As I sit here staring off at the wall, the keyboard, then the
monitor, wondering if I'll get my homework done tonight, and, in
fact, wondering more if I'll even get through this review before
falling off into sleep, I notice that this sentence is way too
fucking long, and it's got way too many commas, which makes it
thoroughly uneffective, I'd say. Then I wake the fuck up and
start reviewing.
I think that for these reviews [musical reviews, that is], I'm
going to break it down this way: Each song will get a bit of a
blurb, then I'll follow up with an overall review. But first, a
bit of background, if I will. Yep, I sure will.
My first pick is the album that I haven't been able to put down
at all for the past week, since a friend of mine gave it back.
On the very last day of the school year that ended last May, I
could be found riding around, kickin' a fridge with a good friend
of mine, Ryan, who didn't come back this year. As I was a-rockin'
with this guy, I brought a few of my albums along, namely Clutch's
self-titled, my own music that I had begun to record, and this
one - Mr. Bungle's California.
At that time, I hadn't listened to much of this record. I had
flipped through it once or twice, stopping at select tracks such
as Retrovertigo [3] and Goodbye Sober Day [10]. By the time I got
it back, though, I had heard more of it from Ragnarok and Fistula,
and I was anxious to check it out.
So I threw it in, and this is what I've found:
Track One: Sweet Charity - The album starts off with the
sounds of the beach, with some seaguls and sea-based noises. Then,
as that fades out, we're treated to a laid-back whistling and
guitar, with a bit of background sound. Then Patton's vocals kick
in, and we know we're in for a teat... er... treat.
His incredibly styled vocal lines are hard to explain
without a bit of a sample to go by, which you can have if you
check the top right menu, but I can say that they rock in a
very old-school style. Along with him, the instruments
continue along their calm yet rockin' way, with some strings
and other instruments thrown into the mix. The chorus of this
song is really catchy, but not in a new rock way by any means,
in case any of you were thinking of some shyxt when I said
'catchy'.
After about the second chorus, the song goes into something
new, which is what most of this album does: It'll build you up
along one certain line, then start all over again with a brand new
melody. With caselessness, this song is absolutely great to relax
to. If you're the smoke-happy type, start this album up and give
this song a good smile. You'll appreciate it a bunch. "I'm home
free. Doo dood'n, dood'n dood'n doot". Yeah - this song rocks.
But what the hell's he talking about?
Track Two: None Of Them Knew They Were Robots - This one
starts off pretty heavy for this record, which can really throw
you off if you're not ready for it. It's much more hyped-up than
the previous track, and I actually don't listen to this one as much,
simply because it throws the rhythm of the record off. It's
pretty great, though, since it's got some rockabilly-style guitar
strummin', which is directly followed up by Patton's high-pitched
[but absolutely not abrasive] singing. Back and forth, this song
goes from suspenseful to action-packed lounge.
Whoa now! Then after awhile, a crazy Greek-sounding [at
least to me] evil-style section comes along!! There's also a few
sounds of what sounds like a camera clicking away in the background.
"Slap back!! White shark attack!!" I actually have no idea what
this song is about. I'll get back to all of you when I have a
better idea of what's happing in this crazy fucker.
Actually, I can't tell what 80% of the lyrics on this CD are
about. That's alright though, I really enjoy the crazy fucking
mysticism and interpretability of every damn song.
Track Three: Retrovertigo - Dude, there's plot porn playing
in the other room, and I can see it. Hold on, friends, I've got to
see this plotline unfold.
Back, I be. Ah yes, Retrovertigo... definitely one of my
favourite tracks on the record. This song is incredibly mellow,
and it's one of my favourites to fall asleep to. The guitars and
vocals, which start the song off, are so calming that I find myself
relaxed every time that I hear it. For some reason, this puts me
in a good mood just about every time. I like that.
After awhile, it switches up a bit, but keeps the same tone.
The vocals get more involved, and Patton can be heard beat-
boxing in the background in a way that I can only describe as
"beautifully musical". Strings also become apparent here, and the
song begins to build in a great way. It ends up in a climax of
bells, strings, vocals, and guitars... and drums, so simply
done that they're one of the greatest background instruments ever.
Overall, this song creates an atmosphere that I simply can't
pull myself away from. Every time that it ends in a mellow
tone, I feel a bit of my soul stolen - but then I usually just
start the song over again.
