Category Archives: Recorded Music

Album Review: Loud Springs – Trinity Blast Suite

Loud Springs – Trinity Blast Suite (2012, self-released) Loud Springs is the new project from Dean Wells, who spent much of the last decade writing, recording and eventually performing as the Capstan Shafts. Wells is a lo fi savant, channeling … Continue reading

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Old Friends with New Names

Ball of Wax‘s connections to Mark Johnson and Michael Sanchez – of Amateur Radio Operator and The Way It Is, respectively – run deep, going back to our first couple volumes (ARO made their debut on Volume 1, The Way … Continue reading

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Album Review: Meursault – Something for the Weakened

Meaursault – Something for the Weakened (2012, Song, By Toad Records) Edinburgh’s Meursault have been gaining acclaim and attention across the UK and Europe over the past few years, most notably for 2010’s outstanding All Creatures Will Make Merry. A … Continue reading

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Snowman Plan Release Minerals Saturday

It’s been far too long since you’ve heard the cerebrally strange sounds of Snowman Plan on a volume of Ball of Wax (go all the way back to the instrumental Volume 8 and dig “Your Toad Roots”), but then, they’ve … Continue reading

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Brite Lines Enter the Workshop

As Columbia City turns into the Lower East Side of Seattle, (with I guess Tacoma serving as our Brooklyn), the scene at Columbia City Theater gets more and more compelling. That’s where I found Brite Lines singer Zach Gore– enthusiastic … Continue reading

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New Music from Sun Tunnels

Although he’s been slacking something terrible on the blog front, my friend Louis has been getting back to rediscovering the fun of writing and recording music under his newish moniker Sun Tunnels, and sharing it via his fancy new Soundcloud … Continue reading

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A Good Year for Local Instrumental Vinyl: New Releases from Joy Wants Eternity and Scriptures

If you know me just through Ball of Wax, you might not realize that I’m a pretty big fan/supporter of instrumental rock music (sometimes referred to with the blanket genre term “post-rock”). I play in a droney instrumental band myself, … Continue reading

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Check Out This Song: Fen Wik Ren – “Poison Pen”

If the name Fen Wik Ren is new to you that’s no surprise. I was made aware of this new project/moniker of Ryan Barrett (Pica Beats) today via the magic of social networking. I’m not sure what the story is … Continue reading

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Big Boy Music: Fort Union Has Made the Album of the Summer for Anyone over 30

Fort Union – self-titled (2012, self-released) I thought I had the wrong album, truthfully. The opening chord pattern played on an atmospheric synth without rhythm or resolution seems like it could go forever. But somehow, it segues into an arpeggiated … Continue reading

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God’s Favorite Beefcake – Witches Bones ‘n’ Whale Skin

We’re having a hard time in Seattle right now. Yesterday was a brutal, tragic day and we lost some wonderful people. I didn’t know Drew and Joe very well, but I played a show with them at the magical Cafe … Continue reading

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