Ball of Wax 67 Songs: POST PUNK SELL OUTS! – “harlequin novel”

I think I just realized that we have not just one, but two super groups on this here volume of Ball of Wax. (And just when I was saying how overused this term was becoming around here.) POST PUNK SELL OUTS! – as their name subtly implies – is a band made up of more experimental-leaning musicians, primarily connected with the Silber Media world, who have united to write catchy pop songs and cash in. I will be the first to say that being featured on Ball of Wax does not exactly guarantee a future of Pitchfork reviews, car commercials, and sold-out stadiums, but regardless of the outcome, I am all in on POST PUNK SELL OUTS! and their tune “harlequin novel.” Despite the discordant, noisy, and downright inaccessible sounds we have previously featured by some of these artists (such as Electric Bird Noise and Small Life Form), “harlequin novel” is a big, blown-out, fuzzy pop song, albeit with an unconventional structure. As befits a proper supergroup, I hear at least three voices on various sections. The baritone voice on what initially reads as the verse – which might actually be the chorus, now that I think about it – has an relatably low-key, resigned quality to it, as if not fully committed to the pop-star bit. Towards the beginning and end of the song, two more voices, tenor and soprano, chime in with new musical statements, each of which could form its own chorus – or its own song – yet which flow beautifully into and out of the main theme. All of that to say: clearly, these POST PUNK SELL OUTS! know their way around writing a catchy yet surprising song. I have no idea if they’ll be paying their bills with royalties any time soon, but I’m excited to hear what else they have up their collective sleeves.