March 10, 2023
Let's return to South Australia, to Adelaide, to meet Ax & the Ivory again. They wowed us in November 2022 with "Find It". So here they are for a second feature on IMC with their new single "Pinball Machine" released today.
If you're a fan of bands with overflowing folk energy like The Light The Heat, WILD, or The National Parks, you'll love Axe & The Ivory.
An absolutely incredible flow of words, and the always magical meeting of the acoustic guitar and the banjo create a unique atmosphere in this wonderful masterpiece.
I grew up in my parents' bars and by the age of 6, I was spending more time on the pinball machines than doing my homework. And when your father brings the key to open the coin mechanism, and collects coins so that you can put them back in the machine, you feel like the king of the world and a privileged lucky person.
Of course, the song isn't about those wonderful machines that accompanied the young (and the less young) people of the 80s and 90s. It's a brilliant metaphor for talking about the ups and downs that life brings us through the encounters, as the band explains:
"Life can knock you around. Maybe you're chasing good people or not good people. Then you find someone in the same pinball machine. Even if you're not who each other is looking for, it makes you both feel ok again."
Yes, life is just a game of chance. We lose. We win. But often the most important thing is not the result, but the power of the emotions and experiences that led to this result. And we find them perfectly in the song, which changes intensity gradually. Until reaching the "multiball" mode, with divine percussions and a frenzied banjo which make the climax exceptional.
