Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Syrinx Effect – “Super Soaker”

Syrinx Effect is the duo of soprano saxophonist Kate Olson and trombonist Naomi Siegel, along with a handful of pedals, a laptop, and some other sound toys. As on Kate’s solo contribution to Ball of Wax 50, the pair use looping technology – and the ranges of their instruments – to great effect, turning their duo into a quartet or sextet with ease, creating intertwining layers of bass and melody, along with added percussive elements. The result ranges from beautiful, elegiac, stripped-down pieces to New Orleans-inspired romps to funk-jazz jams. “Super Soaker,” one of the more upbeat tracks on their new album A Sky You Could Strike a Match On, features an electronic beat to hold the groove down and flesh out the arrangement, giving Naomi and Kate plenty of room to stretch out and play around. I don’t know about you, but “Super Soaker” makes me want to hire these guys to play my next party. (Not that I ever actually have parties, or could afford to pay anyone to play at them, but you get the idea.) It’s certainly a nice shift from the dark direction we’ve been heading in so far on this volume, and serves as a great introduction to an impressive pair of musicians.