Monthly Archives: November 2015

Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Levi Fuller – The Meaning of Life

Levi Fuller‘s “The Meaning of Life” bucks the Volume 42 trend of largely unintelligible vocals or abstract lyrics, presenting a straightforward narrative about finding books at Elliott Bay and movies at Scarecrow Video before stepping through the process of trying to sit … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Virgin of the Birds – The Meaning of Life

In this season of thankfulness, I would like to take a moment to declare my gratitude for the existence of Jon Rooney/Virgin of the Birds. Since his first appearance way back on Volume 5, he’s been one of the most … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Eggshells – De Betekenis Van Het Leven

Eggshells‘ take on the meaning of life comes to us in Dutch as “De Betekenis Van Het Leven.” Why Dutch? I don’t know – perhaps it’s a broad nod to masters like Rembrandt or Vermeer or the late century Noise … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Mark Schlipper – The Meaning of Life

The Luna Moth‘s Mark Schlipper returns to Ball of Wax as a solo artist with his take on “The Meaning of Life.” The song  is an exercise in somber minimalism, with a repeating minor key figure played on an acoustic … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Darryl Blood – The Meaning of Life

Darryl Blood‘s “The Meaning of Life” is the first of only a couple instrumental submissions to this volume, and it’s a gorgeous bit of composition via audio manipulation. Darryl has departed from his usual singer-songwriter/power-popper fare to deliver an electroacoustic … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Rob Anderson – The Meaning of Life

You might not know it from the full sound of this delightfully orchestrated recording, but this is actually a solo track from Rob Anderson, most known around these parts for his work leading the kitchen-sink indie-folk-rock outfit Day Laborers and … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Seth Howard – The Meaning of Life

One benefit of convening our giant group of 40 BoW alumni for Ball of Wax 40 was bringing a number of people back into the fold who’d been quiet for a while. People like Seth Howard, who’s been part of … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Travis Champ – The Meaning of Life

Jon Rooney’s favorite frontier surrealist Travis Champ is back, and his take on “The Meaning of Life” doubles down on the surrealism – which makes sense, since it was inspired by a dream he had about listening to the lost … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: The Foghorns – The Meaning of Life

For “The Meaning of Life,” the Foghorns have assumed their most unassuming permutation – just Bart Cameron, his voice and an acoustic guitar.  The result is, not surprisingly, stark, moving, and foreboding in a Midwestern Old Testament kind of way. … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Louis O’Callaghan – The Meaning of Life

Whether as the Graze or Sun Tunnels or even the long-lost Indie Rooney, Louis O’Callaghan has been one of my favorite Ball of Waxers over the years, an unheralded and often unmatched creative figure in a town stuffed to the … Continue reading

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