The Wandas have just released their second major studio release. On it, they subtly alternate from alt-country shuffles overlaid with pop-rock the way Wilco used to do it back in the day, to more driven straight rock-piano-pop songs that sound quite a bit like most of the rock bands that have achieved pop superstardom in the last ten years or so. They can come off as a bit world-weary, lovelorn, and reflective, but the overall emotional take away from the album is not entirely a sad one.

At this point in the band’s career, musicianship is no longer a question. They have achieved national recognition and plaudits from serious critics, especially for their live act, which is telling of the band’s skill. Their harmonies are pretty as any being written in current rock music and their melodies do exactly what melodies are supposed to: grab initially, appeal intensely, and stick in one’s head. Each of the eleven songs on this album has a standalone quality that would seem to make choosing one release as a single an extremely difficult task.

But given that success, one must also consider the larger artistic goals of the band, rather than focus on the merits of their playing, which is so clearly and easily laudable. One such goal seems to be to foster a theme musical restraint. For players that are quite obviously at the top of their respective games, in writing ability and playing ability and as a cohesive playing unit, the album is remarkably drawn back. (The only exception being the lengthy guitar solo that comprises the second half of the album’s longest, and penultimate, track, Abandon Ship. In terms of pure rock quality, it’s the most exciting part of the album.) It could be their pop prerogative to stay within the bounds of radio friendly songs, but even their closest musical relation, the early Wilco, would let it rip for songs like Casino Queen as they mixed in their ballady country songs. While Wandas’ meticulous neatness has a certain appeal in a Beatles-y “this song is PERFECT!” way, it also risks adding sterility in the context of present day, when by now lots of good bands have been there, done that. Wandas are unquestionably a powerful pop-rock force who could very well break into the main-mainstream, but they would do well to step outside of the parameters they seem to have set for themselves and let the music itself more dramatically reflect the heart-strung emotions of the lyrics and singing, embellishing and adding to them rather than merely complementing.

I’d recommend the album, but I do believe that it’s only a matter of time before everyone will be hearing it.

–Alexander Pinto