Ball of Wax 57 Songs: Pampa – “Una de Cal y una de Arena”

Seattle via Buenos Aires band Pampa returns to Ball of Wax with “Una de Cal y una de Arena” and it’s an outstanding example of the band’s elegant-yet-naturalistic guitar-driven sound. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Moon Baillie (a better band name than Pampa? methinks so) has developed a lush, flowing sound with the band, a bit like the War on Drugs sans the reverb bath or the great, unheralded Spanish band Migala with a sunnier disposition. The guitars sound crisp and the organ swirls tastefully around Baillie’s dynamic vocals, which are sung entirely in Spanish(Google translate tells me the title means “One of Cal and one of Arena” which doesn’t help me out a whole lot to grasp any lyrical content). The song cleverly builds and shimmies to a bit of a full-throat-ed crescendo in the last minute (are those horns? I think they’re horns! Horns are great, people), capping off a dreamy, flowing vibe perfect for both lazy afternoon listening and friend-filled get-together sound-tracking. Expect to hear a lot more from Pampa.