Ball of Wax 35 Songs: Joshua Schramm featuring Fairy Robot – “Drink Until You’re Dry Again”

Westerly‘s Joshua Schramm makes his first contribution to Ball of Wax with “Drink Until You’re Dry Again,” a collaboration with Fairy Robot, known by most folks as Sarah McGuinn (who also plays with Schramm in Modern Relics). “Drink Until You’re Dry Again” is a pretty, atmospheric song that starts off sparsely with vibrato guitar and vocals from Schramm and McGuinn. As the sound fills in, it becomes clear that “Drink Until You’re Dry Again” is working on a whole different production level than most Ball of Wax submissions. The production is lush and polished in a moody, late-’80s Talk Talk kind of way. The way the background vocals are mixed, the synth pads used, the taut percussion, even the compressed distorted guitar – all these elements combine to evoke 1988 pop radio without descending into pastiche. It’s a bold, welcome change around here. Schramm and Co. will be playing the the Ball of Wax Volume 35 release show – In Love with Love Valentine’s Day at the Lo Fi in this formation, and the multifaceted Mr. Schramm will also perform solo under the name Harbor Island (we’ll hear more from them next week).