Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Robert Deeble – “Orphan Song”

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Levi Fuller

As I’ve mentioned many times before in this space, I’m really not a lyrics guy – at least when it comes to listening. But Robert Deeble, master songwriter that he is, always gets me to pay attention to his words. There are so many little moments and phrases in “Orphan Song” that prick up the ears and make you wonder: First, the title. One assumes it’s a song about orphans, right? Then the strange, repeated plea, “Pleasant don’t you leave me,” and the aurally satisfying and highly specific references to Cooper Creek Virginia. Then you learn (or, if you’re really smart, figure out) that this song is about the Carter Family, written in response to the graphic novel Don’t Forget This Song, by Frank M. Young and David Lasky, and it all comes together. It’s not referring to a song about orphans, but rather songs that are orphans, the songs A.P. (Alvin Pleasant) Carter spent countless days, weeks, years traveling the country in search of. This song is his wife’s desperate plea to keep him at home rather than rambling the land in his quixotic quest to collect songs from far and wide. (Come to think of it, this song might have some resonance for my wife.)

It’s all set to a smoothly loping backdrop of acoustic guitar and upright bass, the perfect setting for Robert’s rich, smoky baritone (I won’t call it a gravy baritone, since Mariaugh just coined that phrase, but I wish I had). Another understated triumph from our friend Robert.

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

Ball of Wax 54 Songs: ____________ – “Now You Know”

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Mariaugh Maestas

“Now You Know,” from the anonymously released album The Blue Dirt of Paradise, eases into the ear with harmonized doo wop non-lexicals. They fade in with plenty of dark reverb, making a comfortable velvet curtain backdrop for the lead singer’s mellow country phrasing and gravy baritone. He follows a mostly-major melody that feels right for a sunny day psychedelic listen. A guitar wanders in, bringing to mind the sweetness of an afternoon spent cloud gazing. This soft facade skirts the lyrics which, with a little deeper listening, belie the style and comfort that’s first available.

The unidentified singer strolls easily through lyrics that denote a reserved type of loss, affirming and lamenting “Now you know and you cannot stop/You’ve done it before.” Using ambiguity and metaphor (e.g. “it’s nice to float until the bottom falls out,” and “an inch given to the specter of Night”) he relays an experience which, while lacking in specificity, is relatable to anyone who ruminates on an erstwhile lover, or is inclined to drink a little too much when the days go grey in our beloved PNW.

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

Ball of Wax 54 Songs: The Cupholders – “Tiki Cup”

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Jon Rooney

If you’re in need of some woozy, booze-soaked catharsis, then “Tiki Cup” is your new jam. This sounds like Crazy Horse feeling their way through a half-remembered Bo Diddley song after some serious day-drinking. The Cupholders are a sort of Ball of Wax super group, revolving around songwriters Bart Cameron of the Foghorns, Casey Ruff (without his Mayors), and Sam Russell (without most of his Harborrats) with help from ace local musicians Ken Nottingham, Dave Forrester, Paul Beaudry, Shadrack Scott, Kubby Casual, Colin J. Nelson, and who knows who else (we all might actually be in the Cupholders, which is totally ok with me). Bart’s voice warbles and proclaims atop clamoring electric guitars and a chugging boogie backline. There’s a bridge in there somewhere and the band somehow got there and back together. Drink your Olympia from the can, listen to “Tiki Cup” at a pretty loud volume and do your best to stay out of trouble.

The Cupholders, in all their shambling glory, will close out the Ball of Wax 54 show next Friday the 23rd at Conor Byrne. Don’t miss it!

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

Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Kevin Sur – “March and April”

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Patrick J Gibbs

Kevin Sur’s “March and April” is a song as natural as being. The opening cello lines still one’s breath. The accompanying acoustic guitar, gently strummed, enters the heart settling into a slow, certain pace. Together they help to create an intimate environment such that by the time Kevin’s vocals enter just a few measures into the song, they sound more like an internal thought than something external.

Like one’s thoughts, the songs lyrics look simultaneously backwards to the past and forward to an uncertain future. And like one’s thoughts the song’s cycle repeats and loops. Woven into later repetitions are layers of instruments, adding a rich depth to “March and April.”

So well-crafted is this song that it is not the building instrumentation or any of the many moments when Kevin’s vocals soar that provide its climax. Instead, it is when the strings and guitars drop out to become a quiet mimic of Kevin’s voice when this beautiful tune genuinely shines and comes to life.

Make sure to get to the Ball of Wax 54 show on November 23rd in time for Kevin’s opening set, which should set the tone perfectly for a brilliant night of music.

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

Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Zachary Warnes – “Do You”

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Lattney B. Jones

Electric piano always puts me in mind of ’70s rock; maybe it was overused during that era, or maybe I’ve got repressed memories revolving around some AM hit or other. Zachary Warnes’s “Do You” renders this moot. I mention music of the ’70s not only because “Do You” pays tribute to so much of that era’s best music, but because it’s practically an instructional guide for modern bands wanting to evoke that ethos. Indeed, “Do You” may be the greatest song Neil Young never wrote–arrangement-wise, anyway, for there isn’t a single yowl to be found in Warnes’s voice; on the contrary, his rich tenor sounds like it was made to ask such introspective questions, rhetorical or otherwise. Those questions begin with the title phrase and ultimately ask the listener if they rely on themselves “to feel good.”

