Wooden Wand and the Sky High Band - 'Second Attention' (Kill Rock Stars) Released 22/08/06

Initially, another weekend visionary waist-deep into the practise of otherworldly acoustic arts joining the already over-swollen ranks of psych-folk might not elicit much beyond an indifferent shrug. 'Second Attention', however, is charged with something much, much more magical than mere by-numbers weirdness. The quest here is to keep the freak flag flying, as Wooden Wand - James Toth when not on sonic sorcerer duty - drawling “God’s portrait in the clouds/I am bloodthirsty no more” on the gospel-hued stomp of ‘Portrait In The Clouds’ in the manner of a gospel crooner in grips of acute mania attests, but Toth executes his far-out mission with near-revelatory results, due not least to the type of substantial tunecraft you wouldn't necessarily expect from a musician who, as part of the Vanishing Voice collective, has churned out several platters of freewheelin' freak-outs.

Although still thoroughly dedicated to spontaneity and one-take freshness, 'Second Attention', recorded with the cracking Sky High Band on vintage gear in Toth's native San Francisco, takes several steps towards the accessible centre from the outer regions of the margins Toth's occupied thus far. Rather than the downer folk - think of the blues-fuelled B-side of Neil Young's 'On The Beach' - of Toth’s first excursion into more conventional songwriting on last year's 'Harem of the Sundrum', the mellow mood here resembles a cosmic campfire singalong at Laurel Canyon circa 1972, and the album glows with good vibes even when the material takes a turn towards murkier regions, as befits a platter that lifts its cover from John and Beverley Martyn's 1970 warmth-fest 'Stormbringer'.

Apart from the artwork, these songs have shaken off any overpowering whiff of influences. There are hints of neo-hippy pixie folk pioneer Devendra Banhart, especially so on the laidback groove of 'Rolling One Sun Blues' and Toth's versatile vocals, which pack - but never crumble under - an assortment of quirks and quivers. The iconoclastic instincts of veteran brit-folk firebrand Roy Harper pop up in the opening strum-a-thon 'Crucifixion, Pt 2’, whilst 'Mother Midnight' could have been cut during power cuts at the 'Exile on Main Street' sessions.
Echoes of gospel and wide-open prairie country resonate throughout the proceedings, but the lyrics originate from an altogether odder realm. The mythical and the mystical co-inhabit the lyric sheets with nonsensical poetic pyrotechnics and such a wealth of bizarre religious references you’d occasionally mistake Toth for a deranged pilgrim, speaking in tongues whilst being bombarded with a mind-blowing assortment of wonky visions. It'd take an omnipotent being to fathom what it all signifies, but Toth’s wondrous way with words catapults what in lesser hands would be an embarrassing glob of gibberish into enchanting heights worthy of his wizardly pseudonym.

All of which elevates the album to a level where the earthy rootsiness of, say, ‘The Basement Tapes’ collides headfirst with brain-frying psychedelia of the highest order. 'Second Attention' is a gem and Wooden Wand belongs amongst the year's most beguiling discoveries.