Q*BALL

On the streets, New York City’s Q*Ball may be noticed for his shiny, bald head. On stage however, the uni-named artist is likely be noted for the barrage of rump-shaking beats he belts out. And on his debut, Q*Ball In Space, Q brings to the table an arsenal of uptempo electro-dance tunes laced with catchy pop hooks on tracks like the opening “Get on the Bus,” where Q’s U2-on-Ecstasy style simmers to a boil.  Sits somewhere between stage and rave. “Chew” exhibits quirky synths and funky guitar riffs, while ghostly echoes linger around “Edith.”  The ambient hues of “Hey DJ” simmer in slow-footed rhythms that are the dance side of rock and the rock side of dance, with Bumblefoot’s electrorock guitar style. Q’s off-the-beaten-path lyrics come from a different universe, one that’s warped yet accessible at once. “Who stole the riff from Queen and David Bowie,” Q asks on “Get on the Bus,” an obvious knock at Icebaby man himself Robert Van Winkle. “Not me, but right now I think I’m feeling like some ice cream.” With the various flavors and textures on “In Space,” one can bet it’s Neapolitan. - Omar Perez

A scrumptious dance-pop bonbon from the chrome-domed Q*Ball. The shit is catchy, y'all. Taking its, er, cue from '80s phenoms like INXS, Thomas Dolby and Duran Duran, Q*Ball's electro-funk is as white as his big bald head and just as shiny. An irreverent megalomaniac with hip style sense and a wacky sense of humor, Q*Ball has the drive and talent to break out. Go, Q*Ball, go!
- Jim Santo

Q*Ball wears his shame on his sleeve. It could be easy to peg his obsession with hair loss as a compensation for years of dealing with an exceptionally shiny visage, but his new LP, Fortune Favors the Bald begs for more. The Brooklyn electronic artist seems to share the compulsion to continually point out his bald head with the equally fervent need to fill a void in music today. His records, equal parts twee-pop, new wave, industrial avante-house, and late 80s prog rock, reach for something to set a shudder in the deadening heartbeat of mainstream music. A bit of displacement & alienation, then, may characterize much of Q*Ball’s sound. Maybe that’s why his first album is called Q*Ball in Space (2002), or maybe it’s just because he looks like Frank Black wearing a NASA helmet.

With proclaimed overseas guitar impresario Bumblefoot as a co-writer & all around studio buddy, Q*Ball ruffles through three decades of electronic music & mainstream pop, translating his love for legendary acts into an accessible approach to what he sees as a waning presence of electronic music in today’s scene. Q*Ball in Space is bloated with the energy of Basement Jaxx & the dedication of Nine Inch Nails. Bono & Morrissey crawl through his anthemic vocals, & the Chemical Brothers pepper his beats. Is there even a bit of “Weird” Al in “El Disco?” Now, with Fortune Favors the Bald, Q takes a logical step, upping the ante of influences to include Moby, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Kraftwerk & the pretty pastoral noodlings of Dntel or Mum.

Q*Ball in Space’s titular track opens with a pre-paunch checkup: “Fuel? Check…Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders? Check.” Fortune Favors the Bald backs up that claim as Q packs more than ever—and more, gasp!, sexiness than ever—into his powerhouse of obligatory sonic history. Bumblefoot proves himself, once again, an essential piece of Q*Ball’s lofty plans; the guitars are thicker, the vitriol is more potent, & the incessant tribute to Buckethead is interesting.

If you like your U2 rattled & your Bjork secretly groped in the backseat of a Nissan, Q*Ball has a lot for you. Check him out & help him buy a hat.

- Rev. D.A. Coleman

Q*Ball's music is basically mainstream-friendly Pop. Rocking & very 90's in feel, but also markedly influenced by 80's Synthpop with some winks to Funk & Disco from the 70's. Maybe this doesn't seem like a recipe for something very innovative, but the end product sounds optimistically refreshing.

Fortune Favors the Bald, the 2nd album from this NYC-based electro-pop musician, is one of those occasional gems of good music that proves that there is good, interesting pop music being made. Pop music that isn't pretentious, shallow tripe, but that actually has some depth & feeling, as well as being uncompromising party music. Despite the music being essentially electronic-based, it is not "mechanical" at all, & Q*Ball could well pass as a "normal" pop band. Not forgetting the importance of good mixing/mastering, there is obviously real talent here as far as programming and sequencing go. The music is further enriched by Bumblefoot's guitar & bass guitar work.

From ballads to party tracks, Q*Ball's conviction & enthusiasm permeate every track on this
album. Lyrically, it is simple & direct without being simplistic, whether the songs deal with deep emotions or are "just" party tracks. An interesting feature of the lyrics is the very tongue-in-cheek "cult of the personality", as there are a few songs markedly focusing on Q*Ball himself as a character and not just his opinions. The vocals may not be exceptional, but are quite adequate to the songs, making them extremely catchy (an important point in any Pop song) and surely don't lack any feeling.

Picking individual tracks is a bit hard, but there are a few that do stand out. "El Disco" comes
to mind as the club anthem in this album, closely followed by the title track. "Brock Thurmon, P.I" comes across as a bit of an oddball track (pun intended) but is somewhat interesting & very 90's. Not immediate hits, completely Pop tracks tracks like "John Hughes" & "Showcase" are also worthy of mention.

In a way, in addition to being good music, the whole ensemble of Fortune Favors The Bald has a certain teenage high-school "coolness" naiveté (if there ever was such a thing), a feeling and attitude like that of the 90's cult TV series "Parker Lewis Can't Lose," but with a bit more kick. "Coolness!"

- Miguel de Sousa

More tongue-in-cheek lyrics expound themes that many wouldn't be brave enough to tackle - like in "John Hughes" or "Who Said Chivalry Is Dead? (Not Q*Ball)." The title track is a frenetic fast-paced jumper with little time left to breathe. Ever since I introduced you to his music, I've been keeping a close eye on a guy who expands the musical horizons with his songwriting skills and should be the rightful owner of the "Best New York City Musician" award, if there were such an award. Aided by producer and fellow musician god Bumblefoot, "Fortune Favors the Bald" ups the ante a thousand-fold and other like-minded techno-pop artists will be green with envy. Fantastic. Oh yeah - and he sent a nice lollipop with the CD and Mr. Owl told me it'd be three licks, but it was only two.
- J-Sin Shawn