The Seattle DIY king (Levi Fuller) returns with his next Ball Of Wax comp. This time, it’s themed. Each song is between one and two minutes in length, hence the album’s name, Ball Of Wax 18: One Minute Singles. You’ll see some FensePost local favorites in there, including Levi Fuller (Mr. Seattle DIY himself), Virgin Of The Birds (pictured), Dandelion Gold, Webelos, Open Fire Choir, and Poland. To celebrate its launch, there’s gonna be a SHOW!

More on that soon, but first…

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s hiding within this comp:

The Pika Beats: Nettles [mp3]

Virgin Of The Birds: In Praise Of Marrying Widows [mp3]

Launch Party Show Specifics:

Wednesday, December 16th, 8:00 pm
The Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave NW
21+ / $7 (includes a copy of the Ball of Wax 18 One Minute Singles CD)

For a full list of artists performing at the event or to pick up your very own copy of Ball Of Wax 18: One Minute Singles, head over to the Ball Of Wax website.

Each Ball Of Wax compilation has a theme behind it and this one is the thirteenth quarterly comp that Seattle artist Levi Fuller has done. What Fuller does is concoct a theme (at least on some… several have no theme other than being “music to enjoy”) then gather a mass of (usually) local Pacific Northwest artists, who all write and record an exclusive song for the release. This was my first time seeing several of the performers on the list, from St Rainbow (the folks behind Hollow Earth Radio) and their eerie sampled goodness to Olie Eshleman’s instrumental loops. Virgin Of The Birds (MySpace), however, was a familiar name.

This band is the project of Jon Rooney. Though I’ve known Rooney for close to a year and a half, I only recently saw him perform for the first time. Though taller and cleaner cut, Rooney has the voice of an early Dan Bejar (Destroyer, The New Pornographers). This signature vocal sound fits well with his music, a casual folk-pop that’s easy to get into yet packed with unique hooks rare in the genre.

At Sunset Tavern on the 21st, Rooney was joined onstage by Seattle trio Secret Highways. He played a few from last year’s Mixed Choir EP and also treated us to “She’s In The Moon Again”, the song Rooney donated to Ball Of Wax 13.

This compilation features fifteen tracks, all written as a homage to the late George Carlin and his Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television. So, comp in hand, you’ll likely hear a slew of curse words with fuck and shit being the most popular. You can also pick up Mixed Choir from Virgin Of The Birds on Abandoned Love Records, while Ball Of Wax 13 is available for purchase here.

Virgin Of The Birds: Sisters At The Sound Of Dawn [mp3]

August 21, the night of the fourteenth Ball Of Wax CD release party. I dropped by Sunset Tavern here in Ballard at about 8:30, just in time to see Levi Fuller, the mastermind behind this quarterly compilation series, play his song from the album. But a highlight of the evening would come when I discovered that Smile Brigade (MySpace) would be laying down a set toward the end of the evening.

You see, I covered Smile Brigade some time ago and I had not yet had a chance to see the band live. What I remember from that feature article long ago was that Smile Brigade played some pretty damn fun power pop. And that’s what they laid out for us toward the end of the evening at the Sunset.

Their music fit well with the evening, despite an electric full band presence when most artists were solos or duos and generally acoustic at that. I introduced myself to Graham, the lead singer, before they took the stage and he mentioned their recent release, an LP titled Take The Precious Edge Off This Treacherous Ledge.

I’m looking forward to hearing more from Smile Brigade in the near future—yet another great Seattle indie-pop band. Included below is “Big Desires”, the track Smile Brigade donated to Ball Of Wax 13, available for purchase here.

Smile Brigade: Big Desires [mp3]