Ball of Wax 66 Songs: Virgin of the Birds – “Dreaming with the Hobgoblin”

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Levi Fuller

I think Jon Rooney/Virgin of the Birds first shared his minimalist, synthy side with us on Ball of Wax 53, with his simmering meditation “The Earth Won’t Die, We Will.” He hasn’t stopped writing erudite pop songs, but I appreciate that he’s continuing to explore and share this side of his musical psyche. “Dreaming with the Hobgoblin,” as you might imagine, conjures a dreamlike state, albeit with some dark, foreboding themes. (Maybe it’s me, but as much as I love a long, low, droning bass note, my brain is almost always going to perceive it as dark and foreboding.) Melodic and almost-percussive elements chime in here and there over the subtly-shifting low-end swell, but the mood remains static, perhaps like one of those dreams where you’re just sitting in a room looking out the window and trying to remember who you are. Despite the somber mood and simple arrangement, the piece’s six minutes go by all too quickly, and once it’s over I need more, like trying to find my way back into a dream after a premature awakening.

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Ball of Wax 66 Songs: Jason Sidney Sanford – “16 Oct. 2021_experiment 02”

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Lattney B. Jones

It would be tempting to listen to this piece as a synth workout with all of the voices set to tones one wouldn’t normally use, say “sweet jam and dig that low-end groove,” and leave it at that. However, context is (or should be) everything, and if the listener knows anything about Jason Sidney Sanford and his penchant and skill for using sculpted instruments (think “homemade” but with the end result of creating new sounds—put simply, audiovisual art), then it must be assumed that there is far more at work here than a “synth workout.”

Note first the title, which suggests that, not only was this piece composed and completed on a single date, but the recorded version is the second iteration. The key word, though, is “experiment.” I come from a scientific background, but I’ve learned to read the word in a sense more aligned with “throw ideas around and see what sticks” or “put these elements together in unconventional arrangements and see what comes out” than “formulate a hypothesis and then test it,” especially when it comes to the arts . . . but, then again, Sanford has built his career around experimentation. Considering he’s been at this for more than a couple of decades, it could be said that he knows enough about his craft to approach it via the scientific method.

Because I don’t have additional information, I’m going to assume that this piece was produced without a synth (at least, not one as we may picture it). That adds the context (not necessary to enjoy the music) that glazes the piece with an air of mystery cemented by the title. No vocals appear, either, unless they are so manipulated as to be rendered unidentifiable as human voices—can’t rule that out, either. The groove itself feels “off” (because of my ingrained Western sensibilities, i.e., expecting music to fall neatly into common meters), but only at first, repeating in such a way as to quickly lock you in with it. From there, all manner of noises pop in and out and build together until you’re not sure that what you’re hearing isn’t maybe forbidden in some circles. Regardless, art is the order of the day.

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Ball of Wax 66 Songs: THEATH / MANNING – “Skeletons and Snakes”

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Levi Fuller

Following on the heels of Disinterested’s beautifully awkward musical conversation, our old pals THEATH and Marc Manning bring us another type of sonic dialogue. “Skeletons and Snakes,” from the duo’s forthcoming project ABSTRACT HYMNS FOR TEOTIHUACAN, has similar elements of abstraction and interruption to SHALLWEORSHALLWENOTBELOVERS (what’s with all the caps these days?), but feels a bit more like a discussion, with the two players bouncing ideas off each other and responding and reacting in the moment. There are musical instruments, there are unidentifiable noises (there are probably musical instruments making unidentifiable noises), there are repeated elements and bits that pop up once and disappear forever. I don’t know who’s playing what or how, but it somehow all works. THEATH and Marc are two old friends who clearly love collaborating and making sounds together, and it shows.

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Ball of Wax 66 Songs: Disinterested – “SHALLWEORSHALLWENOTBELOVERS”

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Levi Fuller

Matthew Emerson Brown, aka Disinterested, brings us “SHALLWEORSHALLWENOTBELOVERS,” an instrumental interpretation of that awkward time when you’re connecting with someone, and would like to keep connecting with them, perhaps in a more intimate way, and you’re not quite sure whether that will ever happen.

An electric guitar begins the conversation, tentatively at first then gaining confidence, before being somewhat overwhelmed by waves of synthesizer that disappear as quickly as they arrived. The guitar continues with a series of short delay-drenched statements, and the synth comes back, softer this time, but still questing, perhaps testing the bounds of what’s appropriate. There is a pause about halfway through – perhaps the parties taking a breath, reassessing? – and the silence is broken by the synths, who have apparently decided to take control of the situation – perhaps, sick of pussyfooting around, they are asking the titular question? Alas, we never hear the guitar’s response.

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Ball of Wax 66 Songs: oddkinn – “Lily”

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Levi Fuller

This track from oddkinn – a project which has at least some overlap with our newish Arizonan pals Sceneries, Placements, who have appeared on every single volume since 61 – is, as the kids say, a mood. (Are the kids even saying that any more? Probably not, since I am now aware of it.)

Piano, reverb-drenched guitar, and less identifiable swoony, droney sounds transport us into a dream. A soft, husky voice arrives to guide us through, but his words are unclear. Is he inviting us, warning us, or luring us into a trap? Before we can quite latch onto the meaning of it all, the light ekes through the blinds and wakes us up, one last droning note still ringing in our ears.

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Ball of Wax 66 Songs: J.R. Rhodes featuring Lori Goldston – “Libba”

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Levi Fuller

As if I weren’t already grateful enough to J.R. Rhodes for bringing her own beautiful music into the world, and for being her own wonderful self, I am doubly grateful today, as she has brought my attention to Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten, the subject of this song and someone I really should have been aware of before now. I’m sure you already know all about her, so I won’t embarrass us all by attempting a primer here, but if you don’t, do a little googling and a lot of listening – but not before feasting your ears on J.R.’s tune.

