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Author Archives: Patrick J Gibbs
Ball of Wax 68 Songs: The Luna Moth – “Lamb”
Years ago at the graduation celebration of a friend’s daughter, I stood over a fire grilling salmon and chatting with the recent graduate’s father. He was from Greece and curious about how to cook salmon over a grill. I thought … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 67 Songs: bequiet – “Где я?”
bequiet is Almaz Salikhov, a Russian music producer and artist living in Helsinki, Finland. He was one of over 100 musicians whose work appeared as part of TELEPHONE, the global online art game of whisper down the lane. A sampling … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 67 Songs: Drekka – “Without Revelation There Is No Love [Instrumental]”
In 1989’s Origins of the Popular Style: The Antecedents of Twentieth-Century Popular Music, Peter van der Merwe wrote “Of all harmonic devices, it [a drone] is not only the simplest, but probably also the most fertile.” Drekka’s “Without Revelation There … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 67 Songs: Sun Tunnels – “Assad”
In 1972, paleontologists Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould published a paper developing a new evolutionary theory called punctuated equilibria, suggesting that the constant, gradual evolution proposed by Charles Darwin rarely occurs in nature. Instead, they stated that periods of … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Bands You Should Know, Check Out This Song
Tagged louis o'callaghan, sun tunnels
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Ball of Wax 67 Songs: Spinster – “Wait Alone”
Though you bear the weight alone You are not alone Like a well-crafted short poem, Spinster’s “Wait Alone” expresses so much within its brief form. Twice repeated lines echo against somber, lo-fi instrumentation then fade out. An undefined isolation folds … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 63 Songs: Amanda Winterhalter and Rebecca Young – “The Bump Room in L.A.”
Before listening to Amanda Winterhalter & Rebecca Young’s “The Bump Room in L.A.,” my favorite Prince-inspired song was Bill Callahan/Smog’s “Prince Alone in the Studio.” Originally written for The Bushwick Book Club Seattle’s January 2021 showcase featuring songs inspired by … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song
Tagged Amanda Winterhalter, Prince, Rebecca Young
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Ball of Wax 63 Songs: NIGHT of 21 HOURS – “Flight Risk”
The origin of NIGHT of 21 HOURS is written on their Bandcamp page: By the winter of 2020, approximately 9 months of COVID related isolation had started to wear on me. That’s when this started. The credits on ISOLATION, their … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 63 Songs: Bike Monday – “The Snow”
Do you believe in love at first sight? Do you believe in love at first sight when it comes to a song? I do. Listeners of vinyl records are aware that certain songs will grab you simply by the way … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 61 Songs: Kevin Suggs – “The Cuts”
Did you ever wonder what the world would be like today if ’50s sock hop music had been as interested in environmental stewardship as it was in where, oh where, could one’s baby be? Okay, neither had I until listening … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 61 Songs: Simon Henneman and Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy Duo – “Pysht”
Ready? Set? Go. Go. Go! “Pysht,” by the Simon Henneman and Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy Duo, is a frantic guitar and drum dash across a million guitar notes and at least as many rasps of percussion. The track begins in the realm … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song
Tagged Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy, Simon Henneman
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