Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Andrew Daniels – “Anywhere, Right Now”

In keeping with these everything-turned-upside-down times, I’m going to be uncharacteristically brief. Tucked safely away on Ball of Wax 54 is a 4-minute nugget of self-loathing and -pity, sprinkled with angst and wrapped in sonic fragility. Andrew Daniels (aka Brendon Helgason, with Steven Andrea)’s “Anywhere, Right Now” is one of the most unassuming tracks I’ve ever heard on any sort of compilation; just the tone and timbre of the “I’m going to cash it in the moment this song ends” vocals makes one wonder if the very act of offering the track up for inclusion caused heart-wrenching despair and anxiety for the artist. Sound overly melodramatic? If so, then I’m selling Brendon’s work short and doing him a disservice. Let me state, in all sincerity, that “Anywhere, Right Now” conveys—from its broken words to its aural accoutrements—a depth of humility and pain that most “sad bastard” (I assure you, this is a compliment—I f*&$%ng LOVE this kind of music!) artists can only cry about. If Daniels’s lyrics and delivery don’t take you to an emotional place both damaged and familiar, then you don’t deserve to be listening to music.
I suggest listening with headphones for auditory bonuses galore, such as mourning synths, half-buried effects, ethereal backing vocals, gentle rimshots, and WHISTLING.