Ball of Wax 57 Songs: Goodmorning Valentine – “My Little Valentine”

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Patrick J Gibbs

Joey Beltram returns to Ball of Wax after contributions to Quarterlies 35, 36, and 39. Beltram, performing as Goodmorning Valentine, delivers a pared down perfect duet in “My Little Valentine.”

A gentle walking folk melody played on acoustic guitar sets the tone of the song across its opening bars. Beltram’s Cotten picking is joined by his warm, evocative baritone. There is a gravel to his voice which suggests a quiet strength of experience while at the same time
hinting towards a deep vulnerability. My, my how the song develops over a few short turns of the guitar’s melody. Beltram’s vocals are soon coupled mid-sentence with those of a female companion. He sings, “You came out of blank space saying that a good change is what I need.” They sing, “I knew you’d find your way through.” Here the fragility of character that had been implied in Beltram’s voice is exposed. His phrases diminish as they near completion, and his words fall unfinished. The singer is a broken man. With such tenderness his partner is there to lift him up and support him. Her voice rises as
his falls. She gently and lovingly completes his words. As his voice falters, hers increases in confidence and strength.

The interplay of the two voices is beautiful and central to “My Little Valentine.” They complement each other in every way. I am reminded of Gram Parsons and Crystal Gayle, or perhaps Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush in “Don’t Give Up.” Without her voice, the singer is lost. With her they can find her way through. With her the song is perfect.

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 57 Songs: Tekla Waterfield – “Morpheus”

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Lattney B. Jones

It’s always a thrill to hear the unconventional employed in the service of an otherwise-gentle arrangement. I’m not referring to the samples of children at play on Tekla Waterfield’s “Morpheus,” (although, as found sounds go, they are a delight—who can deny the sonorous beauty in the voice of a happy child?), but the buzz that pops up now and again, running through parts of verse, chorus, and break. It’s somewhere between studio hum and slowed sitar, between a guitar string vibrating against a fingernail and the sounds of the spheres with a ton of gain, and it’s used to wonderful effect—never overpowering, never overstaying its welcome, and used to enhance Ms. Waterfield’s gorgeous voice and guitar in a subtractive way by being dropped from the mix at key moments.

Without the audio color of the buzz, this would still be a stunning song. Lilting along on a barely-there strum, strings fingerpicked fully conscious of the others still asleep in the house, finger-bongo and heartbeat percussion, and the softest bass I’ve heard, “Morpheus” does everything in its power to seduce the listener into a drifting, drowsy state—even Waterfield’s lyrics suggest a slow-motion fall into the ether of dreamtime or a bottomless cloud. So sure is she of her abilities that she coyly dares to place a few crescendos in the arrangement, one following the song’s sparest moment, knowing that once the listener has been entranced, they won’t be waking until she’s ready for them to do so.

I’m a bit of a word nerd, so I would be failing myself and my likeminded readers if I didn’t point out the beauty of the connection between title and composition: Morpheus is the son of the personification of sleep (“Hypnos” to the Greeks, “Somnus” to the Romans, “Exhaustion” to the rest of us) who, along with his thousand brothers, make up the characters, flora and fauna, objects and structures, and landscapes—the very fabric—of our dreams. From his name was derived that of the opiate/wonder-drug morphine. Let that sink in as you listen and let Tekla Waterfield guide you into a peaceful place.

Don’t miss your chance to experience this and other Tekla tunes live in person at the Ball of Wax 57 release show, September 14th at the Blue Moon!