Track Four: The Air-Conditioned Nightmare - This song
starts off with some flamenco-style clapping and clicking,
with a few guitar notes done with a great wobbly feel. Patton,
again, compliments the music with higher vocals done in a calm
way. WHOA NOW!!
Then the song stops for just a moment, throwing us into much
more fast-paced flowing "Californian" section. "Get me out of
this air-conditioned nightmare!!" says Patton. Then the song
breaks down into a massive drum pouding that builds tension, and
multiple layers of vocals soar. Then the song stops momentarily
again, starting over almost. "From the skyscrapers down to the
submaries", awesome visual ideas that get my mind flowing every
time. I can almost see the beaches and the landscapes appearing
before me.
Also in this song in a part where things get pretty loud, but
that's alright because it's so quick and over with fastness, so
the song keeps flowing very well.
Track Five: Ars Moriendi - GRAH!! This song throws the
entire album's concept off a bit in a way that keeps the action
fresh and exciting. Thrill! as very arabian-sounding riffs and
instruments follow a line with vocal mideasternness. Share! in
the downtown old-school arabic shopkeeper kind of musical flow.
Ejaculate! as this song fucking rules.
I really don't have any fucking idea of how to explain this
song... or even anything from this record. This is ridiculous.
Well, I can explain this: For just a couple of seconds, a jarring
bassline and screaching keyboard come together to throw us all
off a few miles.
Then the song gets going again, but this time it builds to
something entirely new. There's a whole lot of heavy guitar
and drums in here. In fact, this song is so loud and fast and
generally great in a different way from the entire album that I
often find myself waking up to this song whenever I accidentally
fall alseep to the record.
There are so many musical styles packed into this track that I
just can't keep up. Images flash through my head, ranging from
arabian cities in midday to cowboys sitting in saloons, drinkin'
the whiskey.
Then it all comes together in a meshed frenzy that makes me
dance all over the place. Fuckin' right.
Track Six: Pink Cigarette - Also one of my favourites on
this record, this song is mellow in a way that it keeps me
enthralled for a good number of minutes. I can listen to this
track on repeat, and it just puts me in a state that's just....
well, strange. But I fucking love it.
From what I can gather, this song is about a guy who has been
mentally abused to the point that he kills himself. Wow. Pretty
emotional, and it gives me goosebumbs sometimes depending on the
mood I'm in when I hear it. One of the first times that I
listened to this song, it made me remember saying goodbye at
a certain person when she left for home last christmas at the
local small-assed airport, which is probably partially because
of the time of year that I listened to it and because of my
current state: kind of fucked up.
It also made me think of saying hello when she returned and
how great I felt at the time. I don't know - this song help me
to come to closure with some things about that situation, but
then again it opens old wounds at the same time. You see, never
again shall I ever talk to this person at an airport - in fact, I
absolutely don't care what happens for the rest of time, that's
the one place that I cannot deal with when it comes to the past,
simply because of how strong my memories have been from there.
"Cognac and broken glass".... incredibly vivid images, at least
to me.
About the song, forgot to talk about it: atmosphere, atmosphere,
atmosphere. Lots of prominent strings on this, not much for
drums, but lots of shaken tamborines, which also takes me back
to elementary school. Damn. What a memory-inducing piece, eh?
Because of that fact, I'm not sure that you, the average listener,
will feel nearly as attatched to this song as I do, but I think
that anyone can enjoy it. The piano rocks, by the way.
Track Seven: Golem II: The Bionic Vapor Boy - Christ, this
song can give you nightmares if it plays in your sleep. This
is another track that throws the album off a bit, which is part
of why I dig it. When I hear this, I think of discos, evil
fucking robots, and circuses. Yep, that about covers it.
This song is pretty light as far as instruments and vocals go,
at least for awhile. More and more layers show up, though, and
eventually it's so cluttered with strange things working together
it's hard to keep track of all of them.
It's also very heavy, in the weirdest way of just about any
song ever. Everything is just so abrupt and sharp-sounding that
it's hard not to bounce with the beat.
The end of the song trails off in a way so evil that it almost
chills me. Again, it's all in the atmosphere.
This record is second-to-one as far as atmosphere goes. In fact,
I might have to recall that... I'll have to do some comparing
between this and Jesus Christ [Devin Townsend]'s Terria release.
