Ball of Wax 43 Songs: The Foghorns – Like an Old Trans Am

Ball of Wax staples the Foghorns return with “Like an Old Trans Am,” a track off their upcoming LP, a companion to last year’s The Sun’s Gotta Shine. “Trans Am” is the Foghorns at their most wistful, defeated and wise. As with much of his best work, Bart Cameron is able to paint a vivid portrait of sadness and loss with just a few subtle strokes.  Cameron opens the song with the line “the way you used to look at me / like an old Trans Am on the road,” setting the stage for a bitter, beautiful analogy involving faded muscle cars and lost love. The analogy is neither cryptic nor overworked; it’s modest yet dead-on. Lauren Trew’s bass clarinet solo is just gorgeous and the backing vocals work like a disheveled Greek chorus at the end of a bar. “Trans Am” is another small miracle of song from Cameron and his protean band.