Music Review: Wand, Ganglion Reef

By Less Lee Moore

Fans of psychedelic music are lucky to be alive during the glory days of its resurgence. There are a lot of great bands out there doing inventive things with psych rock and one of these is Wand, whose debut Ganglion Reef should make several Top Ten lists this year.

Ganglion Reef opens with some snarled, gnarly feedback courtesy of “Send/Receive (Mind),” proving that Wand has a flair for good song titles, too. When Cory Hanson’s voice chimes in, it becomes quickly obvious that this is a band to watch. It’s angelic yet spooky, and the perfect complement to the band’s music. You’ll want to start singing along before you even know the lyrics.

There’s a beautiful dynamic on Ganglion Reef, part space exploration soundtrack and part thundering rhythm section, all threaded through with gilded hooks that are quite addictive. Despite being a new band, any of Wand’s songs could nestle snugly on a vintage music mix tape.

The layers of “Clearer” combine to create genuinely imaginative soundscapes, while the acoustic guitar and organ in “Broken Candle” float above the song’s pounding drumbeat. “Fire on the Mountain (I-II-III)” starts of with a mournful melody and even though the song eventually emerges like the sun from behind the clouds, the undercurrent of that haunting feeling remains.

The deceptively delicate acoustic guitar melody at the start of “Flying Golem” soon gives way to something that pounds your ears into submission. You can feel Lee Landey’s bass in your chest while Hanson’s vocals merge with the organ and synths to gorgeous effect.

Wand’s music isn’t just made up of thick riffs, however, as the bouncy pop of “Strange Inertia (Ctrl Alt Death)” reveals. More catchy wonderment is found in “6661” as sinister organ and guitar bolster ethereal vocals from Hanson. The wonderfully plaintive “Growing Up Boys” relies mostly on the guitar/bass/drums combination and the delirious echoes of Hanson’s unique voice, until that space age organ snakes in and unsettles everything.

The final track of Ganglion Reef‘s woefully short 36 minutes is the six-minute plus “Generator Larping,” which feels like a trip through a warp in the space/time continuum. Hypnotic and heavy at the same time, it’s a sublime end to a marvelous album.

Ganglion Reef was released by God? Records on August 26 and can be purchased via Drag City.