Wand: In A Capsule Underground - Demos & Unreleased Songs From Ganglion Reef (Vinyl LP)

As Wand, having shifted smoothly into Phase IV of their star-flung efforts on the wings of the latest, Vertigo, follow upon it with an LP release of the archival In A Capsule Underground, we’re a bit dizzy ourselves. These demos and unreleased songs from Ganglion Reef, as they’re so helpfully dubbed on the front facing of the jacket, are the earliest Wand recordings that we know of, preceding everything that’s come so far. It’s not simply a function of time and nostalgia at this late moment that they sound invariably like magical recordings by, and for, children, is it?

From the reverse end of the telescope, it’s not so easy to tell. Just because someone’s young doesn’t mean that they are absolutely gonna sound like a souped-up baby Moody Blues crossed with a young-wave Status Quo, Barrettian Pink Floyd, Genesis-era Genesis and transitioning Barclay James Harvest (that is, third LP), all letting loose in the post-punk garage (pron. Gare-itch), does it? Yes, it happens more than sometimes in rock ’n roll life. . . but with Wand, we’ve found it’s always of essence to consider intent when analysing their output. As re: what if their desire to sound pixieish and ethereal while mowing us down with buzzing guitars ’n bass (’n drums ’n keys!) set to stun was simply a tactile approach to the conceptualization of Phase I?

Whatever the case, it can be generally agreed that in 2014–15, they managed to pump out three distinct progressions on this theme - Ganglion Reef, Golem, and 1000 Days - at a trot, encompassing their golden Phases I–II in the process. And now that In A Capsule Underground’s spinning on our turntable eternal, we’re here to tell you that, come to find out, they actually did it twice with Ganglion Reef. The light, fizzy versions here have distinctive, gleaming magic energies all their own and will provide quite the breathtakingly thrill ride when endeavoured upon by all ye who haven’t yet heard ’em.

1. Send/Receive (Alpha NM)
2. Clearer Mix 2
   
3. Broken Candle
   
4. Fire On The Mountain Parts I-II-III
   
5. Flying Golem
   
6. Fugue State 23-23-23
   
7. Strange Inertia Ctrl Alt Death
   
8. Growing Up Boys
   
9. Generator Larping
   
10. The Screaming Eye 2
    
11. The Leap
    
12. Gong Report 4_11