Mr. Bungle has written probably some of the weirdest listenable stuff in my library - they are known for their off-the-wall genre hopping and experimental structures and sounds. I think one of the major components that makes the band so good to me is their vocalist - Mike Patton. Widely regarded to be one of the most versatile vocalists in rock today, he displays an awesome range in this album.
California was their third and last album, and contains easily their most accessible material. It's my favourite album of theirs, as they showcase their take on pop, which is awesome.
01. Sweet Charity (5:06)
This has a surfer rock vibe, and mainly sticks within that spectrum. I'm not sure how I would describe the chorus, though. Pretty accessible, and decent, despite the description of surfer rock.
02. None Of Them Knew They Were Robots (6:04)
Starts off with an epic evil sounding metal riff. Then saxophone takes over, and we have some jazzy sections. The middle of the song sounds rather ominous, with what sounds like some latin being spoken. The song's structure then repeats. A trippy listen at times.
03. Retrovertigo (5:00)
My favourite song on the album, it's probably got the best explosion ever at its climax. It starts out with some very soft acoustic guitar and keyboard, and takes the form of a ballad, almost. The chorus does contain some electronic drumming, though. We then get a dissonant vibraphone solo, and then BOOM! Insanely awesome transition, with church bells ringing and drums pounding. Almost really does feel like a religious experience. Really took my breath away when I first listened.
04. The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (3:55)
Some cool vocals from Patton at the start, and then we get to... 60's pop?? And then a surfer rock thang again, and back forth etc you get the idea. About halfway through, a breakdown ensues, which is similar in style to the intro. The outro reminds me of the Beach Boys, due to the percussion and vocals. Good song.
05. Ars Moriendi (4:10)
And now we really get the first true avant garde song on the album. A very French sounding opening, the accent included. Accordian and clapping are also a component at points. Later on, we get some metal, interspersed with some nutty accordian work. Around this point, to my ears, Patton's vocals resemble Serj Tankian from System Of A Down. Frantic and fast-paced, this is fun to listen to.
06. Pink Cigarette (3:34)
This, along with Retrovertigo, is easily the most focused song - to be accurate, it sounds like a normal song. A waltz, unusually enough, considering the hell the previous song was. It's nice and calm, and comes with Patton sounding like almost like Elvis during the chorus. Of course, it comes with its little Bungle touches, such as the eretheal vocals backing the chorus, like a little alien chorus.
07. Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy (3:34)
This sounds creepy as hell during the intro. Then it thankfully becomes lighthearted - very electronic sounding. Reminds me of the 80's... good or bad, it's pretty cool.
08. The Holy Filament (4:04)
I love the intro section for this - the melody is melodic, yet unpredictable. Almost reminds me of African inflections at times. Also asthetically sounds beautiful, with the piano and synth backing.
Reinforcing my idea of Africa, we have what sounds like tribal drumming at points while the song builds up. And then back to the intro section. Beautiful song.
09. Vanity Fair (2:58)
This song is based around 50's pop, with vocal "ah"s and "oo"s backing, but don't you let that fool you for a second. This song is about castration. Yep. Awesomely catchy.
10. Goodbye Sober Day (4:31)
I really don't know at all how to describe the intro. Or the whole song, for that matter. It's not as nuts as that statement implies, but I can't think of anything to compare it to or any straight genre that it flatout belongs to. Halfway through, we have some awesome African-style singing again, but this is way more blatant than the last song that had that. And after that, some freaky Patton scat singing - it's really something to listen to. Then it's back to the preceding sections, and the album ends with noise.
All in all, a fantastic album, with enough pushing of the boundaries and odd genre-blendings to keep me fully engaged. I would recommend giving Retrovertigo and The Air-Conditioned Nightmare a go if you're interested.
Overall album score: 8.2/10
Personnel
- Mike Patton - artwork concept, vocals, keyboards
- Trevor Dunn - artwork concept, bass
- Danny Heifetz - drums
- Clinton "Bär" McKinnon - saxophone, keyboards
- Trey Spruance - guitar
Track Listing
01. "Sweet Charity" - 5:05
02. "None Of Them Knew They Were Robots" - 6:03
03. "Retrovertigo" - 4:59
04. "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare" - 3:55
05. "Ars Moriendi" - 4:10
06. "Pink Cigarette" - 4:55
07. "Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy" - 3:34
08. "The Holy Filament" - 4:04
09. "Vanity Fair" - 2:58
10. "Goodbye Sober Day" - 4:29
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