Ball of Wax 48 Songs: Ju. – “¿Quieres Hacer el Favor de Callarte, Por Favor?”

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Jon Rooney

“¿Quieres Hacer el Favor de Callarte, Por Favor?” is the Spanish title of a collection of short stories by Raymond Carver – Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? in English. Hailing from Madrid, Spain, Ju. seems to dwell in that golden realm of introspective dream pop, like the great Migala or as if the Delgados had hailed from the Iberian Peninsula. Ju.’s contribution to Ball of Wax volume 48 is melancholy, sparse and gorgeous. I don’t understand a word of the lyrics, but Bárbara Bañuelos’s vocals are beautiful and filled with wonderful sadness. Highly, highly recommended.

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Ball of Wax 48: Katacomb Trio – “Puttana di Tu Mà”

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Matty P

This is a very honest take of Rosa Balistreri’s “Buttana di To Mà.” A quick google of the title will inform you that it translates to ‘mother fucker,’ or more literally ‘whore of your mother’. This version is arguably more dramatic then even Rosa’s versions of the song. The singer, Giacomo Sferlazzo, immediately lets you in on the fact that this song is about betrayal. And the agony is ever apparent in his voice throughout. When the call went out for Ball of Wax 48 for songs in languages other then English, Sicilian was not a language which I imagined would get taken up. For us Americans whose culture is often caught up in itself, this Ball of Wax has helped to shine the spotlight away from ourselves. And with “Puttana di Tu Mà.” Katacomb Trio does so brilliantly, highlighting an island known for violence and tenderness all at the same time.

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Ball of Wax 48 Songs: Odd Couple – “Flügge”

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Jon Rooney

I’m not sure that German Grunge Rock was ever a bona fide genre like, say, Brazilian Psych, but it certainly seems like it should have been. Odd Couple are decidedly German and, per “Flügge,” devotees of dirty, fuzzed-out rock and roll. It starts with a chugging distorted bass vamp and layers in all sorts of overdriven guitars and squeaks before a bellowing snarl sings something angsty in German. There’s a rad little riff breakdown before a classic rock turnaround brings us to some sort of electric sitar-driven breakdown. If a song can be the aural equivalent of a tattoo of a skull with a snake slithering through its empty eye sockets, the first three-quarters of “Flügge” takes the cake. The final bit is a nice, spacey Tyrannosaurus Rex / Pretty Things interlude.

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Ball of Wax 48 Songs: Die Geister Beschwören – “Cerro de la Muerte”

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Jon Rooney
You'll have to work out El Topo amongst yourselves.

You’ll have to work out El Topo amongst yourselves.

Despite their name, Die Geister Beschwören appears to hail from greater Cascadia, from parts of Oregon and Northern California. And despite adopting a spectral name in German, their contribution to Ball of Wax 48 is in Spanish. “Cerro de la Muerte,” translating to “Hill of the Dead,” is a brief, feverish, Lynchian dream of a Mississippi blues song that serves as more interlude than fully-formed song. It’s evocative and atmospheric, like if “Dueling Banjos” from Deliverance was somehow dropped into El Topo.

See if Die Geister Beschwören can recreate their dusty magick live on June 3rd at the Ball of Wax 48 Release show at Conor Byrne.

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Ball of Wax 48 Songs: Ainara LeGardon – “Déjalo (mientras)”

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Levi Fuller

A while back, longtime Ball of Wax contributor Ainara LeGardon told me the album she was working on was going to be sung in Spanish – a first for her. Of course I immediately suggested she send me a song from that album for this special non-English Ball of Wax, and she did me one better. Working with producer Xabier Erkizia, she created a new, unique version of a song specifically for us! I haven’t heard the album version yet, but this deconstructed arrangement for voice, oscillators, prepared guitar, and feedback is spare, dark, strange, and beautiful. And apparently this is the first time Ainara has released a song in Spanish to the world, which is an incredible honor for Ball of Wax. I don’t think the new album sounds anything like this, but as a longtime fan I am incredibly excited for it; make sure to follow Ainara so you know as soon as it’s released.

