shoegazing, and stoner rock, all of which are genres that I’ve been enjoying a lot recently. This album, 1000 Days (2015), is the group’s third studio album, and received attention from sites like PopMatters.com and Pitchfork.com. It seems the group has worked closely with Ty Segall, a modern garage rock artist that I’ve written about before, with some members even having played in one of Ty Segall’s bands at one point. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Grave Robber” gets started with a really interesting mixture of garage rock rhythm guitar and steady beat alongside some really interesting space-inflected psychedelic pop that feels somewhat reminiscent of the mid-to-late 1960s. Oh wow, I really dig the synths in this track. Holy smokes, the song just changed up to a bit of a heavier movement with large, distorted guitars that almost have a bit of a stoner rock sound. The vocals remind me quite a bit of John Lennon’s vocal style. I really dig the use of acoustic guitar in this track as well, especially as the soundscape gets increasingly spacey and psychedelic. I really dig the mellow finish to the tune as well. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Holy smokes, “Broken Sun” gets started with some super sweet piano, and some vocals that really remind me a ton again of John Lennon. Holy smokes, a fat, distorted synth-like bass tone joins for a moment alongside the piano. Holy smokes, the bass-y distorted synth-like sound gives way to a very symphonic-sounding chorus of what sound to be distant organs. Holy smokes, the track adds back in the bass-y tone again alongside the symphony-like organs, which are also joined by big distorted guitars for what sounds to be a massive stoner rock movement. Great track.
Oh wow, “Paintings Are Dead” gets started with some super light, sweet pop-like acoustic guitars. Oh wow, there’s a really massive heaviness that the track segues into that makes the track feel like a punk rock song. Holy smokes, the heavy and light sections join up at one point in the song, creating a combination of sounds reminiscent of psychedelic pop from the mid-to-late 1960s, and punk rock from the earlier 1980s. Holy smokes, I really dig the big, low, bass-y outro to the song. Great track.
“Dungeon Dropper” gets grooving right away with a smooth segue in coming off of the heels of the previous track. The vocals have a sort of laid back, mellow approach that melds with the bass-y, distorted instrumentation for what sounds to be a mixture of psychedelic garage rock and stoner rock. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Dovetail” starts out with a synth-y percussion part that makes the soundscape feel as though you’re on the ascent of the first hill of a rollercoaster. I’m sort of reminded of both the Grateful Dead’s drums > space sections of their live shows, as well as Akron/Family with the near shamanic nature of the track. I’m really digging this one so far. There seem to more and more spacey instrumental parts that join in the shamanic experience produced by the percussion. Oh wow, there are some droning tones in the track that seem to gradually turn into a ghost-like howl as the song continues. Oh wow, the ending of the track has an almost vaporwave-like feel. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “1000 Days” gets started with some really sweet folksy acoustic guitars, which are soon joined by some sweet vocals that almost sound like John Lennon doing a bit of an impression of Bob Dylan. Wow, I’m really digging this track so far. Holy smokes, the track takes a bit of a psychedelic turn near the end of the track as the percussion comes in and the guitars pick up an effect. Wow, great track.
Holy smokes, “Lower Order” starts out with a super low, choppy square distortion from what sounds to be a bass guitar, which is promptly joined by a driving beat that grooves the tune along almost hypnotically. I’m very much reminded of heavy stoner rock songs mixed with what reminds me fair deal of Ty Segall. Oh wow, I really dig the effects on the vocals just before the track begins a new movement. Holy smokes, I really dig the shimmering sound of the distant organs set to a back drop of a steady beat and a grooving bass line. This part of the song reminds me a fair deal of Frankie and the Witch Fingers. Holy smokes, the song almost seems to return to the shamanic nature of “Dovetail” for the outro. Great track.
Oh wow, “Sleepy Dog” gets grooving right away with a smooth segue in from the previous song. Oh wow, I really dig the medley of bright, symphonic organs reminiscent of sunshine pop from the mid-to-late 1960s mixed with synth flavors from the 1980s, while the heaviness of the rhythm section gives the tune a sort of stoner rock-inflected heavy modern garage rock sound. Holy smokes, the track resolves back to the main chorus really nicely for the outro. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Stolen Footsteps” keeps things moving with a super smooth segue in from the previous track with the percussion and synth tones. I’m really reminded again of John Lennon’s vocal style infused with a sort of modern psychedelic pop rock sweetness. I really dig the use of the acoustic guitar in the rhythm section of this track. The percussion almost sounds vaguely like a tabla, while mostly sounding like some sort of synth drum pad that I’m really digging. Great track
“Passage of the Dream” gets started with a really harmonious medley of reverberated, melty electric guitar, shimmering organs in the background, sweet acoustic guitar along the sides, set to a groovy beat with a light feel and some psychedelic pop-like vocals that almost remind me of some of Richard Ashcroft/The Verve with the overall mixing and presence in the soundscape. Oh wow, the track picks up a bit of distortion at times that I’m really digging. Oh wow, I really dig the noisy finish to the tune. Great track.
“Little Dream” gets grooving with a seamless segue in from the previous track as distorted guitar chords and energetic vocals enter the soundscape for a quick track. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Morning Rainbow” gets started with some really sweet, folksy acoustic guitars and mellow vocals that have sort of mellow pop sound that I’m really digging. Holy smokes, I really dig the keyboards and electric guitar in this track; the keyboards evoke a sort of folksy meadow-like sound, and the electric guitar adds in some classic guitar licks that honestly made me think of Jimmy Page. Wow, great track, and a great way to finish the album.
Holy smokes, I’m really glad that I checked out this album tonight, and I certainly want to check out more of Wand’s discography soon. The medley of different garage rock sounds that at times reminded me of Ty Segall, with the psychedelic pop sounds reminiscent of the mid-to-late 1960s, had me listening closer and closer as the music continued. I really enjoyed the addition of folk and stoner rock elements that seemed to appear throughout the listening experience as well. If you’re into modern, at times heavy or even experimental garage rock groups, and you also enjoy psychedelic pop from the mid-to-late 1960s, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, then I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A