Reviewed by Phil Thomson
Sorry, but I have nothing good to say about this. I claim a reviewer's right to throw my hands up in horror. It is a mystifying attempt at gimmickry. Witness the lyric "We're the pirates of JC, finding treasure where we be." And I would credit even the most stubborn listener with more discernment than to plough through "Heaven Is Better Than A Bouncy Castle" (title) or the sound-alike "Grand Old Judge Of God". The project is targeted at children but the whole outing takes itself far too seriously for that - and if adults are meant to be impressed, you'd be hard-pressed to get the joke; the concepts are incomprehensible, the music, incoherent and you never get any time to "tune in". Everything about it is embarrassing, from the erratic, schizo playing to the forced, nasal vocals and endless sound-library fillers. It is so bad, I bet it would be amazing 'live' in the hands of an inspired multi-media producer, as pure Theatre Of The Absurd. However, on the deck, it is a mess; there is no creativity or flow, just a smash-and-grab where anything goes to get a track over with. This home-grown effort makes excruciating listening.
This is one of those CDs where you either 'get it' or don't. Play it in a room full of kids with a packet of crisps and cherry cola then the reviewer’s view may change.
My 7 year old’s fave is 'Heaven is better than a bouncy castle'. Mine is 'Who made the monkeys' with its animal sound fx.
The music is idiosyncratic. One does not normally mix acoustic guitar with an acid beat but this could be the future. The synth backing to 'Grand old judge’ kinda works.
The final song sounds like the smurfs which makes you think 'Uh?' and then play the whole CD again.