Track Eight: The Holy Filament - Beginning with very calm
piano and vocals, this song is very slow and almost menacing. I
keep thinking that a goddamned ganster from the fifties is going
to bust in through my door and shove a gun in my face, telling
me to keep quiet "...or the girl gets it, see?". There are
presently no girls here, but he'd say it anyway.
You know, I really fuckin' hate Star Trek, but their use of
dramatic music isn't so bad. This song breaks down into a part
that reminds me of Star Trek, but not in a bad way. I can
imagine myself floating through space, listening to this as the
universe unveils itself to me... nothing to do but experience,
living without food or air or any of that. Or maybe that's just
me. It's so goddamned short that it almost makes me cry. That
can be said about this album, too.
Track Nine: Vanity Fair - "You're not human, you're a
miracle - a preacher with an animal's face!" Goddamn I love that
opening line. This song makes me think of old barbershoppe
groups, with generally bouncing, upbeat music, a saxophone, and
layers of vocals flowing in ways that come together spectacularly.
Not a whole lot happens in this song compared to the other ones
on the record, but it stays pretty solid.
Oh no! Here comes the mobster again! The breakdown is laden
with suspenseful keyboards, and I love it to death.
Ah, back to the song. Oh my! After awhile, there's another
really short breakdown that's just the opposite of the first one,
as it gets really loud and violent. It's so quick that it'll be
gone before you're even ready for it.
Track Ten: Goodbye Sober Day - This is another piece that,
at times, makes me think of floating around in space - Galaxy Five
Oh Oh, to be exact. It starts out completely differently though,
with fast-moving piano and bell-like keyboards that, again, make
me dance all over the place. When it slows down, the bass is
pretty prominent, and the other instruments start to take over bit
by bit.
This song also get fairly loud, though this part lasts longer
than the other loud-focused sections on the record. Like the
others, though, it deteriorates back into a slow part, showing
how effective dynamics can be, especially when used by incredible
musicians.
Right in the middle of the song, for what seems like no reason
at all, we're treated to a very mystic kind of piece that builds up
to one of my favourite sections in any song ever. Patton begins
a-shoutin: "CHUCK, CHUCK, CHUCK, CHUCK-A-CHUCK-A-CHUCK-A-CHUCK!!!
and other very similar things. One of my best friends, and the
guitar player in both of the real bands that I've been in, has the
name of Chuck - and so it's become a probably over-used catch-phrase
to start imitating Patton at him, shouting his name in a very crazy
way.
This song stays violent for longer than any other song on the
record, and it keeps moving despite its slower parts.
OVERALL: This record is unfuckingbelievable. No, I'm serious.
You have to hear it to have any idea of what it is. This project,
Mr. Bungle, is one that Mike Patton was doing quite awhile before
he joined Faith No More, which is, of course, what made him famous.
In fact, in the Epic video [the big one, you know], he can be
seen wearing a Mr. Bungle shirt. The guys in Faith No More eventually
got pissed off at him for being so dedicated to Mr. Bungle as opposed
to Faith No More, which is why [I think, I'll have to check sources]
they broke up.
This is Mr. Bungle's third record, and I'm pretty sure it'll be
their last. Patton has moved onto a good number of new projects,
including Fantomas, which is just downright fucking crazy, and
Tomahawk, which recently toured with Tool, and was ill-recieved in
many a venue. I don't care, Tomahawk still fucking rules. Also,
this record is nothing like the other two that came before it from
Bungle. Patton just loves throwing us fuckers off..... and I'm so
entirely glad that he does.
Anywhen, if anyone out there has heard this record or goes out to
listen to it because of my recommendation [which I would, with all
of my soul, recommend], then you're probably wondering "What the
fuck?!? This is the fucking Brotherhood of Bad Movies!!! It's EVIL!!
It's SATAN IN ONES AND ZEROS!!!!!! Why in bloody motherfucking
goddamned satanic hell did he choose this record to start out with?"
Well, just like Patton, I like to throw you bastards off of my trail.
Plus I wanted to show you all that I'm definitely not just evil.
We at the Brotherhood are very capable of being multi-layered and
"cultured", though we usually just don't want to do that. That just
wouldn't be Satan enough for this website's cause. Take the fuck
that!
FINAL VERDICT: Absolute fucking five, no question involved.
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