Warnes uses rock music tricks such as the aforementioned electric piano, a slow-but-steady beat, some great bass playing, and the set-up, or a drum tacit just long enough to hit one’s sweet spot when a hi-hat tap and fill bring everything back full force. For me, the song’s key element is the dirty lead guitar that functions as arrangement dressing but begins to act out more and more until the 3-and-a-half minute mark, at which point the listener is treated to a bona fide rock solo.

With “Do You,” Zachary Warnes proves that rock ‘n’ roll will never die; it simply needs capable and loving hands in which to flourish.

Join us for the Ball of Wax 54 show on November 23rd at Conor Byrne to hear a full set or rock ‘n’ roll from Zach and his band.

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | 1 Comment

Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Elizabeth Joan Kelly – “Bouncyland”

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Levi Fuller

New Orleans composer Elizabeth Joan Kelly‘s new album of instrumental electronic music is called Music for the DMV. The idea was to take Brian Eno’s concept of music for a specific location – a la Music for Airports – and tweak it a bit for a location that also tends to involve large chunks of time doing nothing, but with more potential for unease and anxiety. And, of course, standing in lines. The tracks range in mood and timbre, with “Bouncyland” being one of the cheerier, more melodic pieces. There’s a hint of playfulness in the bubbly drum machines and keys that would probably make the DMV (or DOR as we call it here in Washington) seem a little bit less of a soul-sucking bureaucratic nightmare.

There are, of course, many places one stands in long lines and feels a vague sense of unease and anxiety. Today being Election Day 2018, I’ll hazard a guess that millions of people are doing just that all over the country today. So feel free to call this one “Music for Waiting to Vote” for today. Give it a spin as you stand in line, and see if it doesn’t make the wait just a bit easier.

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

Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Medejin – “Untitled 4”

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Zach Warnes

If you are a fan of moody, atmospheric pop that makes you want to dance in your headphones, then make sure you give “Untitled 4” by Medejin a listen. At just under three minutes, Jenn Taranto and company deliver the goods with a spellbinding piece of beat driven music for bedroom listening and beyond. “Untitled 4” has an undeniable pop sensibility from the opening delay-drenched guitar hook to the climactic vocal end. The movement of this song, the sweeping arrangement, the catchy melody – all great pop songs have these attributes, and this one is no exception. Probably most impressive is Taranto’s vocal performance. She sells the longing and frustration that comes with waiting for a lover and paints a picture of defiant loneliness in waiting. Great stuff. Can’t wait to hear more from this group!

“Untitled 4” was produced by Simon Nicol, and is featured on the Eleni EP, which will be available for purchase Nov 7th. The release show will be at the Sunset Tavern with DoNormaal and Beatrix Sky.

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

Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Andrew Daniels – “Anywhere, Right Now”

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Lattney B. Jones

In keeping with these everything-turned-upside-down times, I’m going to be uncharacteristically brief. Tucked safely away on Ball of Wax 54 is a 4-minute nugget of self-loathing and -pity, sprinkled with angst and wrapped in sonic fragility. Andrew Daniels (aka Brendon Helgason, with Steven Andrea)’s “Anywhere, Right Now” is one of the most unassuming tracks I’ve ever heard on any sort of compilation; just the tone and timbre of the “I’m going to cash it in the moment this song ends” vocals makes one wonder if the very act of offering the track up for inclusion caused heart-wrenching despair and anxiety for the artist. Sound overly melodramatic? If so, then I’m selling Brendon’s work short and doing him a disservice. Let me state, in all sincerity, that “Anywhere, Right Now” conveys—from its broken words to its aural accoutrements—a depth of humility and pain that most “sad bastard” (I assure you, this is a compliment—I f*&$%ng LOVE this kind of music!) artists can only cry about. If Daniels’s lyrics and delivery don’t take you to an emotional place both damaged and familiar, then you don’t deserve to be listening to music.
I suggest listening with headphones for auditory bonuses galore, such as mourning synths, half-buried effects, ethereal backing vocals, gentle rimshots, and WHISTLING.

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

Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Grumpy Bear – “Offer Up Sound”

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Levi Fuller

I’m so delighted that Grumpy Bear has arisen from their long slumber, and that they (and their members) keep sharing weird new music – and writing – with us. With “Offer Up Sound,” Tyler and Lattney offer up a song that would be simple, short, and sweet (acoustic guitar, some pretty arpeggiated guitar and keys, straightforward vocal delivery) were it not for the ever-shifting time signatures, which provide complexity and a vague sense of unease that keeps you clicking back to the beginning to grab ahold of it with one more spin through its all-too-brief running time. Lyrically, I don’t know exactly what’s being talked about here (I never do), but I love the line “with my ears to the ground and my hand in yours, I’ll offer up sound when sound occurs.”

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

Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Al Mustaqil – المستقلة – الحرية بين أشجار الزيتون

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Levi Fuller

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 worth being a part of and keep sending me music to share with you. Jacopo Andreini is one such artist, and so far everything he’s sent my way has been strange, challenging, and thrilling – although never under his own name, for some reason. For volume 48 his Katacomb Trio brought us the Sicilian-language track “Puttana di Tu Mà,” and now we have this inspired gem from his new collaborative solo project Al Mustaqil. This track blends Jacopo’s skills with tenor bouzouki, flute, turntable, and programming with a sample of Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, to evoke the sounds of the Mediterranean underground and to provide “a soundtrack to the contemporary clashes of the area.” This track is a fascinating window into a culture – or cultures – I know very little about, and  its lo-fi sound, hectic structure, and multi-layered, multi-cultural melodies and rhythms create a tension and unease that provide a tiny glimpse into life in a conflict-ridden area. It is unsettling and blistering, but at the same time demands to be listened to again and again.

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