Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Ghostflower – “El Nacimiento”

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Levi Fuller

The mysterious Arizonan (Tucsonian?) duo Ghost Flower describe themselves as “ambient classical flamenco laced with hip hop beats,” which is about as accurate and succinct a self-description as I’ve heard from any musician or band (my own projects very much included). That said, there are a lot of musical directions the combination of flamenco and hip hop could go, and I don’t think all of them would necessarily be for me. This, though, is a wonderful meeting of musical minds and worlds. Finger-picked classical guitar, both clean and processed, weaves in and out with ambient hums and drones, electronic beats, and powerful bass (seriously, listen to this tune on a system with a sub-woofer and feel it) to create (you might even say birth) something entirely new, infused with flamenco, post-rock, ambient music, and hip-hop.

Ghostflower is one of several exciting projects from Tucson to grace Ball of Wax collections over the past few years – thanks originally to our old friend Lattney, but very much also to Tony Martinez of Sceneries, Placements, who I believe is also half of Ghostflower. Many thanks to all our Southwestern sonic adventurers! Enjoy that whole non-rain thing you have going down there.

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Michael Owcharuk & Kate Olson – “Make It So”

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Levi Fuller

I regret that I have only enough familiarity with Star Trek: The Next Generation to recognize that the title of this sweet, sweet jam from Michael Owcharuk and Kate Olson is a reference to that series’ beloved Captain Picard. Michael and Kate are both deeply accomplished musicians in the local jazz scene and beyond, who can be seen composing and fronting their own ensembles around town, as well as supporting an incredible range of artists in just about every genre. (Holiday burlesque fans in Seattle, catch them right now as 2/3 of the Land of the Sweets band!)

All of that to say, it is an absolute joy to hear what happens when these two get together and musically bond/geek out over a mutual appreciation for this much-adored franchise. “Make It So” is an unapologetically fun tune, brimming with good-natured glee, toe-tapping bass, and sweet, soaring sax. Since I don’t know enough about TNG to properly place this music in that universe, I’ll just turn the rest of this review over to Michael and Kate, who say, “This song could be something playing in 10 Forward or in a holodeck nightclub. Unfortunately we couldn’t get Riker to play trombone.” (Hey, I know what a holodeck is! And I’ve heard of Riker too. I think he has a beard.) Clearly, the Force is with Michael and Kate, as Dr. Spock would say. (Did I get that right?)

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Orion – “In the Wind”

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Lattney B. Jones

Contradictory though it may seem, subtlety is the dominating theme in Orion’s contribution to Ball of Wax Volume 69. This edition is built upon duos, but you could almost imagine a solitary figure in a bedsit with a synth and a guitar for the first third of the track.

If this whole song were composed simply of that softly tremulous guitar and the space it gathers between each rising and falling lick, it would still be a winner. Something so diaphanous deserves a place on any compilation, any album, any EP. But Orion are not here just to lull you—they’re here to tickle some cilia and test some sensitivity.

And so it is that a smooth bass tone comes into play just before a gorgeous and gorgeously-reverberating vocal cries out from the depths of a place far beyond or below that bedsit. I’m already fully committed to this one, and THEN Orion slip in a percolating rhythm track that, combined with everything else, still somehow feels somnambulant.

I don’t mean sleepy so much as soothing. All of this feels like it’s happening inside my head, rather than my headphones. Even the fine drum track that kicks things up to speed doesn’t oppress the overall mood. If anything, its hardlined hits and syncopated snares add to the dreaminess.

Orion shows that they know what they’re doing with “In the Wind” when they fade everything else away for an ambient outro that plays with a mic left on the floor for some distorted and ghostly effects, before seeing us out with what is certainly meant as a cue tone signaling that all you’ve just experienced was a dream.

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: THEATH * MANNING – “Canon of Metathesis II”

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Phil Chamberlin

To my ears, the beat drives just a touch faster, just a bit harder than the ambient opening suggests. I’ve learned that “metathesis” is a word that’s used for both the analysis of language and the analysis of chemistry. Both senses of the word are about exchanges: of sounds, of bonding. And that’s appropriate here, since the coldness of the ticking drum machine contrasts nicely with what sounds like the real-time, human manipulation of atmosphere. (Is that an EBow?) The sounds fade into the shadows, as we all eventually do. And you can dance to it, too, especially if you’re one of the shadows.

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: the moth stays – “match cut”

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Levi Fuller

The formidable duo of Suki O’Kane and Rae Diamond – performing as the moth stays – keep us on the experimental orbit Till the Teeth launched us into, with this compelling, playful percussion/viola duet. The two multi-faceted artists and creators have been collaborating together since some undisclosed time in the 20th century, “expanding a Venn diagram that includes breath, tuning, movement, the natural world, durational forms, and edge ecologies,” which leads me to believe that this track is just a small, tantalizing taste of a compelling body of work. Not even the tip of the iceberg, but perhaps a snowflake on the tip of the iceberg.

And like a snowflake, “match cut” is delicate, unique, and beautifully rendered. As with “Quirquincho,” this piece feels both composed and improvised, as if it happened completely by happenstance but also knows exactly where it’s going but also might be a little bit surprised by where it ended up – like a moth fluttering around a light and choosing to stay, perhaps. I stand eager to experience whatever else this duo might bring into the world.

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Till the Teeth – “Quirquincho”

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Levi Fuller

Long time Ball of Wax listeners following along here may be thinking right about now, “Sure, I’m digging all these songs, but when are you going to mix it up? When are you going to throw off the shackles of rhythm and melody, and, you know, get weird?” I’m happy to announce that time is now, and our sonic disruptors are the brilliant duo of Sandesh Nagaraj and Jonathan Rodriguez, otherwise known as Till the Teeth.

