Ganglion Reef Explained

Ganglion Reef
Type:studio
Artist:Wand
Cover:Wand - Ganglion Reef.jpg
Alt:A cartoonish drawing of a green hand gripping around a drawing of a cave
Genre:Neo-psychedelia
Language:English
Label:God? Records/Drag City
Next Title:Golem
Next Year:2015

Ganglion Reef is the debut studio album by American neo-psychedelia rock band Wand, released in 2014. The album has received positive reviews from critics.

Reception

Editors at AllMusic rated this album 3.5 out of 5 stars, with critic Fred Thomas writing that this is "a nonstop parade of acid-dipped, pop-minded forays into both heaviness and wavy folk detours" that shows a "gift for songwriting [that] guides the endless psychedelic tug of war that is Ganglion Reef, offering listeners something turbulent and strange but deeply rooted in strong tunes". Nina Corcoran of Consequence of Sound rated this album a B, characterizing this album as "dressed in garage clothing, letting psych riffs wobble around in a single stained Converse and a muddy Doc Martens", drawing on Are You Experienced? and Revolver. Editors at Pitchfork Media scored this release 7.4 out of 10 and critic Jason Heller called this release "euphorically hypnotic" due to vocalist Cory Hanson's delivery and he continued that the music differentiates itself from the larger field of contemporary psychedelic rock by writing that "rather than wallowing in inner space, it’s a gateway to other worlds, not so much an escape as an intrepid exploration". In 2021, upon the release of Hanson's Pale Horse Rider, Uncuts Peter Watts gave a review to Ganglion Reef, scoring it an 8 out of 10 for being an "excellent psych-rock and sludge debut... drenched in echo and reverb".

Track listing

  1. "Send/Receive (Mind)" – 3:07
  2. "Clearer" – 3:34
  3. "Broken Candle" – 2:40
  4. "Fire on the Mountain (I–II–III)" – 5:07
  5. "On Ganglion Reef" – 0:19
  6. "Flying Golem" – 3:20
  7. "Strange Inertia (Ctrl Alt Death)" – 3:21
  8. "6661" – 3:42
  9. "Growing Up Boys" – 3:46
  10. "Generator Larping" – 6:08

Personnel

Wand

Additional personnel

See also