Ball of Wax 36 Songs: Pufferfish – “Lean”

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Jon Rooney

Seattle’s Pufferfish is well-situated in the Ball of Wax universe, counting frequent contributors (and in Levi’s case, Czar) Levi Fuller and Emiko Blalock among its members and the Foghorns, Casey Ruff, Jeremy Burk and Wesafari as past bill mates. “Lean” is a pretty thorough Americana meditation, driven primarily by banjo and Jonah Baker’s baritone drawl. As the song builds, bass, electric guitar and accordion fill in the spaces, though “Lean” never quite reaches a crescendo, content to wind around itself and hint at high points.

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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: Tenderfoot – “Do It My Love”

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Levi Fuller

Adam Boehmer’s Tenderfoot is another new addition to the Ball of Wax camp, though I’m surprised it’s taken this long for him to cross my radar. I really enjoy his approach both to songwriting and production; “Do It My Love” is a sincere, moving, and even catchy song with roots in folk and soul, but it also just sounds interesting. There’s guitar, of course, and piano, but then there are other strange instruments and sounds that weave in and out throughout the piece, and this very satisfying, deeply thumping, minimalist percussion. And Adam sings over the whole thing, intently, intensely, and somewhat mysteriously (I’ve listened to this song at least a hundred times by now and I’m not sure what “it” is), but with utter conviction. I’m excited to see Tenderfoot play at our Volume 36 release show on June 7th, and to see where he takes his music in the months and years to come.

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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: The Foghorns – “Beautiful Soul”

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Levi Fuller

Somehow I didn’t get a waltz or a love song from the Foghorns for Ball of Wax 34 or 35, respectively, so of course now that I have a volume with no theme at all, here comes Bart Cameron with this beautiful ballad that would have fit neatly in either collection (and it’s not the only song on this collection that would have fit one or both of those themes). But a song this gorgeous and heartfelt doesn’t need a theme to be appreciated.

Up to now there’s pretty much always been an edge, or a darkness, in Bart’s songwriting – whether it’s the angry wit of “Ain’t I a Man,” the booze-soaked woe of “80 Proof,” or some other form of humor, sarcasm, or bleakness – but I believe this is the first song I’ve heard from his pen that’s just purely sweet, and it turns out he can pull that off just as well. I won’t say that having children has blunted Bart’s edge, but it’s certainly brought out new facets in his musical persona, which is all to the good. The stripped-down arrangement, highlighting the wonderful bass clarinet work of Lauren Trew (who just might be the second-most important member of the band [with all due respect to Jason, Ken, and the choir]), is a perfect vessel for this open-hearted ode to Bart’s firstborn.

Don’t miss the Foghorns’ performance at our Volume 36 release show, Saturday June 7th at Conor Byrne.

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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: Emory Liu – “Irish Goodbye”

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Levi Fuller

It’s been quite some time since we’ve had a song from Emory Liu on Ball of Wax – half as long as BoW has existed, in fact. (Emory and I collaborated on Volume 18, “One Minute Singles,” for which he provided the track “Misfortune Cookie.”) Emory – whom you might remember for his drum work with Seattle post-rock juggernaut Joy Wants Eternity – has not been particularly prolific with his solo output, but whenever I get something from him it’s a delight. Something about the minimalist production, Emory’s unassuming vocal delivery, the finger-picked acoustic guitar, and the slightly twisted pop sensibility of “Irish Goodbye” call to mind some of Jim O’Rourke’s best work, which is something I’m always happy to be reminded of. I sincerely hope he has a proper solo release in the works. If not, though, this is why I started this dang thing in the first place, to get these strange and beautiful songs that might not otherwise be heard out into the world. Enjoy!

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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: Joey Beltram – “Red Lights”

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Jon Rooney

Joey Beltram‘s “Red Lights” rides on the same moody, mellow waves as the surprisingly popular National – gruff baritone vocals singing a weary melody atop a bed of acoustic guitar strumming and tasteful drones, plucks and plinks. It’s pretty without a saccharin overdose, somber without being too weighty. Despite being relatively sparse, “Red Lights” is a really well put together song – every background vocal, every pipe organ part, even every reverb decay is in its right place.

