The guys in
Wand are a prolific bunch. 1000 Days is their third album in a year, following their weirdo psych debut Ganglion Reef and the more heavy metal-influenced
Golem. This time out, the L.A. band blends the tricky psych and heavy metal into something more organic, adding keyboards and electronics in the process. It's their best-sounding record yet, casting aside any vestiges of lo-fi in favor of a huge sound that envelops the listener in a hazy cloud of fuzzed sounds and warped dynamics. They melt acoustic and electric guitars into a swirling mix that will get heads spinning, with booming bass and echoing drums holding down the bottom. Most of 1000 Days sounds like a perfect blend of the first two albums that capture both the thudding power of heavy metal and the baroque weirdness of psych pop. Tracks like "Grave Robber" and "Dungeon Dropper" lean a bit toward the heavy side, while the dreamier songs like "Passage of the Dream" and "Broken Sun" creep over to the psych side. "Morning Rainbow" even ends the album with some seriously acid-y folk. It's an impressive job of fulfilling the promise of the first two albums, amping up both the production and the songcraft to a new level. Despite how focused and tight most of the album is, though,
Wand still indulge their experimental nature a couple times. The electro-tribal instrumental "Dovetail" is a wobbling trip into inner space that feels like it could last for 20 minutes and not get boring, "Stolen Footsteps" is bedroom synth pop with a majestic melody, soaring synths, and a very tinny drum machine. This willingness to take chances and explore oddball avenues is one of the things that makes
Wand so good. They may be one of many, many neo-psych bands out there in 2015 whipping up retro-flavored noise, but this record proves that they are one of the best and most imaginative. ~ Tim Sendra