Wand – '1,000 Days' review
As more and more bands take a decade to release three decent albums, encountering one that manages it in just over a year is refreshing – and, in Wand’s case, proof that music from the psych/prog playbook need not be agonised over to be compelling. Indeed, the most endearing characteristic of 1,000 Days is its unpretentiousness: across 12 tracks, the sense of a band just riffing – both literally and figuratively – is never far away: freewheeling keyboards and tumbling drums give way to heavy-heavy sludge guitars that just seem like a good idea at the time, every time.
What that spontaneous performance doesn’t mask, thankfully, is the strength of the songwriting. Save for Dovetail, an overlong mid-album instrumental, 1,000 Days is a masterclass in Lennon-esque concision, from the starry-eyed acoustic title track to the distorted roughness of Paintings Are Dead, which deftly punctures any lingering prog pomposity. Frenetic, chaotic and an intensely satisfying blast, 1,000 Days leaves you hankering for Wand’s next full-length – although, presumably, you won’t have long to wait.
9/10