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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: Gabriel Mintz – “Western Days”

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Levi Fuller

Gabriel Mintz is a newcomer to the Ball of Wax fold, and a most welcome one. I’ve been seeing him around and hearing his name for a while now, but for some reason I hadn’t sat down and listened to his music until he went ahead and sent me a couple songs. (I guess that’s kind of why I do this, now that I think about it.) I don’t know what I expected, but I must have expected something, because I was stopped in my tracks by the lush, dreamy psychedelia and beguilingly androgynous vocals of “Western Days.”

Like “Not Old,” the tune starts with a few chords strummed on an acoustic guitar and builds from there. Soft vocals and brushed drums enter, then come the backing vocals and layers of highly effected guitars and other instruments, all building to a gorgeous, textured musical landscape. The end result is something like Califone with a subdued Norah Jones on vocals – and I mean that as a sincere compliment. Gabriel won’t be able to join us at the Volume 36 release show on June 7th, but I look forward to seeing him play out soon. You should definitely grab his new record Future Wars on vinyl while it lasts.

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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: Sun Tunnels – “Not Old”

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Levi Fuller

Louis O’Callaghan and Sarah McGuinn – aka Sun Tunnels – have cranked out yet another beauty. Until a few minutes ago I thought “Not Old” – another selection from the intergalactic rock opera the band is allegedly cooking up, I believe – had been on Ball of Wax in another form already. I was certainly familiar enough with the tune, had already been hooked by its insistent closing “come on” refrain. Turns out I had just heard an earlier version on Soundcloud back in 2012 and blogged about it (and then sung along from the audience at an open mic at the Skylark). As always, a home-recorded demo of one of Louis’s songs is a treat for the ears, but wow, what Sarah has done with production and her own voice is simply sublime. It starts off just the same as the demo, if a little peppier – solo Louis and acoustic guitar – but soon enough we have ukulele, synths, electronic drums, Sarah backing up and then swapping in on lead vocals (I swear I’ve listened a dozen times and I can never catch whose voice is which when they make the switch in that second verse), and this beautiful, dreamy ending, still urging “come on,” but more seductively, twinkly ’80s synths twirling around the countermelody. All in less than three minutes, like any great pop song.

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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: Levi Fuller and the Library – “Hide and Seek”

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Jon Rooney

“Hide and Seek” sees Levi and his Library return to the bash and crash of Social Music and some recent Ball of Wax contributions. The band jumps right at it from the get-go with stomping drums and a sludgy riff doubled on bass and guitar – further evidence of Levi’s steady drift toward stoner rock (maybe we’ll have a Hawkwind-themed Ball of Wax!!!). The rough, home-made demo is lively and loose while still being nicely constructed. The verse settles into straight fours and down strokes while the chorus employs a title-appropriate “olly olly oxen free” refrain with Levi doubling some harmony vocals. Librarian Jonathan Wooster takes a nifty bass solo at about the 2:30 mark with a brittle, “Helter Skelter” bass tone that really works. Count this as another promising step towards the full length that these gentlemen are working on.

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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: GreenhornBluehorn – “Out of the Dark”

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Levi Fuller

As previously blogged, the Spring 2014 volume of Ball of Wax will be unleashed upon the world on Saturday, June 7th. And what better way to kick off the spring release and celebrate the end of winter than with a song called “Out of the Dark”? I’m not entirely sure what the subject of this song is, but the phrases that jump out (“I’m spinning wheels,” “I think it might take longer than I said,” “even though it’s miles ahead,” “my rough and weary hands”) and the intense, forward-thrusting arrangement blend perfectly to connote some kind of epic journey. The GreenhornBluehorn boys have crafted yet another fine pop song with a hint of darkness and foreboding, and I’m thrilled that they’re sharing it with us for the newest volume. Don’t miss their set at the Ball of Wax 36 release show!

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Ball of Wax 36: June 7, 2014

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Levi Fuller

 BoW 36 2014 06 07

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