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Author Archives: Jon Rooney
Ball of Wax 39 Songs: Soft Blows – Landine
Soft Blows‘ “Landine” opens with a decidedly disco drum part, which makes sense because, for a little over 3 minutes, the song lays down a sweaty, dance-y groove in the tradition of rock bands seemingly inspired by Prince to get funky, … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 39 Songs: season of strangers – Yellow Moon
season of strangers‘ “Yellow Moon” is a brief burst of retro indie rock, recalling at times both the crooked fuzz of Archers of Loaf and Superchunk and the flanger pedal-drenched dreaminess of Cocteau Twins and the Cure. High-pitched voices lay low in the … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 39 Songs: Sean Kiely – This Might Be True
New Jersey’s Sean Kiely is a newcomer to Ball of Wax, making his first contribution with “This Might Be True.” “This Might Be True” begins with voice and acoustic guitar looping through a melodic figure which largely drives the song. … Continue reading
Album Review: Levi Fuller and the Library – The Wonders That There Are
Levi Fuller and the Library – The Wonders That There Are (self-released, 2014) The Wonders That There Are is the first LP Levi Fuller has made with his new-ish band the Library and his fourth overall. Like last year’s Social … Continue reading
Posted in Album Reviews, Bands You Should Know, Recorded Music
Tagged levi fuller and the library
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Ball of Wax 38 Songs of Protest: Levi Fuller & the Library – “I Won’t Go to Mexico”
Levi and his Library declare “I Won’t Go to Mexico,” a song set in the Mexican-American War and told from the perspective of a defiant potential conscript who decries “I have no wish to participate / in such glorious butcheries” … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 38 Songs of Protest: Emory Liu – “Plastic Future”
Veteran Ball of Wax contributor Emory Liu offers up “Plastic Future” for volume 38, a song protesting how mass commercialization alienates and anesthetizes people. The song opens with the lines “this plastic future / a fixture of vultures / keeping your head … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 38 Songs of Protest: Robert Deeble – “Not on Your Team”
Robert Deeble‘s “Not on Your Team” is a stately, elegant pop song in protest of the Mars Hill church, an emo evangelist institution that’s enjoyed more than it’s share of bad press. As a Papist transcendentalist myself, I find it … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song
Tagged mars hill church, protest songs, robert deeble
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Ball of Wax 38 Songs of Protest: The Harvey Girls – “Cool, Free Water”
Portland’s the Harvey Girls make their first contribution to Ball of Wax with “Cool, Free Water,” a noisy, scratchy collage of sound that declares the seemingly self-evident human right for free access to clean drinking water. Vocal soundbites decrying the … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song
Tagged protest songs, the harvey girls, water rights
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Ball of Wax 38 Songs of Protest: The Foghorns – “Sons and Daughters of the Molly Maguires”
Ball of Wax mainstays the Foghorns gift us all another gem with “Sons and Daughters of the Molly Maguires,” a seething, smart foray into our largely-forgotten history of labor strife and largely-suppressed tradition of class struggle. The Foghorns do righteous … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song
Tagged labor, molly maguires, protest songs, the foghorns
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Ball of Wax 38 Songs of Protest: Darryl Blood – “Gimme Some Soul”
Daryl Blood employs Bob Dylan’s cascade of words technique from “Subterranean Homesick Blues” for the verses of “Gimme Some Soul,” a song that seems to vent frustrations about the music industry (or what Adorno would call the culture industry – … Continue reading