Mr. Bungle - California Review

Mr. Bungle California

dig it

full review

Tracklist:
1. Sweet Charity
2. None Of Them Knew They Were Robots
3. Retrovertigo
4. The Air-Conditioned Nightmare
5. Ars Moriendi
6. Pink Cigarette
7. Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy
8. The Holy Filament
9. Vanity Fair
10. Goodbye Sober Day

Ranking: #9 for 1999

user rating

4.3
superb

Chart.

other reviews

Zac Likes Music (5)
...

antihippy (5)
...

Lambda (5)
...

Clumpy (4.5)
Awesome Progressive Pop With a Sinister Edge...

Killtacular (4)
...

related

OU818

The Raging Wrath of the E

Mr Bungle

members also liked

DJ Shadow Endtroducing
Massive Attack Mezzanine
Battles Mirrored
Kayo Dot Choirs of the Eye
Peeping Tom Peeping Tom
Portishead Dummy
Frank Zappa Hot Rats
Kayo Dot Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue

On 72 Lists

5.0
classic

Anthony D. Korum USER (12 Reviews)

2007-01-01 | 102 comments | 4,638 views

Summary: A truly extraordinary album by a outstanding band.

17 of 19 thought this review was well written

On the seventh day as God rested, he thought. He thought long and hard of what to do. He realized he needed some form of entertainment. He, in secret, created Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, Trey Sprunance, Jed Watts, Theo Lengyl, and Martin Fosnaugh. God made these folks practice for millions of years, until he thought they should make some demos. They first made The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny, and while God was pleased with this creation, he thought that Jed and Martin were not right for Mr. Bungle. So, he created Scott Fritz and Hans Wagner to play on their next demo Bowel Of Chiley. He was very pleased with this release also, but though that Scott was not right for Mr. Bungle either. So Mr. Bungle made another demo for God and right then he knew. He needed Clinton KcKinnon and Danny Hefetz and then his band would be perfect. They recorded their last demo OU818 and god knew it was time. He quickly made Warner Brothers Records sign Mr. Bungle and they made their self titled CD. He wanted more and four years more he got it in the form of Disco Volante, the band at their most experimental and weird. The members of Mr. Bungle fired Theo before they started making their next album and this angered God as he knew that Theo had always added something great to their sound. Regardless of this, God still craved more of Mr. Bungle!! He had to wait patiently for four more years until finally they released this album, California.

When God finally obtained this album, he tore off the packaging with glee. He didn’t know what to expect. Would it be another album in the vein of their self titled days, a ska-circus-metal-weird-freak-out album? Would it be as experimental and crazy as Disco Volante? Would it be more experimental than Disco Volante?? Or would they go all the way back to their grindcore/death metal days? God couldn’t think about it anymore and popped this CD into his CD player.

The sounds of seagulls are what came from his speakers, quickly followed by the relaxing sounds of violins, steel guitars and other instruments he didn’t exactly know that names of. (Yeah I know he’s God...) This was not the Mr. Bungle he knew. He didn’t know what to think. Maybe it would turn into the Bungle he knew. This was some sort of introduction, that’s it! Yes! Just to trick you into thinking this album was going to be slow. Ha! Fat chance!! It begin to fade out. Good. That song was terrible, but now is fast. It’s heavy. But not Bungle heavy. He turned off the cd as soon as he heard Mike singing. Too calm. This is not right.

He thought he should go to bed. He did, and the next day he came to the CD with a different point of view. He turned the CD on again. Bracing himself for what was about to come, he just listened. There were those damn seagulls again. It didn’t seem to bother him as much this time. The seconds those relaxing instruments came on he knew. Yes, this was the same Bungle. He loved it. He listened to the whole thing. Through the jazzy None Of Them Knew They Were Robots. Through the haunting RetroVertigo. Through the spastic Air Conditioned Nightmare. Through everything. He listened to it again and again and again. He flat out loved it.

You see, Mr. Bungle go everywhere. They are most definitely not afraid to experiment with different instruments, and give many layers to their songs. Goodbye Sober Day has been rumored to have used 40 separate tracks to make the final song. Mr. Bungle journey from genre to genre within one song, within seconds you go from listening to tribal chanting to metal. It all happens so smooth, and never comes off as forced. What is on this album cannot be put into one single genre, and I don’t think anyone will ever be able sum up Mr. Bungle with a single word, and this album portrays them at what many see as their best.

Every song on hear is completely beautiful in their own way, and all do take time to grow on you. Every song has enormous replay value, as there are many new things to discover upon each listen. I still can listen to a song, which I have practically memorized and be amazed by finding a new instrument hiding deep within the mix. This music is fun and unpredictable.

It is their last album, and they have officially disbanded even though they do continue to all make music in other projects, they will never be able to touch the music they made when they all came together, as when their minds combine and they play their instruments together, there is nothing that they can do to beat the emotion, talent, and sheer creativity that they made. I believe that the best word that you can use to sum up Mr. Bungle and this album is remarkable.

Share: Facebook Stumble Digg Twitter Del.icio.us