Albums We Love: Kickball - "Everything is a Miracle Nothing is a Miracle"

In 2007, Kickball, a band from Olympia, WA (I think) released what is easily one of the gems of DIY garage rock from last decade. The circuitous title Everything is a Miracle Nothing is a Miracle is taken from "Pocketknife" -- a rollercoaster, crunchy standout from the album. I came across Kickball while hanging out with some folks in Fayetteville where they had played in their basement. Kickball probably spent most of their careers in basements, going from one place to another, making enough money to get to the next show. It's probably why not much about the band can be confirmed, and a survey of the net leads to a MySpace page and a bandcamp link, which we'll share with you. Evidently Kickball has been out of commission for a while, but that doesn't change the pure beauty of this album. Swinging from dramatic melodies to deep riffs that seem to pierce your ear drums with intensity and emotion the album runs an entire gamut of emotions with musical dexterity that's barely rivaled these days.

All too often with blogs, we get caught up with what's going on now. All too often we look at today when bands like this need to be heard still, need to be kept alive. As my friend Sam once said about his music "All I want to do is live in somebody's iPod." Kickball, you can live on in this blog. It may be a small gesture, but at least its one.

Bandcamp