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 57 Songs: Holly and the Dead Saints – “Journey into Death”

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Levi Fuller

Grumpy Bear side project Holly and the Dead Saints – which I believe is primarily, if not entirely, our old pal Lattney B – returns with the uplifting pop-dirge “Journey into Death.” Lattney makes good use of the classic lo-fi tools of simple percussion and layers of acoustic guitars and vocals on this short and surprisingly sweet tune, which starts with a quick summary of the listener’s current status (beginning your journey into death). Within 40 seconds most of the lyrics have been sung, and for the remainder, Lattney repeatedly enjoins us to “remember” in straightforward, somewhat ominous bass tones, while continually adding layers of falsetto harmonies, creating a rich and soothing musical blanket from what started as a rather stern and foreboding shroud of a song. I’m not sure what it is I’m supposed to remember – especially once I’ve died – but I will certainly do my best. If nothing else, I know I’ll remember this song.

As a side note, I happen to be currently reading the novel Lincoln in the Bardo, by the brilliant George Saunders, and I find this song to have a lot of resonances with it. Of course, when you’re immersed in a novel, everything resonates with it a bit, but Lincoln in the Bardo is very much about death and memory (and the memories of the dead), to the extent that I almost wonder if Lattney was also reading it when he wrote this song. Probably not, but he should. And so should you, for that matter.

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 57 Songs: Medejin – “World’s Fair”

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Levi Fuller

Our new friends Medejin are back with their new single “World’s Fair,” which they’ve graciously allowed us to include on Ball of Wax 57. Where their previous contribution, “Untitled 4,” was slow and contemplative, with lots of empty space and an intimate, bedroom-produced feel, “World’s Fair” starts off with a propulsive beat, and the full band (two guitars, bass, and drums) keeps the energy up through the whole song. The key elements of Medejin’s sound – Jenn Taranto’s clear, shining voice and sparkling guitar work – remain, with more and more layers of vocals swirling around each other as the song builds to a powerful close. It’s a beautiful thing to witness the evolution of this band’s sound in such a short stretch of time. I can’t wait to hear where they go next – but for now I’ll just hit play on “World’s Fair” one more time.

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 57 Songs: Bear Clouds – “With Us”

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Lattney B. Jones

There is very little music that has come out of my region of the country that has inspired me to proudly wear its influence on my sleeve or to incorporate its touchstones into my own style, so it’s difficult for me to know kinship with “the locals.” Portland’s Bear Clouds offer a bit of praise and acknowledgment to the PNW on their home page, and when I listen to their music, I understand what that local kinship must feel like.

Bear Clouds’ contribution to Ball of Wax 57, “With Us,” is full of declarations, from its firm and fulgent post-rock bassline to the straight-and-steady percussion that doubles down at the midpoint to the excellently-delayed guitar bits to Larren Wolford’s perfectly plaintive croon matter-of-factly describing a bit of a mess before asking, half-hopefully and half-knowingly, “there’s nothing wrong with us, is there?”

Or is he asking? In the same way the music carrying “With Us” resonates with my desire for regional pride, Wolford’s one-sided dialogue resonates a little too strongly with my own experiences navigating the treacheries of humans in a relationship being humans in a relationship. And so I stand by my claim: despite ending with a request for confirmation, “there’s nothing wrong with us” is meant as a statement. Half-hoping, half-knowing, but a statement nonetheless. In the same way Bear Clouds’ kick-ass rhythm section declares itself in every beat, Wolford’s narrator seeks to affirm through sheer will and audible evocation.

Don’t believe me? Just listen to the phrase’s last appearance in the song (provided you can shake yourself free from the sheer emotion of Wolford’s wail). There it is.

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 57 Songs: Bodies on the Beach – “Coaster”

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Jon Rooney

Bodies on the Beach is a project from Planes On Paper‘s Navid Eliot, and “Coaster” is a dreamy, reverb-drenched slice of summertime indie pop. It’s a bouncy, well-structured and well-executed song; from the jangly, finger-picked electric guitars that suggest a decidedly Americana vibe to the chugging change-up on the bridge, “Coaster” feels fully formed and wholly realized. Eliot’s classically nasal indie-rock tenor sounds great on the track, which would feel at home on any well-curated road trip or hip BBQ playlist. If KEXP isn’t already all over this song, they’re nuts.

