The Wands

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.