Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Green Light Cameras and Saint Nefarious – “Doctor”

Inveterate collaborators and Ball-of-Wax-contributors Green Light Cameras and Saint Nefarious have joined forces (maybe for the first time? Can I be totally honest here and say I’m not 100% sure on that count?) to bring us “Doctor,” which takes a repeated setup without its punchline and turns it into a brooding, dystopian groove that would make perfect driving-on-a-summer-night-through-an-urban-wasteland music in that film you’re working on – or should be working on. Electronic drums and synth bass spar with melodic guitar lines as Lattney’s brooding voice spars with the titular sample, combining to create a masterpiece of moody minimalism that may just have you shouting “then don’t do that!” – even as you do it again . . .

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Hyperbaric Slumber – “Glass Lake”

The duo Hyperbaric Slumber – composed of Jake Frye of Jesus on the Moon (btw, right about now is a fantastic time to crank that Festivus tune) and Mike Krushka of, well, many things – bring us “Glass Lake,” title track of their recently-released EP. Spooky horror-movie synths suspend us briefly in air before dropping us into the titular lake of glass, an icy bath of synths, guitars, and – yes! – more drum machine, accompanied by perfectly moody vocal intonations. “Glass Lake,” like the EP it comes from, is a delightful slab of novel nostalgia, allowing you to indulge your inner ’80s/’90s dance club goth while actually exposing your ears and brain to new sounds and sonic juxtapositions. To be totally honest, I would have been happy to select any of the EP’s three songs for this collection, but we were bumping up around the time restrictions imposed by the CD-R medium, so I opted for the shortest one. Do yourself a favor and pick up all three!

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Magic Genie – “Queen of the Forest”

Caroline Keys and Nate Biehl’s Magic Genie was not assembled specifically for this duo-centric volume of Ball of Wax. However, as far as I can tell it may well be true that their only recorded output is songs for various volumes of Ball of Wax (going back to their brilliant interpretation of “John Johanna” for our tribute to Harry Smith‘s Anthology of American Folk Music. I submit Exhibit A. Given their long-running collaboration in various other musical projects over the years, it somewhat boggles my mind that this is possible, that the Magic Genie has only recorded and released five songs over the past dozen years and that this wee endeavor has been the conduit for all of them, but I am deeply humbled at the notion.

All that said, I can see why Caroline and Nate felt they must be part of this celebration of duos, and I am so very glad they penned and recorded the beautiful “Queen of the Forest” for our enjoyment. As always, their voices blend perfectly, enchanting and calming, backed here by a lush, yet upbeat, bed of Farfisa, Bass, Synthesizers, drum machine, and guitars. According to the artists, the tumbling cascade of evocative words are inspired by the elk who hang out around their studio on the edge of the wilderness to “eat our flowers, steal our hummingbird nectar, and sometimes lick our windows.” Sugar and flowers and (salty?) windows are great, but I’m guessing these magnificent creatures are also somewhat enamored of the sounds they hear coming from this strange, unnatural structure. As Caroline and Nate sing, “you know it’s the music.”

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: JNA – “Gonna Fly”

When we last heard from JNA, she was making Domenica swoon with the premium grade ’80s style electro-funk track, “Tell Me Why.” Turns out that was just one Ball of Wax ago, but since we’ve had a longer gap than usual, JNA has a whole new EP out now, with a more contemporary, but no less satisfying sound. Instead of jangly disco guitar with synth melodies and syncopation, “Gonna Fly,” created with producer Jorgen Paul, features a throbbing club beat and layers of dreamy, undulating synths. More importantly, since Ball of Wax 68 was all instrumentals, listeners didn’t get to experience the soulful purr of JNA’s voice, which is happily remedied here. She lowkeys it through most of the track; you can hear the subtle smile in her voice as she sings, “livin’ life for me, I got a smile on my face.” Even the chorus is laid back, with the only big vocal moments coming at the end of each verse. It’s a perfect approach for a song about doing things your own way and having nothing to prove.