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 57 Songs: Sex Hogs – “Bricks”

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Levi Fuller

Our newest volume starts off with an appropriately summery track from Northern California trio Sex Hogs. “Bricks” is warm and breezy, like a perfect sunny day, with just enough grit to remind you you’ve been sitting in the sand all afternoon. And, just like most summer days – and summer itself – it’s over before you’re ready. I appreciate the band’s unusual arrangement for what could easily be a typical verse/chorus tune, with the verse and chorus using the same chords (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Instead, the first verse brings us a pre-chorus to build up to the low-key, but catchy chorus, and instead of a second verse we get a full-on harmonica solo over the pre-chorus. But wait! There’s still a bridge coming! For a stripped-down group playing relatively straightforward rock music, Sex Hogs have a way of keeping one guessing.

Now, about that name. Look, it’s 2019, and naming bands is hard. All I’ll say is, now that our friend Matty P has retired the name Karaoke Hottiez, maybe Jon can now have a new favorite band name to hate. So thank you, Sex Hogs!

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 57: 9/14 at the Blue Moon!

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Levi Fuller

Poster by Jon Rooney

Ball of Wax 57 Release Show
with Tekla Waterfield, The Foghorns, Cowboy Cold, and Colin Ernst
Saturday, September 14th
The Blue Moon Tavern, 712 NE 45th St.
$8 / Ball of Wax 57 CD included with entry

Ah yes, it’s almost the end of the summer, so you know it’s just about time for the summer volume of Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly! This one is chock-full of good music, and we’re excited to celebrate with old and new friends (including Cowboy Cold, all the way from Lubbock, Texas!) at the Blue Moon on Saturday the 14th. We’ll be rolling out the tracks here on the Blog of Wax starting today, so stay tuned!

Posted in Ball of Wax | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Album Review: Grumpy Bear’s Yield EP: Community Art from the Internet

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Bart Cameron

Grumpy Bear - Yield EP coverGrumpy Bear -Yield EP
(2019, self-released)

A little more than 15 years ago, I met someone who got something positive out of this thing called the Internet. His name is Þórir, and he’s from a small town in Northern Iceland called Husavik, and when I met him he was a teenager. He knew more about American music, or at least the music I was curious about, bands like Moldy Peaches, Silver Jews, The Brian Jonestown Massacre (which don’t seem to have anything in common, but I feel all are appealing for people used to being nowhere), than anyone I’d met, and he told me he discovered this stuff on the Internet. He traded ideas, learned about ways of expression, etc.

Such a promising future wasted. Not for Þórir. He’s still going. Check out thorirgeorg.bandcamp.com. His material is fantastic.

The Internet has of course been wasted, as has civilization and the notion of communication in general. Continue reading →

Posted in Album Reviews, Bands You Should Know, Community | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 56 Songs: Disinterested – “Sunlightwater”

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Lattney B. Jones

You know that dream you have every six years or so in which you’re standing at the edge of the world, surveying all that man hath wrought and not in the sense that we accomplished great things but in the sense that we ruined everything we had including each other, and you’re staring out across the slowly-changing dream topography and feeling alternating swells and ebbs of emotion as the greyscale and sunset hues coalesce into skyborn solids and rain back down in colors previously unseen and even though you have the vague sense that you are actually in a dream, you can’t help but think that the spider’s web of light before your eyes is too detailed to not be real? “Sunlightwater” by Disinterested is all of this.

Flowery prose? Sure, but stick with me here: each of us experiences music differently and each of us describes it differently. We use the tools we have—knowledge, understanding, vocabulary, emotions—to convey to others how we engage, absorb, and occupy the space of a song. With “Sunlightwater,” Matthew Brown gives us ample space to do all of this. In its tectonic shift from tone to chord, its sloped pasture of low end, and its occasional sprinkle of electronics, Brown provides us a lush river valley in which to lay, tiptoe, stare in awe, or run free. What happens next is of little significance just now, because we’re in the safest space available.

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged , | Leave a comment