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Category Archives: Recorded Music
Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Al Mustaqil – المستقلة – الحرية بين أشجار الزيتون
One thing I treasure about this series – and a reason I keep doing it, 14 years in now – is the new artists I’ve been exposed to from all over the world, who seem to think this thing is … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song
Tagged Ahed Tamimi, Al Mustaqil, Jacopo Andreini
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Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Breichiau Hir – “Portread O Ddyn Yn Bwyta Ei Hun”
I don’t speak Welsh (sad, considering my surname), but listening to Breichiau Hir makes me wish I did. As far as I can understand from Google Translate—and I’m embarrassed even to admit that I resorted to that—the title of this … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Levi Fuller & the Library – “News to Me”
“News to Me” hits a lot of aural touchstones in the “best of my favorite acts” catalog that I keep tucked safely in my head, but I’m going to go against my own style and avoid mentioning them because I … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 53 Songs: Tom Dyer – “Everything in the World Is Returning to a State of Nature”
This collection of songs about the environment closes with this strange, sad, beautiful, fatalistic yet oddly hopeful(?) piece from Tom Dyer. Tom and fellow iconoclast Jim of Seattle (whom you might remember from BoW 32) have created a unique musical … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 53 Songs: KPH – “Been to the Future”
There are many obstacles the environmental movement needs to overcome in order to achieve any part of its mission, but a serious one to contend with is defeatism, or cynicism. Just as bad as pretending that everything is fine is … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 53 Songs: Colin Ernst – “I Have a Friend”
The lyrics of Colin Ernst’s “I Have a Friend” aren’t as literally connected to environmental catastrophe as some of the songs here, but in context it all makes sense. The song is a jaunty retelling of the Icarus myth, which … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 53 Songs: Danbert Nobacon and the Axis of Dissent – “To Be or Not to Be”
It is time in our track sequence to pivot from the subtle and gauzy to the strident and righteous, in the form of Danbert Nobacon and his Axis of Dissent. “To Be or Not to Be” is the second track … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Bands You Should Know, Check Out This Song
Tagged Danbert Nobacon
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Ball of Wax 53 Songs: James Kelly Pitts – “Answers”
I think, in the songs of James Kelly Pitts and Poor Neighbors, I have discovered a new genre: soothing songs about climate apocalypse. “Answers” is a slow, gentle song that builds gradually, anchored by a quarter-note kick drum; whole-note bass; … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 53 Songs: Poor Neighbors – “Tolle”
It isn’t often that I come across new music with such an overwhelming pull of nostalgia that I am compelled to stop what I am doing, find a quiet place, and consume it with an openness and willingness that only … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Bands You Should Know, Check Out This Song
Tagged joshua morrison, poor neighbors
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Ball of Wax 53 Songs: Ketamine Cat – “Global Warming fuckfuckfuck”
I have listened to Ketamine Cat’s “Love Songs” several times this week. At the close of each listen, I am left to scratch my head and wonder why I didn’t know this artist prior to the new Ball of Wax. … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song, Free Album of the Day
Tagged Ketamine Cat
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