Jack Shriner (Another Wisconsin boy! What did I tell you?) has been a friend of Ball of Wax for quite some time, but his contributions have been few and far between (the most recent was his excellent submission to the “dance party” volume under the inspired name Bertolt Breast). It’s a pleasure to share a brand new song from Jack’s new album The Fluid Ounce, due out any day now. “January Dream” continues the head-bobbing groove that opens this volume, started by Amina and Fen Wik Ren, nicely blending some African-inspired rhythms and guitar lines with indie rock breakdowns and Jack’s subdued, straight-ahead vocals. And then at the end it all flows perfectly naturally into this Sufjan Stevens-ish 6/8 wind-and-strings coda. The whole thing is propelled forward by an unceasing, insistent shaker, which helps tie these seemingly disparate musical elements together and keep you grooving.
I am very excited to see Jack and his band (and get the percussionist a beer at the end of this song) at the Ball of Wax 43 release show on the 27th. I bet he’ll let you buy a copy of the new record if you ask real nice.