Volume 55 of Ball of Wax storms the gates with Town Forest’s energetic revision of the opener from their 2014 EP, One Day After the First Half Moon. Where the original live-recording was all raunch and skronk (and I’ll be the first to sing the praises of crunchy lo-fi recordings), the new version is no less powerful and emphatic for its sheen and sonic clarity, and Mark Johnson’s voice seems to have acquired new powers of plaintive angst, sliding his syllabic notes like a crooner caught in a bear trap (this is a compliment, I assure you). If anything, Town Forest have given the song exactly the update needed for these times—new weapons to fight new enemies.
The great horror of these new enemies is that they walk among us—that, while many wear emblems or accessories that clearly identify them as “the opposition” (to what, though? No, we won’t go into that here), they are to a large degree our neighbors, our friends, our loved ones. Johnson shows his understanding of the implications of this with the declaration, “show us what you’re made of,” both meanings of the phrase more poignant than ever.
Sonically and thematically, the band cast an ominous atmosphere with “Crowns,” every phrase dripping with imminent action, the guitar riffs and bass runs serving to bring the flashpoint—the first shot of the war—excruciatingly nearer, almost lending the illusion of acceleration to the insistent beat. On a compilation regarding borders in this time of building walls and burning bridges, Town Forest deliver a fierce call to arms and help set the stage for what’s coming if we don’t get our heads and hearts straight.
Don’t miss Town Forest’s set at the Ball of Wax 55 release show, March 15th at Woodland Theater.