| The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny | 1986 |
| Bowel Of Chiley | 1987 |
| Goddamn I Love America! | 1988 |
| OU818 | 1989 |
| Mr. Bungle | 1991 |
| Disco Volante | 1995 |
| California | 1999 |
One of the most relentlessly bizarre and effortlessly unpredictable genre-switching experimental outfits (in fact one of the very few bands in the 90s to embrace experimentation this heavily), Mr. Bungle is a frighteningly strange phenomenon of the band, with its' most recognizable name being of course Faith No More frontman Mike Patton (the singer with unparalleled vocal diversity and psycho tendencies who was in fact in Mr. Bungle a few years before joining FNM). Trey Spruance, Danny Heifitz and Trevor Dunn, however, are in fact more prominent in the songwriting and are unbelievably talented and overlooked multi instrumentalists which, along with Patton, can produce some unparalleled weirdness, and are able to successfully replicate their challenging sound in their live shows.
After a series of awfully produced demo-quality cassette releases (The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny, Bowel Of Chiley, Goddamn I Love America! and OU818), Mr. Bungle released their first proper album on Warner Bros. - their self-titled debut in 1991 - which had a rather disgusting perverted lyrical focus combined with unpredictable heavily progressive and unconventional arrangements, fascinating and cryptic. Disco Volante was the long-awaited followup in 1995 after a four year gap - a collection of confusing and seemingly incoherent and undoubtedly bizarre sound collages. The band then released their third album California, which was more melodic but still maintained their unparalleled weirdness, after yet another four year gap.
--Nick Karn
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
The beginning of Mr. Bungle's formative years, to put it mildly - although most people very understandably recognize the self-titled album released five years later as their debut effort, it's actually this album that holds that honor, distributed on cassette only through an extremely small record label. And it can legitimately claim to be so, too - unlike the next few demo efforts, there are no overlaps with later Mr. Bungle tunes here at all, and many of the songs really venture into a death metal vein only occasionally explored on their major label albums. Probably two-thirds of these songs concentrate solely on the high-speed two guitar thrash formula, with incoherent Cookie Monster vocals, very little vocal melody, and really, really, really bad production - in terms of sound quality, this may be the most headache-inducing, awful album I've ever had to sit through. Now do you see why I called it the beginning of their formative years?
Fortunately, this band had actual talent in them, so the entire experience isn't 1 or 2 level unlistenable (though the worst moments, when they spend 5 or 6 minutes on the style I just mentioned as on 'classics' "Raping Your Mind", "Spreading The Thighs Of Death", and "Bungle Grind", probably are). Instrumentally, they're actually quite proficient for a death metal band, with some excellent (but again, horribly produced) solos here and there, and when they actually deviate from the formula, the results are much more promising. The opening "Grizzly Adams" is a generic, though very nice, two minute instrumental that reminds me of the 'intimate' openings found on classic Metallica albums, "Hypocrites" has a really friggin' cool New Wave/ska-ish sort of section that bursts out randomly in between its' otherwise tuneless (though short) structure, and "Evil Satan" (the best track on here by far) is schizophrenic, rappy and horn-filled much like the sound that would come to fruition later on, though the production on here is horrible just like the others.
There's really not a whole lot else to say about this album. I really don't like the hardcore death metal style very much to begin with, and when the sound is this much of an absolute mess production-wise (half the time the rhythm guitar is drowned out, and the sound is almost completely muffled), it's only natural that I would really hate a good amount of this stuff. This is, to be honest, a pretty low and kinda generous 4 I'm giving out here, as most of this crap other than the couple highlights sounds exactly the same to me, and that same is kinda blargh. Unless you're a hardcore fan, don't even think about getting it, and its' really obscure status makes that easier, though if you're interested in hearing some of this stuff as a curiosity, it shouldn't be too difficult to find MP3s on file-sharing services, like I have. In just a minute, though, the MP3s I possess will be.... DELETED!!!!
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
A seriously twisted carnival-esque experience that really brings the psycho tendencies of frontman Mike Patton (known in the liner notes as Vlad Drac, his alter ego) to the forefront, Mr. Bungle's debut combines astonishing, unconventional musicianship which is constantly on the whacked out progressive side, what with horns colliding with "circus" organs, funk oriented Trevor Dunn basslines, occasionally normal but mostly uniquely textured heavy riffs from Trey Spruance morphing from one musical genre to the next. The real power of Mr. Bungle, however, is that the songs are structured just about as musically insane as possible but still manage to sound coherent, exciting and constantly challenging. The closing "Dead Goon", for example, exemplifies a type of song that can never be fully grasped, presenting something musically new every time with its' song structure and overall atmosphere - it includes within its' 10 minutes an Eastern music vibe in its' intro, a stunning funk section where Dunn's brilliant bassline merges perfectly with Patton's moving vocal, and a noisy climax that builds up (in a musical orgasm "Day In The Life" fashion) to a classical influenced ending.
