If you line up the original versions of the four songs that Body Games cover on their forthcoming EP, Local Love Vol. 1, the runtime lasts for less than 15 minutes. But Body Games’ rendition stops just shy of the 20-minute mark. That difference is telling, as the electronic Carrboro trio both slow down songs by Museum Mouth, Rogue Band of Youth, Weller and Estrangers and tack on intriguing additions, from samples to saxophone solos. There’s the pitch-shifted interpolation of Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” at the end of “Fools,” the browbeating bass-and-synth tangent in the middle of “Through Their Eyes, I See,” and an extended monologue from Earl Partridge’s deathbed character in Magnolia tacked to the tail of “Dayzd.”
All these moves are indicative of Body Games’ wonderfully indulgent and tangential approach. With a counterintuitive but compelling sense of structure, their songs veer into unexpected places. And with a narcotic sense of timing, as though they’re making this music stoned and with the lights off, Body Games find a vibe they like and don’t mind lingering there. They make these four distinct songs their own, not wholly removed from their sources but ingenuously updated.
Body Games release Local Love Vol. 1 Saturday night with a show at Kings, followed by a full-length sometime later this year. For those details, check our show preview here.
