Ball of Wax 39 Songs: Virgin of the Birds – In the ’90s

Our old friend Jon Rooney takes a bit of a left turn with this newest Virgin of the Birds track, which fits very nicely in the electro-chill section of Volume 39 in which we find ourselves. Not unlike the Harvey Girls track Jon just reviewed, “In the ’90s” has a hazy, languid feel, although instead of the sadness that seeps through that track, we have pure, unadulterated nostalgia (which is maybe a form of sadness? discuss). There is something about the decade in which one entered one’s twenties that has an undeniable pull on a person. Since Jon and I share that decade, this track speaks to me without the need of translation, though for some of you it might be the ’70s, or the ’00s, or even the very teens we currently occupy. That decade can feel like a place, which is what Jon turns it into here, a place we wander in search of lost loves, friends, and name-brand outer garments. “In the ’90s,” he sings, “you were gold.” Weren’t we all?