Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle

Release Date: 1991 | Tracklist

Out of the womb, I believe Mike Patton was on a mission. And that mission was to make music that puts people in a position where they fear for their safety. By now, most of you have at least heard the rumors that Mike Patton's imagination is a bit on the dark, quirky, and unpredictable side. To say the least, his music is not the most approachable. In short, it is creepy. It ranges from bubbly and groovy, to harsh screaming and sounds of murder, with crunching guitar and jazzy saxophones- All in 5 seconds. Mr. Bungle, on of the most remarkable Patton projects, is the epitome of ADHD. It is a bit unsettling. Combining inhumane amounts of profanity, and the most annoying sounds you could imagine, Mr. Bungle make good music that scares everyone. I guess it only goes to show, Tourette's syndrome can be a good thing. Mr. Bungle's debut record was released around the same time as Mike Patton's most famous project, Faith No More, was in the height of their career. And it is nothing what an easy going listener would ever think of touching. But still, the music manages to be very creative, and good, whilst you are constantly peeking over your shoulder to see if an axe murderer is towering over you.

The weirdest part of the music is without a doubt, Mike Patton's vocals. He sings with a little whiny moan, but turns a sharp corner and screams with a growling tone, or starts laughing maniacally. The two weirdest songs that come to mind, on this album, are "Carousel", which, backed by carnival music and distorted guitar, blended with an alto saxophone, ground Patton's piercing voice where he either moans, groans, laughs, or growls, and "Squeeze Me Macaroni", where he rapidly spits out Mother Goose nursery rhymes during the chorus, or blazes through odd lyrics in front of a fusion blend of slap bass and tenor saxophone. And on the peculiar "Love is a Fist", you can undoubtedly hear Patton's influence on an early Brandon Boyd, lead singer of funk/rock band, Incubus, from their days in Fungus Amongus and SCIENCE. No doubt, Patton was probably tormented as a child, because no sane, normal human being, would ever think to make that much annoying noise, in that short amount of time. And on top of that, the song lengths are anything but user-friendly, usually clocking in at well over six minutes, making this album a little bit less than easy to handle.

Musically, the album is a visionary. The guitar playing is very precise, and frequently utilizes technical skill, because lets face it, they probably aren't worrying too much about timing. Songs like "Quote Unquote", which features a heavier-than-hell riff, "My Ass is on Fire" where effect pedals shape some cool sounds, like wah-wah riffing, and "Egg" has some very fast playing around on the instrument. Trevor Dunn (phenomenal bassist) provides the majority of the groove, even if you really aren't worrying about the fantastic rhythm section. But the locking in of the drums and bass is great. "Dead Goon", a 10-minute gore-suite which will make you feel numb from fear, features some very cool, slinky basslines, and his slapping on the jazzy "Squeeze Me Macaroni" is to die for. His tone isn't all that bad, either. You'll definitely notice the use of horns on most songs. Saxophones make a number of appearances, like on the previous track mentioned, as well as the weird, carnival-ish, trippy "Carousel". But the sheer talent on every song, in my opinion, does not hold up to the genius of "Slowly Growing Deaf" and "Stubb (A Dubb)". Both tracks, fitting the bill of Patton's idea of "let's make 'em shit themselves" also feature some awesome grooving between the rhythm section, as well as the jazzy sound that sculpt the horn section. While it may be frightening, and extremely peculiar, this album was a formidable, acquired listen that wasn't all that bad.

Once you get past Mike Patton's need to make music that makes you feel as uncomfortable as possible, listening to this album will become an acquired taste that isn't so bad after all. Although this might be the band's least approachable album, it was certainly their most inventive. But believe me, your feelings on the first listen will be absolutely shocked.

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4.1 excellent

Rank: #49 for 1991