Surprise! Ball of Wax 61 is out! We decided to release first and post track reviews later, since everything is topsy-turvy in these times anyway. (Stay tuned for a release show announcement, too!)
Chris Klepac – previously heard in these parts as half of Stereo Sons – has left Seattle but returned to the Ball of Wax fold, with this perfect album-opener, “Corner.” Chris, along with Stereo Sons collaborator Mike O’Doherty and bass genius/longtime Ball of Wax Friend Carlos Tulloss, starts us off with a head-bobbing drum/bass/keys groove, punctuated with languid guitar melodies. Most of the songs on Ball of Wax 61 were created during these strange times we find ourselves in, and reflect that in some way. I don’t know if that’s the case with this one, but the lyrics do resonate. Lines like “Still a damn sight better than just waiting ’round here to die / all that wishing and hoping,” and “made it through the morning / could have been much worse” certainly speak to me particularly clearly right now. But at any time, this is just a damn fine piece of music, beautifully written, arranged, performed, and produced.
And I have to take a moment here to call out bass treasure Carlos Tulloss. The way the steady, finger-plucked eighth-note groove of the verse opens up into the half-time chorus part, Carlos’s fingers effortlessly – but not showily – flying up and down the fingerboard, counterpointing low drones with high chords and melodies, just gives me a warm, happy feeling. Carlos Tulloss for President of Basslandia!