Body-San's Shining the Money Ball is an amiable, groovy album with a real sense of style that, despite some inspired moments, unfortunately fails to deliver as an LP. That being said, there's a very strong EP to be found here if one is willing to dig — and the work is worth it.
There is a woozy, drugged-out texture to this album that draws you into its strange world immediately. Full of enveloping rhythms and funky bass lines, it also often features jungle birds and gurgling streams grooving along in the background, lending a distinctly tropical vibe to the party. The essential trio of "A Million Brazilian Dollars," "Mama Celeste Side Up" and "Dream Support" are lush and groovy at the same time, a difficult feat that Body-San achieves with seeming ease. The latter track opens with friendly but unintelligible speech layered over a lazy beat, dreamy synths, and (more) bird sounds that, coupled with the album's generally hazy feel, creates a collage that is truly surreal, a funked-out jungle dream sequence that totally succeeds.
Pound for pound, though, the album comes up short. Of the ten tracks here, three ("Voices" 1-3) are brief and insubstantial interludes, and the opening and closing numbers are meandering and inessential. We are left, then, with five tracks, three of which are excellent, two quite good — not exactly an embarrassment of riches. The cherry-picking is sweet however, and the effort recommended. Shining the Money Ball is an enjoyably strange, if uneven ride.
(1080p)There is a woozy, drugged-out texture to this album that draws you into its strange world immediately. Full of enveloping rhythms and funky bass lines, it also often features jungle birds and gurgling streams grooving along in the background, lending a distinctly tropical vibe to the party. The essential trio of "A Million Brazilian Dollars," "Mama Celeste Side Up" and "Dream Support" are lush and groovy at the same time, a difficult feat that Body-San achieves with seeming ease. The latter track opens with friendly but unintelligible speech layered over a lazy beat, dreamy synths, and (more) bird sounds that, coupled with the album's generally hazy feel, creates a collage that is truly surreal, a funked-out jungle dream sequence that totally succeeds.
Pound for pound, though, the album comes up short. Of the ten tracks here, three ("Voices" 1-3) are brief and insubstantial interludes, and the opening and closing numbers are meandering and inessential. We are left, then, with five tracks, three of which are excellent, two quite good — not exactly an embarrassment of riches. The cherry-picking is sweet however, and the effort recommended. Shining the Money Ball is an enjoyably strange, if uneven ride.