Despite being a song about a brilliant and groundbreaking guitarist, and despite J.R.’s own ample skills on that instrument, “Libba” is performed solely by voice and cello, with J.R. joined by another local treasure, Lori Goldston. “Left is right, right is left,” J.R. sings. “Up is down, down is up. . . . Libba turned it around.” In the most literal sense, these words could be about the unique way Libba played her guitar (which breaks my brain just to watch), but of course it’s about so much more than that, it’s about overcoming the odds, facing your fears, taking on the world with the tools at your disposal and making it your own. The tune is simple, soulful, brimming with hope and yearning, and beautifully rendered by two consummate artists. In short, it’s exactly what I need right now. Maybe it’s what you need too.

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Ball of Wax 66 Songs: Oh Yeah, the Future – “Lastime”

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Levi Fuller

This is the third time in as many volumes that our new friend Sebastian A. Bach has shown up on Ball of Wax, and the third moniker under which he’s appeared. With this volume, his actual band Oh Yeah, the Future makes their first BoW appearance, and I hope it’s not the last. “Lastime” again features Sebastian‘s – I mean, Bubba’s – eminently enjoyable vocal stylings, this time over a shuffling, jazzy arrangement that goes down easy. It’s smooth and it’s jazzy, but not smooth jazz, if you know what I mean. The lyrics seem to be a meditation on – and apology for – aging, addressed to a partner in what appears to be a fraught long-term relationship. With no lyrical refrain or chorus, there’s a lot packed into these two and a half minutes, but it all flows seamlessly, and rewards repeat listens as you try to figure out what, exactly, is going on here. I’m still not sure, to be honest, but I also don’t mind giving “Lastime” one more spin to try and figure it out.

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Ball of Wax 66 Songs: Karaoke Hottiez – “High & Wide”

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Jimmy Pitts

As recently as 2019, rumors were circling the Blog of Wax community that Matty P had officially retired his much-maligned Karaoke Hottiez moniker. Well wax-heads, I’m pleased to announce that reports of the Hottiez’ demise were greatly exaggerated. Really, who cares if this is the worst band name you’ve ever heard? The human race has reached escape velocity for band names. New groups choose their name like people choose their online password: one capital letter, one symbol, and no fewer than eight characters. At least it isn’t a pun.

You know you’re getting old when the definitions of genres you grew up with change before your eyes. I’ve witnessed pop-punk morph into SoundCloud rap while lo-fi has become an acid-jazz-trip-hop amalgamation. I’m not mad per se, but it sure makes it hard to have a conversation – unless it’s just me yelling at the clouds. Damn kids. That’s why “High & Wide” hits such a sonic nostalgia for me, buzzing with a traditional layer of lo-fi 4-track tape hiss and causing the listener to hear things that aren’t even there. Much like that old trope of New York City as a character in the movies, here the 4-Track becomes an instrument.

I hear “High & Wide” as a lo-fi tootsie pop, with a rewardingly muddy center of acoustic guitar covered in a candy-coated shell of a treble-heavy organ. It’s a democratically run palette, one that eschews modern compression techniques to allow the instruments to fill up the sonic space wherever they’ll fit. This charming aesthetic is accentuated by The Hottiez’ waltz-time rhythm, one that lulls us deep into a groove only to shake us with a chorus that adds an extra beat. This songwriting device, at once subtle and challenging, shows the strength of Matty P’s writing.

Whether you’re a basic hottie that lovez karaoke or a fan of Dr. Dog’s scrappier early recordings, you’ll want to start an impromptu public slow dance with “High & Wide.”

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Ball of Wax 66 Songs: Arthur C. Lee – “Glassy Eyes”

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Levi Fuller

Arthur C. Lee‘s “Glassy Eyes,” like the track that comes before it on this volume of Ball of Wax, is an upbeat pop song that balances its musical sweetness with darker lyrical content. The music is less of a straight-up party than “I Started a Fire,” but it’s still catchy as hell, and if you didn’t focus on the lyrics you might think it was just another winsome love song. However, here Arthur sings from the point of view of someone watching a loved one head down a dark path in life, unable to offer them the help they need. As the parent of a young child, it’s particularly poignant. Will we ever come to that point, where “it’s been so long since I’ve seen a smile,” and all I can do is offer my physical presence and hope for the best? When the little-kid hugs and kisses and giggles go away, will they be replaced with normal teen broodiness, or something more serious, something scarier? Either way, “Glassy Eyes” is a good reminder to get those hugs in while I can, and hope for the best.

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Ball of Wax 66 Songs: Territory & Hombre – “I Started a Fire”

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Levi Fuller

The reclusive, polymathic desert pop genius behind Territory & Hombre has returned to the Ball of Wax fold with the relentlessly delightful “I Started a Fire.” It starts with a short vocal loop, an inscrutable second of muffled speech that becomes the rhythmic base for a head-bobbing groove of bass and drum machine, soon joined by banjo and guitar. Vocals trade fours with more found audio pastiche, and then the chorus! “Oooh, I just want to be alone right now,” he sings, and then something about being too sexy that I just can’t quite catch, and there’s this sweet little melodic synth line that keeps it all bouncing along.

The lyrics provide an introspective counterpoint to the music’s peppy drive, as one might expect from a reclusive, polymathic desert pop genius. There’s a lot of solitude, walking at night, and, of course, starting fires. But then there’s that sexiness! Too much of it, even! I don’t know, man, I just love this song, and if you don’t you’re clearly on the wrong blog. Word is this track is part of an actual full-length coming . . . eventually. So keep refreshing that Bandcamp page.

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