“Quirquincho” – named, I just learned, for an adorable South American species of armadillo – starts with a hand drum sound, and includes various rhythmic elements and even some guitar, or guitar-like instruments, but quickly becomes something very different indeed. Rhythms cross and intertwine, are suspended and replaced with coughs, hums, and field recordings, to create a sound work that feels both improvisational and intentional, composed and collected. Machine-like sounds make an appearance, their mechanical pulse soon giving way to the relative (if deceptive) peace of nature sounds. Perhaps this was our little armored mammal friend, dodging fearsome vehicles as they scurry across a road, finding safety in the desert for a moment. Those mechanical sounds return, though, buoyed by a looping, sighing violin, before it all ends with another cough. Is this the quirquincho’s final moment, felled by sickness, or a human or other predator? Or have they escaped to safety, clearing their throat before heading off to the next challenge? Or perhaps it’s just a brilliant, idiosyncratic piece of music with an evocative title. We may never know.

If these sounds speaks to you, Till the Teeth has just released a new EP that is just as wondrous and strange. I highly recommend adding it to your Bandcamp cart (along with Ball of Wax 69, of course!).

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Green Light Cameras and Saint Nefarious – “Doctor”

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Levi Fuller

Inveterate collaborators and Ball-of-Wax-contributors Green Light Cameras and Saint Nefarious have joined forces (maybe for the first time? Can I be totally honest here and say I’m not 100% sure on that count?) to bring us “Doctor,” which takes a repeated setup without its punchline and turns it into a brooding, dystopian groove that would make perfect driving-on-a-summer-night-through-an-urban-wasteland music in that film you’re working on – or should be working on. Electronic drums and synth bass spar with melodic guitar lines as Lattney’s brooding voice spars with the titular sample, combining to create a masterpiece of moody minimalism that may just have you shouting “then don’t do that!” – even as you do it again . . .

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Hyperbaric Slumber – “Glass Lake”

Posted on November 28, 2023 by Levi Fuller

The duo Hyperbaric Slumber – composed of Jake Frye of Jesus on the Moon (btw, right about now is a fantastic time to crank that Festivus tune) and Mike Krushka of, well, many things – bring us “Glass Lake,” title track of their recently-released EP. Spooky horror-movie synths suspend us briefly in air before dropping us into the titular lake of glass, an icy bath of synths, guitars, and – yes! – more drum machine, accompanied by perfectly moody vocal intonations. “Glass Lake,” like the EP it comes from, is a delightful slab of novel nostalgia, allowing you to indulge your inner ’80s/’90s dance club goth while actually exposing your ears and brain to new sounds and sonic juxtapositions. To be totally honest, I would have been happy to select any of the EP’s three songs for this collection, but we were bumping up around the time restrictions imposed by the CD-R medium, so I opted for the shortest one. Do yourself a favor and pick up all three!

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: Magic Genie – “Queen of the Forest”

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Levi Fuller

Caroline Keys and Nate Biehl’s Magic Genie was not assembled specifically for this duo-centric volume of Ball of Wax. However, as far as I can tell it may well be true that their only recorded output is songs for various volumes of Ball of Wax (going back to their brilliant interpretation of “John Johanna” for our tribute to Harry Smith‘s Anthology of American Folk Music. I submit Exhibit A. Given their long-running collaboration in various other musical projects over the years, it somewhat boggles my mind that this is possible, that the Magic Genie has only recorded and released five songs over the past dozen years and that this wee endeavor has been the conduit for all of them, but I am deeply humbled at the notion.

All that said, I can see why Caroline and Nate felt they must be part of this celebration of duos, and I am so very glad they penned and recorded the beautiful “Queen of the Forest” for our enjoyment. As always, their voices blend perfectly, enchanting and calming, backed here by a lush, yet upbeat, bed of Farfisa, Bass, Synthesizers, drum machine, and guitars. According to the artists, the tumbling cascade of evocative words are inspired by the elk who hang out around their studio on the edge of the wilderness to “eat our flowers, steal our hummingbird nectar, and sometimes lick our windows.” Sugar and flowers and (salty?) windows are great, but I’m guessing these magnificent creatures are also somewhat enamored of the sounds they hear coming from this strange, unnatural structure. As Caroline and Nate sing, “you know it’s the music.”

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Ball of Wax 69 Songs: JNA – “Gonna Fly”

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Levi Fuller

When we last heard from JNA, she was making Domenica swoon with the premium grade ’80s style electro-funk track, “Tell Me Why.” Turns out that was just one Ball of Wax ago, but since we’ve had a longer gap than usual, JNA has a whole new EP out now, with a more contemporary, but no less satisfying sound. Instead of jangly disco guitar with synth melodies and syncopation, “Gonna Fly,” created with producer Jorgen Paul, features a throbbing club beat and layers of dreamy, undulating synths. More importantly, since Ball of Wax 68 was all instrumentals, listeners didn’t get to experience the soulful purr of JNA’s voice, which is happily remedied here. She lowkeys it through most of the track; you can hear the subtle smile in her voice as she sings, “livin’ life for me, I got a smile on my face.” Even the chorus is laid back, with the only big vocal moments coming at the end of each verse. It’s a perfect approach for a song about doing things your own way and having nothing to prove.

DO NOT MISS JNA’s live set at the Ball of Wax 69 show on 12/17 at the Rabbit Box. This is a rare chance to see a unique, unforgettable performer in a tiny, intimate venue. (And bring home a copy of this very compilation with you, of course.)

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