DO NOT MISS JNA’s live set at the Ball of Wax 69 show on 12/17 at the Rabbit Box. This is a rare chance to see a unique, unforgettable performer in a tiny, intimate venue. (And bring home a copy of this very compilation with you, of course.)

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Mandy and Jeremy – “Simple Matters”

Ball of Wax 69 starts off with an erudite banger from the duo of Mandy and Jeremy,  of Season of Strangers and Summer Sleeves respectively (wow, that’s a lot of S’s), who came together specifically to create a song together in response to the Ball of Wax 69 call. “Simple Matters” starts off with an irresistible guitar/keys melody over driving drums and acoustic guitar, and never lets up, stomping through two and a half minutes of bittersweet power pop that makes me think maybe I do like power pop after all.

In rich contrast to the upbeat music, the lyrics bring subtle elements of darkness and conflict, seeming to bring in references to the difficulties of communication, love, and friendship in the internet age. Jeremy’s baritone holler and Mandy’s soft alto pair beautifully, bringing out rich, evocative lines like “I’m building up a case in my head / That sounds like yelling / I’m shelling real daggers / I know you’re fixing up whatever you break / In defense of love.”

I’m so glad Mandy and Jeremy came together to make this tune. I don’t know if they have any plans for further collaboration, but I would be in full support of an EP or LP from these two.

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Ball of Wax 69: December 17 at the Rabbit Box

It is time, at last, to celebrate the release of Ball of Wax Volume 69, featuring 20 dazzling duos to delight and, uh . . . defy? Discombobulate? Sorry, kind of ran out of steam on that one.

Anyway:

Ball of Wax 69 Release Show
With JNA, The Lonely Coast, and The Gabes
Sunday, December 17, 6pm doors
The Rabbit Box, 94 Pike St.
Tickets $12 in advance

Ball of Wax 69 is available for pre-order now, and we’ll start rolling out track reviews pretty soon. If you have been a subscriber anytime since the summer of 2022, we’ll get you a physical or digital copy.

 

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Call for music from WA trans/non-binary musicians for Ball of Wax Volume 70

Photo by Andy Maguire, used under Creative Common License Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Greetings old friends, new friends, and strangers!

First, a quick note: For those of you following along, work on Ball of Wax Volume 69 continues at the pace demanded by thoughtful collaboration and uncontrollable life events. Thanks to all who submitted for your patience!

In the meantime, it is time to send out the call for Volume 70!

Continuing Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly’s commitment to greater collaboration and inclusivity, and supported by a 4Culture Arts Projects grant, Ball of Wax is accepting submissions for Volume 70, a compilation of music by trans/non-binary musicians in Washington State, curated by Mia Rose Malone.

Mia writes, “I want this compilation to represent and celebrate the diversity and radical creativity that is wholly unique to trans/non-binary artists. It took me some time to adjust to everything that is being a trans woman and to feel stable and safe enough after transitioning to figure out where my life goes from here, and I’ve reached a point of clarity now that makes it clear to me that I want to spend my life doing whatever I can to lift up and increase trans visibility, because the more visible we are, and the more people see that we’re also just fucking human beings doing regular fucking human being shit, the safer we’ll all be.”

All profits from this project will go to Rainbow Railroad, a non-profit organization that helps at-risk LGTBQI+ people get to safety worldwide.

Deadline: Sunday, October 1
General submission guidelines: here

Please let us know when you send your music if you would like to perform at the Ball of Wax 70 release celebration, somewhere in King County this coming fall or winter.

  • There are no stylistic, genre, instrumental, or other restrictions on music to be submitted, just that it be made by trans and/or non-binary-identifying artists residing in Washington State.
  • If it’s a group project, not all members need to be trans/non-binary, but that identity should feel appropriate to you as a group.
  • Brand new, unreleased work is great, but recently released music is fine too.
    All artists included will be paid. (We need to do some number-crunching to figure out the exact amount, but it will be somewhere in the $50-$100 range.)

Please, please, please spread the word to artists you think we should hear from.

We look forward to hearing what you send.

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News from Ball of Wax – and submit DUOS for Volume 69!

