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Author Archives: Jon Rooney
Ball of Wax 43 Songs: Darryl Blood – Mint
Longtime Ball of Wax contributor Darryl Blood returns with “Mint,” a big, classic rock-y number punctuated by some nifty lead guitar lines. The lyrics, which culminate in the chorus “don’t come to my defense unless you’re mint,” are a bit … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 43 Songs: The Foghorns – Like an Old Trans Am
Ball of Wax staples the Foghorns return with “Like an Old Trans Am,” a track off their upcoming LP, a companion to last year’s The Sun’s Gotta Shine. “Trans Am” is the Foghorns at their most wistful, defeated and wise. … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 43 Songs: Fen Wik Ren – Witch in the Grass
Fen Wik Ren is the latest musical moniker of now-Portland-based R. Ren (known to some of us as Ryan) Barrett, who not too long ago led the well-regarded Seattle-based band The Pica Beats. “Witch in the Grass” is a throbbing, … Continue reading
Album Review: Aaron Semer – Love Amidst Collapse
Aaron Semer – Love Amidst Collapse (2015, Knick Knack Records) Seattle songwriter Aaron Semer describes his debut Love Amidst Collapse as “a campfire at the end of time.” The songs on Love Amidst Collapse are both familiarly rustic and oddly … Continue reading
Posted in Album Reviews, Bands You Should Know
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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: 3844 – The Meaning of Life
3844 is, in fact, Mr. Christopher Hydinger, whose songs as the Music of Grayface have appeared on Ball of Waxes going back years. As I’ve written elsewhere, the Music of Grayface’s “Averybriefstory” was the highlight of an extremely strong Volume 5 for … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song
Tagged 3844, Christopher Hydinger, the meaning of life
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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: LEGEND OF SKELL – The Meaning of Life
LEGEND OF SKELL’s take on the meaning of life is the most metal thing I can remember hearing on any Ball of Wax; it’s eight-plus minutes of thundering awesomeness – a welcome breath of molten air. First, who – or … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song
Tagged Jason Goessl, LEGEND OF SKELL, the meaning of life
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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Levi Fuller – The Meaning of Life
Levi Fuller‘s “The Meaning of Life” bucks the Volume 42 trend of largely unintelligible vocals or abstract lyrics, presenting a straightforward narrative about finding books at Elliott Bay and movies at Scarecrow Video before stepping through the process of trying to sit … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Eggshells – De Betekenis Van Het Leven
Eggshells‘ take on the meaning of life comes to us in Dutch as “De Betekenis Van Het Leven.” Why Dutch? I don’t know – perhaps it’s a broad nod to masters like Rembrandt or Vermeer or the late century Noise … Continue reading
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Tagged eggshells, peter verdoes, the meaning of life
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Ball of Wax 42 Songs: Mark Schlipper – The Meaning of Life
The Luna Moth‘s Mark Schlipper returns to Ball of Wax as a solo artist with his take on “The Meaning of Life.” The song is an exercise in somber minimalism, with a repeating minor key figure played on an acoustic … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 42 Songs: The Foghorns – The Meaning of Life
For “The Meaning of Life,” the Foghorns have assumed their most unassuming permutation – just Bart Cameron, his voice and an acoustic guitar. The result is, not surprisingly, stark, moving, and foreboding in a Midwestern Old Testament kind of way. … Continue reading