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Balloons for the Dog — Wicked Forms of Old Snow
(Cuneiform no#, 1981/2025, DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-02-13

Wicked Forms of Old Snow Cover art

Balloons for the Dog was a band based in suburban Maryland that was active in the late 70s and early 80s. Their combination of art rock, conceptual theater, humor, and social commentary drew them a cadre of loyal fans but was just too weird for mainstream audiences. Their story (and their music to an extent) reminds me of a number of other bands of the general time period that operated in the same general artistic space: Human Sexual Response, 9353, The Stick Men, The Waitresses, Sweet Madness, Red Dress, and Devo and The Tubes in their earlier years. These groups took Frank Zappa’s surrealistic storytelling and musical adventurousness, added in a dashes of fringe theater weirdness, New Wave attitude, and DIY quirkiness, and ventured onto stages around the country, often gaining local followings but rarely breaking through on a wider level. Wicked Forms of Old Snow gathers together 18 tracks recorded between 1977 and 1981 by various lineups of the group, and it should come as no surprise that they cover a wide range of styles. To my ear, some songs work better than others, but the best ones are real gems. “Trapped in a Photograph” manages to blend backing tracks that are clearly inspired by Mahavishnu Orchestra with a theatrical vocal singing odd lyrics. Some excellent violin work here from Eric Bindman, along with an insane guitar solo from Bill Longhorse. The album is a welcome preservation of a strange corner of rock history, and a reminder that music can be both seriously good and ridiculously weird.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases, 1981 recordings

Related artist(s): Balloons for the Dog

More info
http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wicked-forms-of-old-snow

 

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