Wooden Wand and the Sky High Band: Second Attention

Few bands excel at toeing the line of an obscure cult institution as well the many incarnations of Wooden Wand. With dozens of unofficial self-released records and a handful of beautifully packaged vinyl, CD, and cassette releases under their belt, this lo-fi folk outfit has found a niche for themselves in a scene that seems to be similar to the underground trading of hand-made packaged noise recordings.

However, with this latest release, and their first with indie/punk giants Kill Rock Stars, it is no surprise that they have put together a collection of songs that is their most coherent and “album-like” to date. The songs of Second Attention are soft and delicate and, by Wooden Wand standards, produced quite well. For the rest of us, that means that the production value and feel of this record lies somewhere between Neutral Milk Hotel’s Aeroplane and Palace Brothers Self Titled record.

While earlier recordings could be construed as pretentious and sometimes quite dull, Second Attention is a solid record from start to finish that seems quite honest and genuinely melancholy. At only 10 short tracks, it is as though the Wand finally show us, if only for a brief moment, who they really are.

- Chris Smith
Wooden Wand (Kill Rock Stars)