Mr. Bungle - California

Nobody ever accused Mr. Bungle of being suckers for a good melody. The syncopated blasts of cartoonish noise that fill 1991's Mr. Bungle and 1995's Disco Volante are one part speed metal and one part Speedy Gonzalez. Initially, the band served as a more aggressive outlet for singer Mike Patton, widely known for his work in Faith No More. But with Faith No More no more, Patton and Mr. Bungle decided to sweeten the Bungle batter with a little songcraft. California boasts harmonies (yes, harmonies!) that would make the Brothers Wilson proud. Opening with a chorus of seagulls and crashing waves that gives way to slide guitar, strings, and Patton singing (not screaming), the poppy yet symphonic "Sweet Charity" announces that this is not your bike messenger's Mr. Bungle album. Songs like the easy strummin' "Retrovertigo," the sultry Scott Walker-esque "Pink Cigarette," and the orchestral "Vanity Fair" make California 1999's golden-hair surprise. --Bill Crandall Amazon.com

3rd Time Is A Charm!

As a very fond fan of all that is Mike Patton, I am deeply in love with this cd. After the very lackluster, lazy effort that is Disco Volante, this more than makes up for any prior ill feelings. It is hard for me to find any complaints here for those who like their music from the "out of the ordinary" category. As noted in many other reviews, the music tempo and patterns change constantly but usually in a very clever, pleasing direction. Songs like "Goodbye Sober Day" go from a mellow, jazzy harmony to hypnotic chanting, then comes a bit of thrash metal and back to the mellow harmony of the intro...and it works, it really works. My favorite songs are "None Of Them Knew They Were Robots" "Goodbye Sober Day" and "Retrovertigo", but there really is no bad song to be found here. For anyone even remotely familiar with prior releases by Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Fantomas, Peeping Tom, etc., I cannot comprehend how you would not enjoy this rare treasure in your music vault. It should be noted this type of music is not for everyone, most certainly not for anyone who is only used to radio friendly song structure, i.e. MTV. This type of music is an art of merging constantly changing song structures that somehow form addictive harmonies. The sad news is Mike Patton has noted Mr. Bungle seems to have disbanded in recent years which would be a shame as this group of musicians proved they mastered their musical talents on "California". If this truly is the last Mr. Bungle release then what a way to go out! December 19, 2007

One of the greatest rock albums of all time

There are few perfect albums and there are precious few you can listen to 1000 times and still here something new. This is both, and I consider it one of the 10 greatest rock albums of all time. December 10, 2007

CALIFORNIA DREAMING

THIS ALBUM IS AN ALBUM LIKE NO OTHER,IT TAKES YOU A GOOD NUMBER OF LISTENS TO REALISE WHAT IS TRYING TO BE ACCOMPLISHED.THER ARE SO MANY LAYERS TO DIGEST, IT TAKES AWHILE TO GET IT,BUT ONCE YOU DO ,YOU`LL LOVE IT.BUNGLE UTILISES SO MANY INSTRUMENTS IN SO MANY UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS.IF YOU CAN PICK UP A LIVE DVD SOMEWHERE YOU`LL BE AMAZED AT THE SHEER GREATNESS OF THIS BAND,GET THIS ONE! November 4, 2007

They pulled it off!

It just dawned on me that Mr. Bungle's three albums do not have a bad song on it. That's great to know! While Mr. Bungle still dosen't have enough material to become the greatest band ever (and the genres they do will not make you forget about the actual genre itself)it's great to see a band that made sure that each song never has a dull moment on it. Thanks Patton!

The shade of black and white that engulfed Disco Volante is taken off, revealing a dizzying-yet-warped colorful tone of sun-blasted experimental music. Yeah, it's definitly more accessible than Disco Volante or Mr. Bungle; It still is trademark Bungle. Great melding of genres and pure catchiness underneath the wacky exterior.

In fact, this is their most melodic. Patton screams less, the band harmonizes more, and stunning pop hooks abound. Retrovertigo and Vanity Fair have no tempo changes, odd mending of styles, or even insane lyrics. But it's got a Bungle side to it, obviously, it just does, besides Patton himself. Sweet Charity has the Hawaiin vibe that can't be beat. Pink Cigarrete is a dark ballad; talks about suicide abound in this, giving it a Patton distinct. Great parody there. The Holy Filament isn't that strange, kind of hard to describe, and my least favorite song on here. Those songs are as normal a Mr. Bungle song can get.

Bungle fans won't be dissapointed with the wild @$$ blender of songs. None of Them Knew They Were Robots and The Air Conditioned Nightmare both lean on older California vibe music and warp it up into something memorable. Ars Moriendi is one of my favorites, a crazy song with killer hooks (that jazzy part is arguably the greatest moment on the disc). Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy is a wild and wacky electronic song, and the closer, Goodbye Sober Day, has the most insane part of the band's history. And it all holds up with great hooks.

I would still be aware that this album just isn't for everybody, but most music like this isn't. Take some of the time to get used to Mr. Bungle's records, they are musical enjoyement in every sense of the word.
10/10 October 23, 2007

My favorite Bungle album.

Like others have said, this is the most "mainstream" work by Mr. Bungle. The songs on this album are infectiously catchy and will stay lodged in your cranium for days on end. It's hard to describe this album in words, but all I can say is that if you're new to Mike Patton or Mr Bungle, this album is a must-have. September 9, 2007

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