Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Virgin of the Birds – “I Fought a Turk”

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Lattney B. Jones

Virgin of the Birds‘ “I Fought a Turk” makes its entrance on simple piano chords and quite possibly the gentlest strum ever put to record. The I-V progression in D Major is one the most-used in popular music; having 12 semitones in our equal temperament system only leaves so much tonal variety, so it’s what one does with what one has that sets a piece of music apart from the rest. Jon Rooney knows this and works hard to set his music apart. I became a fan with the release of the “Two Horses EP” by Jon’s former band, Morning Spy, some 14 years ago this month, and then—as now—it’s what Jon did with what he had.

Jon has an everyman voice, and at times he veers close to Bejar territory with his almost-conversational approach; on “I Fought a Turk,” these qualities serve him well as he shares what, for me, is the archetypal Rooney lyric—a story that surprises as it unfolds. You may think you’ve heard parts of it before somewhere and you may even think you know where it’s going, but you’re wrong. It’s storytelling done right, from the awkward fight itself to a command to God (in both his English and Hebrew names, lest he be not fluent in all languages) to nourishing the Goddess of Love with the biggest surprise of all.

Once the final line is delivered, the song shows matt pond pa how to properly execute a lilting guitar outro and adds a bit of strings and synth to the arrangement for good measure. Calling “I Fought a Turk” dreamy is shortchanging it and calling it epic is overselling the point. The song exists comfortably and humbly in a space between such words.

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Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Ken Cormier – “Almost Gone”

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Levi Fuller

Connecticut’s Ken Cormier (I didn’t need to include his state – or I could have referred to him as a Nutmegger – but I just couldn’t resist the alliteration) has been an occasional contributor to Ball of Wax since at least Volume 9, and it’s always a delight to receive a new track from him in my inbox. “Musician” is the fourth thing he lists in his description of what he does, but you wouldn’t know it to hear his songs – whether of the quirky, multi-instrumental variety, or the quiet, acoustic-and-voice-recorded-next-to-a-sleeping-cat variety, like “Almost Gone.” The fingerpicked guitar is beautiful and precise, Ken’s voice is soft and clear as always, his words and melodies perfectly sculpted. Two and a half minutes of sleepy, nostalgic, musical bliss.

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Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Saint Nefarious – “Yr Only Friend”

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Jon Rooney

Saint Nefarious (featuring Holly and the Dead Saints) is primarily the work of one Lattney B., who was one-half of lo-fi bedroom pop band Grumpy Bear a decade or so ago and also recorded under the name Holly and the Dead Saints. [And is now a regular and valued contributor to this very blog. -ed.] These were the halcyon days before Bandcamp and Spotify, when honest-to-goodness music blogs roamed the digital world [Hey! -ed.] and CD-R labels were all the rage for discriminating underground music makers and seekers. I first virtually met Lattney B. through such networks, then later IRL when my old band stopped in Tucson on tour. A gentleman’s gentlemen, Lattney and his Grumpy Bear partner Tyler later offered me one of their EPs to put out on my little label (which I did on limited-edition handmade CD-R, thank you very much), and thus the tiny-gem Songs from the Abattoir first made its way into the world. Anywho, there’s a lot of inter-related backstory here and it’s wonderful to finally get fruit from the Grumpy Bear tree on a volume on ye olde Ball of Wax.

“Yr Only Friend” enters the world both ragged and confident, lifting the simple three chord strumming pattern from “King of Carrot Flowers” before effect-laden electric bass and second noodling guitar fill in the hissy, lo fi aural space. Things sounds impromptu yet urgent, the vocals coming in double tracked (one track falsetto and more or less doubling), crooning pearls of wisdom like “There are things that your mother never told you about / like if you go too far inside your head, you may never come out” as well as assorted oohs and aahs. Later in the track some hand percussion (an egg shaker? toy tambourine?) and an oscillating noisemaker take a kind of solo before one more vocal cycle takes things home. The contrast between confident and haphazard makes “Yr Only Friend” charming and vital, intimate and a bit disorienting like bedroom pop should really be. This is a tiny anthem for the hyper-personal music obsessive – so probably perfect for you if you’re still reading this.

