Ball of Wax 46 Songs: Boring Ghost – Hypnagogic

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Matty P

‘Hypnagogic” is an extremely easy listening song. It hovers over a state of nearly falling asleep, when at last, you fall into the trance. It has one of the most beautiful guitar refrains I’ve heard, ever. Original, catchy and inspiring. The song swells brilliantly between a calm baseline with a halftime feel to the upbeat refrain, each time adding subtle, well-textured layers. Boring Ghost [returning to Ball of Wax for the first time since Volume 3! -ed] has a mastery over lyrical delivery. Take for instance the way he sings, “El-lec-tric.” It’s easy to overlook the brilliance of the delivery, but it’s just smooth, awesome, and cool. Excellent syncopation between the instruments, particularly the drums. Yeah, this song delivers.

Boring Ghost will make the trek from Indianola to join us next Friday, December 2nd, at Conor Byrne for the Ball of Wax 46 release show.

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Ball of Wax 46 Songs: The Echolarks – Little Boots

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Matty P

The Echolarks work the concept of space brilliantly into their song “Little Boots.” A space which allows the richness of the guitar tones and the singer’s timbre to shine. The song flows seamlessly through 6/8 time as if a painter in a dream slashes brushstrokes with each note, accent, and hits. This is a song in a dream cruising across the cosmos. Dynamic builds and descents help give “Little Boots” its great ebb and flow. The Echolarks are a band on the ascent and have made a singular contribution to Ball of Wax 46.

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Ball of Wax 46 Songs: Darryl Blood – Flavor of the Day

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Levi Fuller

Our old friend Darryl Blood has been getting quite avant garde with his Ball of Wax submissions of late. While I’ve sincerely enjoyed his experiments with heavily processed vocals, re-edited cellos, and spacey ambience, it’s also always a pleasure to hear what I know him best for:  a snappy, sardonic, perfectly-put-together song. “Flavor of the Day” bounces along with an upbeat country vibe, backing up the barbs and ruminations Darryl delivers in his pleasingly raspy voice. I welcome all past, present, and future artistic incarnations of Darryl Blood, and I’m happy to know that the avant weirdo can exist at the same time as the singer-songwriter. More along these lines will likely be heard on his forthcoming album Arden Eevin, Vol. 2.

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Sam Russell and the Harborrats release Born to Hurt single

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Jon Rooney

Seattle-via-Kenosha, Wisconsin anachronistic troubadour Sam Russell just released a new single and it’s fantastic. The anthemic “Born to Hurt” feels like a defining statement for Russell, an artist with a body of work spans a live EP with his ace band, the Harborrats as well as his Blue Moon Bible project, an ongoing series of 8 albums with 8 songs apiece inspired by The Odyssey and James Joyce’s Ulysses (Russell is, thus far, 6 records in). All strains of folk, Americana, doo wop, rock ‘n’ roll, and post-Dylan folk-rock that Russell has employed over the last decade meet on board an ’80s synth-laden space ship and soar above the trees, past the old factory and over the train tracks to glory a la the movie The Explorers. Western civilization needs not one more iota of half-baked post-US presidential election commentary, but Russell’s literal (he left Kenosha over a decade ago) and figurative escapism is a sharp contrast from the fascist incantations many of his fellow Rust Belters cast in the voting booth on November 8th.


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Ball of Wax 46 Songs: The Foghorns – Get On With It

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Levi Fuller

Our old pals The Foghorns have allowed me to share a track from their next album for this volume of Ball of Wax. “Get On With It”* is a peppy little barn-burner of a tune injected with what seems to be a healthy dose of sexual frustration and infidelity (always a great combo). Unless I’m totally missing the point, which is entirely likely. Further evidence that the team of Bart Cameron, Peter Colclasure, Jason Kopec, Ken Nottingham, and Lauren Trew can do no musical wrong. All right, enough yapping from me. Hit play and get on with it!

The Foghorns are playing at our Ball of Wax 46 Release Show, December 2nd at Conor Byrne. See you there!

*I seriously am about to give myself an aneurysm figuring out how to capitalize this title, what with those two prepositions in the middle and all.

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Ball of Wax 46 Songs: Jean Jackets – Won’t Take You Back

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Matty P

Sexy catchy guitar lick reminiscent of the one in Bob Dylan’s “Obviously Five Believers.” Hot sweet make you wanna dance beat. Rusty wistful singing. A spot on organ solo. Killer execution. This band rocks! This song’s got it all too. In three minutes the Jean Jackets round the bases a number of times. With lyrics like “a need to holler, and a need to sing,” they show neither pretension nor an ounce of trying too hard to sound cool. Just simple and fun. And of course the song finishes well, with a killer build at the end. Awesome!

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Ball of Wax 46 Songs: Terwilliger Curves – First to Flow

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Matty P

Terwilliger Curves, that band from down south, delivers on the latest edition of Ball of Wax. After one hell of an intro, of very esoteric sounds, the song arrives in maddening fashion. Sex Pistols style lyrical delivery, loud distorted music, a catchy doo doo doo refrain. These guys rock, well, hard, and they are indeed super and terrific. The Terwilliger Curves cover a lot of ground with the wide range of experimental punk rock sounds they deliver, and their jam “First To Flow” is a fine example and fine listening.

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Ball of Wax 46: December 2, Conor Byrne Pub

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Levi Fuller

So, I guess we’re still doing this. Life goes on, healing power of music, all that? I don’t know, but I think it will feel good to stand in a room of good people and hear some good music. Join me.

Ball of Wax Volume 46 Release Show
The Foghorns / Robert Deeble / Amanda Winterhalter / Boring Ghost / Modern Relics / Moon Baillie (Pampa)
Friday, December 2nd, Conor Byrne Pub
8:00pm / $8 (Includes BoW 46 CD)

Can we hide in an underground house for the next four years?

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Album Review: Virgin of the Birds – Secret Kids (Ball of Wax Midwives a Lit-rock Masterpiece)

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Bart Cameron

Virgin of the Birds - Secret KidsVirgin of the Birds – Secret Kids
(2016, Abandoned Love/Song, by Toad)

I.

Virgin of the Birds is celebrating the release of a uniquely outstanding record October 22, 2016 at Substation. Secret Kids, the band’s sophomore LP (out today), is unabashedly tasteful, complex, and intelligent. The perfect pop album, an album so pure and expressive that a 40-year-old music fan can approach it without suspending disbelief, Secret Kids is that singular record that may, in a decade, be all that is remembered from the songwriter scene here in Seattle, and that would be okay.

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Submit to Ball of Wax 46!

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Levi Fuller
Courtesy flick user maziar hooshmand

Courtesy flickr user
maziar hooshmand

Yet again we find ourselves putting together a collection of the finest and weirdest and least-heard sounds we can find to be lovingly compiled into a volume of Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly. As you probably know, sometimes there is a theme (like the brilliant One Minute Singles collection we just released); this time there is no theme. Just send in something cool and we’ll let the magic happen.

Unreleased or exclusive tracks not required (though certainly more than welcome), so if you have a new or forthcoming album you want to shed some light on, that is perfectly acceptable.

Deadline: Friday, October 14th (deadline flexible, early submissions always greatly appreciated)

General guidelines here.

Send questions here.

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