MR. BUNGLE — California (review)

MR. BUNGLE — California album cover Album · 1999 · Metal Related Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Stooge
If you’ve heard the first two Mr. Bungle albums, California might be a bit of a change for you. For the most part, the song structures are more conventional (slightly more, it’s still Mr. Bungle), and much of it comes across as (gasp) poppy and (BIG GASP!!) mainstream. Consider yourself lucky if you ever hear stuff this inventive cranking out of your radio. The shift is mainly in tone only, with the spirit of Bungle still in tact.

“Retrovertigo” is honestly one of the most beautiful and moving songs I have heard. Such a memorable and emotional chorus! It’s rather minimal instrumentally, and places Patton’s voice in the spotlight. “Pink Cigarette” is in a similar league in terms of flow, albeit more extreme towards the end as it builds towards a haunting conclusion.

This album is filled with variety. “None of Them Knew They Were Robots” and “Air-Conditioned Nightmare” blend unique combinations of surf rock, swing/rockabilly, and heavy metal. “Vanity Fair” is a rather colorful doo-wop song. “Golem II” reminds me some weird form of electronic jazz/funk with rather unusual vocals, elevator music from The Twilight Zone. I’m not exactly sure how to describe “Goodbye Sober Day”, but I’m certainly interested. By the use of exploring a wide variety of sounds and instrumentation throughout California, this is something of a precursor to Patton and bassist Trevor Dunn’s work with Fantomas (see The Director’s Cut).

I wouldn’t say this is an album a purist metal head would easily latch on to, which keeps this from being an essential “metal” album. However, this is nonetheless an excellent listen that I recommend checking out. It will certainly intrigue fans of non-conventional music, and could still perhaps cause others to cross over to more avant-garde styles of music.
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