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Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Doug Hood & the Wholly Heathens – “Too Far in the South (Again & Again)”

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Julia Massey

The beginning of this song reminds me of the first time I rode a mechanical bull. It was in a smoky, loud, and dark bar, and I was bursting with excitement. And, like my ride, I thought it would be raucous from beginning to end, but this track wound up surprising me. During the breakdown, lead singer Sam Russell refers to International Women’s Day and asks fellow Heathen Casey Ruff if he knows about “pussy power,” and he chimes in with how he is “well aware.” It’s in the background and feels totally impromptu. Like most of this artist’s music, it makes me laugh aloud with joy. I’m happy for everyone who gets ahold of the earworm “Too Far in the South.” It’s a great way to start the day.

Doug Hood & the Wholly Heathens will play live this Friday at the Ball of Wax 52 release show!

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Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Amanda Winterhalter – “I Miss You (I Don’t Know Why)”

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Zach Warnes

Amanda Winterhalter‘s “I Miss You (I Don’t Know Why)” is straight-forward, heartfelt, honest songwriting. Everything about this song, from lyrics to production, embraces these qualities – which is refreshing in Seattle’s climate of often nebulous, reverb-soaked, and automated offerings. This song has a lot of great space in it, allowing for the singer’s words and emotions to be up front and not covered by busy instrumentation or popular vocal effects. Sometimes lyrics are the best vocal effect.

“I Miss You” is a thoughtful take on love and loss, uncomplicated by ego and desiring of self-discovery.

Amanda will grace us with a set to open up the Ball of Wax 52 show this Friday at Conor Byrne. Make sure to be there by 9 sharp so as not to miss a note.

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Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Gabriel Mintz – “Sharpen”

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Zach Warnes

“Sharpen,” off of Gabriel Mintz’s DXT77F (now on vinyl from Union Zero), is a masterful example of production and songwriting. Marching along with a metallic beat on the two and four, “Sharpen” envelops the listener in a warm blanket or echo and delay, all the while oozing complicated melody and harmony into your ear holes.

Time and rhythm are key and Mintz implores us to be patient, leaving us without the dynamic sweeps and epic moments that we crave in our run-of-the-mill pop music. The watery guitar shimmers, a tambo slaps back in response to the thumping bass. This track is ear candy and it’s a slow burner. A song meant to be enjoyed end to end and responsibly (and for sure with headphones).

Ball of Wax is excited to debut a video to accompany this song compiled and edited by Doug Arney and Gabriel Mintz. The video contains images and footage of a purported “violent attack” on members of The Committee on Un-American Activities at San Francisco City Hall on May 13th, 1960. UC Berkley students, San Fran residents, and members of the local communist party met at city hall to peacefully protest hearings only to find themselves barred from attending, the seats being suspiciously reserved. Their picket lines were met by firehoses manned by San Francisco Police. A propaganda film titled Operation Abolition was released by the Committee on Un-American Activities later that year in support of The Red Scare and was distributed nationwide to be shown in classrooms. Fake news. Fake AF.

Gabe sings “we the people feel right at home with blood on our hands and broken bones,” and I must say that its hard to argue that sentiment watching the news lately. 1960 happened nearly an entire lifetime ago but we are still marching and protesting to obtain even the most basic rights for facets of our population. This song and video reminds us to turn our music up, stay awake, and make sure you know who and what you are voting for . . .

Gabe and friends will play a set to close out our Ball of Wax 52 release show this Friday at Conor Byrne. They might even sell you some vinyl, if you ask nicely.

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Ball of Wax 52 Songs: James Whetzel – “Sun Clouds (Orchestral Version)”

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Lattney B. Jones

The opening of “Sun Clouds (Orchestral Version)” immediately evokes for me some of the work Mark Mothersbaugh produced for the Rushmore soundtrack. That’s not to say that James Whetzel’s palm wine guitar style is in any way derivative of Mr. M; rather, it’s every bit as joyous and uplifting and then some. “Sun Clouds” is a song that you can and should dance to.

