The unborn capitalist from limbo

"Over the course of three albums released in a very short time, the L.A. quartet Wand made a name for themselves as excitingly unpredictable purveyors of psychedelic music of all stripes, be it jangling pop, thrashing metal, or trippily bonkers acid rock. When word came out that their leader, Cory Hanson, was readying a solo album, it was difficult to guess what path he might take. The Unborn Capitalist from Limbo turns out to be a very pretty orchestrated folk-pop album, lushly arranged with strings and gently strummed acoustic guitars. Nick Drake, Bill Fay, and Simon & Garfunkel influences run deep, as do any number of private-press weirdos who released albums in the early '70s and promptly vanished. For a more modern reference, there's a little bit of the Moles and the solo work of Richard Davies creeping around the well-burnished edges as well".

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"A pastoral gem ... Wand, the Californian psychedelic band Cory Hanson fronts, alternate between the twin poles of pounding sludge and gentle pastoralism. His first solo album eschews the former: there's no sign of Blue Cheer making their presence felt here. In fact, on the wonderful Flu Moon, he sounds like he's trying to add an extra track to Love's Forever Changes, with baroque strings and breathless drums combining in something halfway between Alone Again Or and A House Is Not a Motel" ... Its virtues lie in the quality of the songwriting, and the judicious arrangements: strings are used perfectly, to colour and shade rather than overwhelm. All in all, something of a gem".

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