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Ball of Wax 48 Songs: The Lonely Coast – “Rachuli Iavnana”

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Levi Fuller

Like Pampa, The Lonely Coast were a group I knew I needed to have on this English-free volume of Ball of Wax. Their phenomenal voices and tireless ear for old songs from all over the world make for a powerful combination indeed. They very kindly obliged with this recording of a Georgian folk song, which is, in their words, “a direct plea to the spirits of disease (bat’onebi)—pre-Christian spirits believed to have taken possession of a child suffering from illness—for their cooperation in healing a sick child.” I may well try this one myself next time my kid is sick, although my rendition of this tune would be a pale imitation of this rendition. The chirping baby robins captured in this live field recording are the perfect accompaniment to this gorgeous, haunting performance.

The Lonely Coast will do their best to class up the Ball of Wax 48 release show on June 3rd. If you’ve never seen them live before, do not miss it! (If you have, you already know not to miss it.)

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Ball of Wax 48: Virgin of the Birds – “Maintenant Blanchissant les Rayons”

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Matty P

The thing I like most about this song is the arrangement and instrumentation. Virgin of the Birds‘ Jon Rooney has an uncanny sense of balance that shines through in this reflective addition to Ball of Wax 48. His approach is simple and elegant. An occasional tambourine that lifts you off and then disappears to float you through the next part of the song, where the vocals cut out and a wavy tremolo and melodic piano do the singing. I’m not sure what Jon is singing about but it sounds like he’s got a knack for the French language. I imagine him in a thought bubble singing this barefoot, dressed in white up in the clouds with an all white piano and a white polar bear rug underneath his feet.

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Ball of Wax 48 Songs: Racingpaperplanes – “Det Vita”

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Levi Fuller

Richard Wilson has performed and recorded for over fifteen years under the name Racingpaperplanes, but to my knowledge he sings almost exclusively in English. I was delighted that he responded to my call for non-English songs with “Det Vita,” a tune in his native Swedish. Even though I usually can’t understand a word, I love hearing people sing in their own languages. And musically, this song is right in my wheelhouse. According to Matty I’m suffering from Decade Displacement Disorder; perhaps Richard is a fellow sufferer. His unironic love for the grungy, minor-key sounds of ’90s rock shines through even on this synth- and drum-machine-infused tune – and of course I love it.

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Ball of Wax 48: Levi Fuller & The Library – “Der Panther”

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Matty P

If anyone has Decade Displacement Disorder, it would be Levi Fuller. This song sounds straight out of the pages of late ’80s early ’90s Seattle. I’m guessing German is the language used. It sounds appropriate. It could also pass for Swedish psych rock. “Der Panther” does a good job of switching between modes. The switches between the chords and the switches between verse and chorus. It holds one’s attention well. The song slowly picks up intensity and then . . . a solid harmonics breakdown and then the gradual build continues. Levi’s songs keep adding more and more depth and I’m loving the direction he takes with the recent Ball of Wax 48 challenge.

Levi Fuller & the Library will play at the Ball of Wax 48 release show, June 3rd at Conor Byrne.

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Ball of Wax 48 Songs: Winston Seedlark – “Quand J’avais Dix Huit Ans”

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Jon Rooney
Whenever possible, steal ideas from this man

Whenever possible, steal ideas from this man

“Quand J’avais Dix Huit Ans” translates to “When I Was Eighteen Years Old” in English, and that sounds about right. The rough, dry, basement punk from Ireland’s Winston Seedlark (an Irishman writing in French is very Beckett – nicely done) has the energy, enthusiasm, and rough edges of one’s late teens. The main bass riff, played hurriedly in the opening before settling into a more regular tempo, is all Buzzcocks and Fugazi tribute. My French isn’t good enough to pick up the rest of the lyrics, but it’s a fun tune.

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