Photo by Jam Willem Doormembal, used under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC 2.0

To celebrate the 18th year of Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly, and what I hope will be a new era of even deeper collaboration and community, I am excited to announce that we are seeking submissions for Ball of Wax Volume 69, which I am co-curating with Gail Tsai, aka DJ Tsairen.

You may have noticed this ‘quarterly’ hasn’t released a new volume since last June. After 17 years of being almost exclusively the sole curator and producer of Ball of Wax, including two pandemic years of continuing to produce four volumes a year, no matter what, I decided I needed to change approaches. I want more people to be part of this thing, not just as musicians, but helping shape what Ball of Wax is, in whatever way they might be up for. I realized I needed to pause the quarterly release schedule in order to do that, and since then I’ve realized that maybe Ball of Wax doesn’t need to come out four times a year. Maybe some years it will be two, or three, or even one. I want each volume to have a unique curatorial voice and focus, and to culminate with an engaging and inviting live event to celebrate its release. I want to try taking the time to give each release its proper due, to make each event special.

Gail has graciously agreed to collaborate with me on the curation of this volume, and has been an incredibly helpful partner in helping to figure out what the future of Ball of Wax might look like. We will both be reaching out to the community and the world to spread the word, and we will review the submissions together to come up with a final collection, which will be released at a live music extravaganza, ideally this spring, but really . . . whenever it’s time.

The theme for this volume is: Duos. There are no stylistic, genre, instrumental, or other restrictions on music to be submitted, just that it be made by two people (and that we, you know, think it rules.)

Looking for a duo partner? If you’re feeling adventurous, please let us know if you’d like to be paired with another such soul to collaborate with on a new, Ball-of-Wax-facilitated work. Let us know if you prefer remote or in-person collaboration, and, if the latter, where you’re based. We make no promises, but if this works out it could be super fun and cool!

Deadline:Saturday, April 1
Submission Guidelines: here
Please let us know when you send your music if you would like to perform at the Ball of Wax 69 release celebration.

Please spread the word! We can’t wait to hear what you submit.

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Album Review: Washed in the Sound with Black Nite Crash

Black Nite Crash – Washed in the Sound with Black Nite Crash
(Neon Sigh, October 2022)

Sam Russell & Patrick Gibbs have teamed up to discuss the latest offering from Seattle shoegaze collective Black Nite Crash, Washed in the Sound with Black Nite Crash.

Sam: First of all, I find this to be an extremely well-paced and cohesive album. I tend to listen to it front-to-back most of the time and find if I start with an individual track, I gotta hear what comes after then after that. The production and arrangements are superb and after many listens, I keep hearing new textures that open up the songs’ mood and meanings for me rather than just being impressive shoegaze bells and whistles.

My first question to you is, as a long time BNC listener, how does this album compare to past ones? Obviously the addition of Claire Tucker on this album adds a (literal) new voice and new creative contribution to the arrangements. But can you (as objectively as possible, tough I know) hear specific contrasts between BNC of days of yore and the present?

Patrick: I think that the most significant difference in the sound of this album and previous releases from Black Nite Crash is that the sound is so clean. Not just the vocals, but the guitars and drums too. It’s really exciting to hear the voice of Jim Biggs step forward and away from the wash of reverb that many earlier albums and EPs used. Similarly, the guitar contributions of Sharim Johnson (now fronting bloococoon) soar. I am certain that between Sharim, Claire, and Jim there were enough guitar pedals to supply a modest guitar shop. Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 68 Songs: Too Tired to Say Anything – “help : less”

Too Tired to Say Anything may be the only music project I know of that’s primarily a podcast. Every couple weeks its creator (I’m unclear if I’m supposed to name him or not) releases a piece of music created to aid sleep. I believe this project began in response to his own insomnia, as both a thing to do while unable to sleep and a thing that might help bring that state on. As such, the expansive, warm, narcotic sounds of “help : less” seemed the perfect way to close the audio journey that is Ball of Wax 68. It’s okay if this two and a half hour saga has taken a lot out of you. Just let this one last track play out, lie back and close your eyes – or stare at the ceiling, or see if you can read one more page in that book you’ve been working on for a few weeks – and let yourself be immersed.

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