Fuzz Club Records (label)
03 November 2014 (released)
20 October 2014
Denmark's The Wands are childhood friends Christian Skibdal and Mads Gras and seem to have grown up on the hazy aroma of 1960s psychedelia - or at least - and quite possibly - those bands from the 1990s that were equally enthralled with that era. Everything, from the cover, the font used for the band name, to the sound - smacks of a hippy feel.
Easily described as acid rock - the opening bursts of Sound Of The Machine and And Full of Colours are reminiscent of early Suede, with a Brett Anderson style vocal and swirling guitars. The nostalgic feel is not just in sound - but also lyrically. On the Pink Floyd-ish (Syd Barrett era) The Dawn, there are youthful references to broken dreams and pleas to 'get it on'. The guitar soars throughout - weaving glorious shapes around the room.
There are special thanks on the sleeve notes to Thomas Balslev Brandt and Kristoffer Balle Hvidberg - whom it says are responsible for the drum beats and 'groovy' bass lines. And the thanks is justified, as they form a solid basis to much of the album - giving the ten tracks some energy, even when they drift into pastiche, such as on She's Electric.
Despite wearing its influences on its sleeve rather too obviously - Pink Floyd and The Doors to name just two - The Wands' debut is a thrilling and surprisingly refreshing trip. With the emphasis on the trip.