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Ball of Wax 37 Songs (and pictures): Colin Ernst – “Henry Hippo,” Illustrated by Amy Redmond
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Tagged amy redmond, Colin Ernst, hippos, songs about animals
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Ball of Wax 37 Songs (and pictures): Hal Colombo – “Kittens and Gorillas,” Illustrated by Keith Negley
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Tagged gorillas, hal colombo, keith negley, kittens, songs about animals
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Ball of Wax 37 Songs (and pictures): Jon Rooney – “The Truth about Penguins,” Illustrated by Dejah Leger
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Tagged dejah leger, Jon Rooney, penguins, songs about animals, virgin of the birds
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Ball of Wax 37 Songs (and pictures): Werebearcat! – “Principles of Interspecies Dynamics,” Illustrated by Gabriel Mintz
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Tagged gabriel mintz, songs about animals, werebearcat!
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Ball of Wax 37 Songs (and pictures): Eli Rosenblatt – “Monkey Monkey,” Illustrated by Courtney Blazon
“In my drawing, made using marker and pen on paper, I wanted to capture these free, happy animals hanging out in their environments. The monkey and the snake are living in their own worlds of the grass and the trees, but they are also interconnected because they are sharing the jungle, and this is indicated by their tails intertwining. The monkey and the snake here are all about having some fun, swinging around, playing music and loosening their ties!” -Courtney Blazon
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Tagged courtney blazon, eli rosenblatt, songs about animals
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Album Review: The Crush – Future Blimps
The Crush – Future Blimps
(self-released, 2014)
Power pop trio the Crush first appeared on the Seattle scene sometime in 2013. They had the energy, enthusiasm, Kinks covers and cool guitars (Rickenbacker 360 and Danelectro Longhorn bass!!!) to quickly gain a loyal local following. The Crush’s first EP, Future Blimps, shows that they have the sound and songs to win over fans from further afield. Opener “Never Gonna Stop” is a party-ready tune built around Jacob Thiede’s rousing guitar riff and Daniel Cutting’s spot-on drumming. Songs like “Around” and “It’s Love” are equally bouncy, entirely enjoyable jangle pop workouts. Continue reading
Posted in Album Reviews, Bands You Should Know, Community, Recorded Music
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Ball of Wax 37 Songs (and pictures): Recess Monkey – “The Hermit,” Illustrated by Nathan Shields
Normally we like to write little reviews of each track as we post them leading up to the release of a new volume, but since Volume 37 is a little different, we’re going to take a different approach. For each new song, we will also share the image that song’s illustrator came up with, which will be printed in the accompanying book. Some illustrators will also share their thoughts on the song and how they created their image. Enjoy!
“Recess Monkey’s song tells the story of three hermit crabs upgrading to larger shells, which I tried to capture in an image. I figured chalk was an appropriate medium since it’s made of similar stuff as seashells (or used to be), and chalkboards are just fun anyway. The picture makes more sense when its development (which I recorded) is viewed while the song plays.” -Nathan Shields
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Tagged nathan shields, recess monkey, songs about animals
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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: Monica Schley – “In the Shadows (of Enchantment)”
Monica Schley‘s “In the Shadows (of Enchantment)” closes out Ball of Wax 36 with some sparse, roughly-recorded folk. The first minute of “In the Shadows (of Enchantment)” consists of just harp and violin. The fidelity is decidedly low – it sounds like an iPhone recording in a small bathroom, but the playing is intricate and determined. Schley’s vocals finally appear, though buried a bit beneath the instruments. A song emerges from the plucks and hiss, one that sounds like the Cowboy Junkies doing a very slow, very sad version of “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Schley has a rich voice which, combined with the spartan instrumentation, adds up to a heartfelt, slightly spooky, small set piece.