“Palm wine” is a folk guitar style that has its origins in West Africa by way of Portugal and it has a beauty rarely found in the Western world–what Whetzel does with it is magical.  Bringing a style that often works outside of regular meters to a 4/4 beat that is just short of stomping is only the first surprise; replacing Whetzel’s dry-but-endearing vocals from the album version with a string arrangement that lends the tune a melancholy to which one can whistle is icing on this cake.

The beat itself, though—that’s the ice cream! Whetzel makes use of a “plethora” (his words, not mine) of acoustic percussion in a great deal of his music and it’s this percussion that moves “Sun Clouds” from gorgeous to transcendent. There is so much happening here that I’m unable to parse the individual instruments aside from handclaps and maybe a cajon (good grief, maybe it’s all on a cajon!), but that doesn’t fret me. I’ve jammed it on the surround and I’ve immersed myself in headphone bliss with this track. (Headphones REALLY bring out the magic of the percussion!) In short, I have been listening to the track on repeat this evening and I still can’t stop my toes from tapping and my head from bobbing.

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Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Eggshells – “Bone Marrow”

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Bart Cameron

The width and depth of submissions for Ball of Wax continues to astound. Eggshells’ submission “Bone Marrow” – ethereal and astoundingly rich in its attention to detail – is a signature song. Just coming off a spot at this year’s Seagaze Festival, you get the feeling we’ll hear a lot more from this band. The band’s public-facing sites are a little coy, with minimal information on their bandcamp page, but Peter and Benjamin Verdoes are the primary members. All of this is incredibly appealing.

A band that wants its music to speak for itself. Shoegaze music with intelligence and polish. Wherever the band is going, I hope they stay with the Ball of Wax community.

Come to the Ball of Wax 52 show at Conor Byrne next Friday for a chance to see Eggshells live.

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Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Weird Hill – “Left in the Sun”

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Geoffrey Cox

SCENE: Chicago in the mid-’90s, three indie rockers sit huddled around a Tascam Porta One 4 track (the one with batteries and strap pegs). Their band, Number One Cup, is recording a repetitive cowbell rhythm track, which they will then send to other bands to do with what they wish, as a skeleton for whatever song they want. Although they ended up only releasing their own song and one by their friends Red Red Meat (who were also from Chicago, so maybe they didn’t even have to go to the post office; this was all pre-internet for all intents and purposes), it provided an interesting model for the myriad directions a song could potentially go with some common DNA.

SCENE: Seattle, present day. A figure leans over a laptop and presses the space bar. The tracks begin. There’s no cowbell to be heard anywhere on Weird Hill’s “Left in the Sun.” Instead, P[arker] Hill asks a somewhat different question: What would happen if you came up with a nice glitchy beat and then used it as the skeleton for three different songs? What would happen if you played all three at once? Recalling the sci-fi menace of vintage Giorgio Moroder, the poppy swing of various Morr Music artists (and the Morr Music comps were always the most fun anyway) and delayed Ulrich Schnauss guitar(esque) hooks, “Left in the Sun” has the ambition of a split screen arthouse film, with disparate elements coalescing, interacting, and then dissipating. Each of the individual threads would be nice and entertaining on their own; taken together, it’s really quite lovely. FIN.

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Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Small Life Form – “Old Sounds for a Young Piano”

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Levi Fuller

Small Life Form returns to Ball of Wax after an auspicious debut on Volume 51. “Old Sounds for a Young Piano” is definitely shorter, and arguably more musical, than “Penetrable Surface,” but it continues SLF’s creative exploration of repetition, drone, and decay. A simple, melodic piano line repeats, first on its own and then fleshed out with chords and bass notes. With each repetition reverb is added and the signal seems to break up. Somewhere along the line a haunting tinkling sound pops in and out, as if someone is opening and closing a music box. I get the feeling that the raw materials of the piece don’t change once all of those elements have been introduced, but the processing and manipulation pile up until, less than three minutes in, we are left with a strange, pulsing, digital wash of sound. And, if you’re me, you go right back to the beginning to try to figure out how we ended up here. Another compelling sonic experiment from one of our new friends in North Carolina.

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