Lyrically, the band's sense of juvenile humor is fully in place, but it doesn't bring down the musical quality of the album at all - rather that style enhances it, due to the insanity of the backing music. "Squeeze Me Macaroni" features superfast sections which feature Patton 'rapping' the lyrics which combine the two subjects of sexual intercourse and food (don't ask), while "My Ass Is On Fire" does it's thing effectively (it's too challenging of a song to explain) with frightening screams, noise barrages, hilarious, but yet uncomfortable anger, and "The Girls Of Porn" pretty much explains itself from its' title, with irresistible funk, party metal and perverted lyrics. Samples which are placed at the end of the tracks for continuity effect also illustrate the band's mindset, including someone taking a 'dump' in the bathroom at the end of "Slowly Growing Deaf" (a great number which features several different melodies and arrangement interpretations of the same lyrics), the adventures of the cornball television character the band named themselves after preceding "Love Is A Fist" (a comparitively normal riff-rocker, but even by that standard it's still out there), and celebrations appear to be taking place after the album defining opener "Quote Unquote" and preceding "Carousel", the band's expert musical recreation of a carnival.
The greatest number on this album, however, is the stunningly addictive "Stubb (A Dub)", which lyrically seems to center around the life of a dog. It begins with a moving organ section before it morphs into a bizarre organ oriented sections where it meshes perfectly with Patton's disturbed vocal melodies before the classic irresistible middle section comes in ('and if you can hear me, then throw up...') before coming back to its' original state. Rounding out the album is another ambitious funk death metal jazz progressive carnival fest "Egg", which is marred only by a pointless 3 minute spoken section at the end. Mr. Bungle overall is a strikingly bizarre, accomplished and original effort that sometimes can be too juvenile and annoying lyrically and musically, and tough to get into, but for those able to stomach it, it's quite the trip.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
One of the boldest and most experimental records of the decade, Mr. Bungle's second album Disco Volante is a total departure from their first, and at some points during this release it can't even be grouped as music at all, let alone into a specific category. There aren't really any moments here that can even be considered songs in the accepted sense (for all the first album's bizarre tendencies, at least some of the songs sounded like they were coherent), just unorganized sound collages, and studio experiments which cover as many genres as possible within its' time. The overall sound seems completely horrid on first listen, particularly on the tuneless and chaotic opener "Everyone I Went To High School With Is Dead", which sounded promising from its' brilliantly psychotic title, but never delivers even after repeated listens.
However, the album reveals its' strengths after a number of plays, and is essentially the musical equivalent of a horror movie, with many insanely frightening moments that must be experienced to be truly appreciated. The Middle Eastern-techno number "Desert Search For Techno Allah" turns groove and atmosphere on its' head, the second half of "Carry Stress In The Jaw" features Mike Patton singing about "knowing the secret song now" in grandpa-style vocals over 60s style spy music, "After School Special" is a brief child-like ditty with an unsettling edge, "Violenza Domestica" is sung entirely in Italian, the unexplainable symphony of unabashed chaotic absurdity "Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz" is simply timeless, the Monty Python-ish "Backstrokin" and the carnival-esque "Merry Go Bye Bye" (with an apocalyptic rush of tape effects in the middle) are all stunning results of Mr. Bungle's considerable depth and ambition.
This is an opus that must be listened to carefully to really appreciate, and while casual listeners should stay miles away from it, and I'll probably never understand the horribly written (at most times, almost non-existent) lyrics and unbelievably unfocused, pointless noise of the aforementioned opening track, the melodyless "Sleep" and "Platypus" and the curious 10 minutes plus multi-part sound collage "The Bends" (which sounds like a series of short underwater symphonies), Disco Volante is nevertheless capable of being a creatively rewarding and psychologically mind-blowing experience at the same time.
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COMMENTS
Weird, obviously, but it has a certain charm to it. Once you become accustomed to it, it can actually work as casual listening. Well, some of the songs atleast. "Everyone I Went To High School With Is Dead" isn't too bad, but I generally skip over it, and the jazz-metal numbers - "Carry Stress In the Jaw", "Phlegmatics", and to a lesser extent, "Platypus", kind of require you to be in a certain type of mood. Also, "After School Special" seems a little pointless, though the soul-like crooning in the background is humorous, and the end is incredibly surreal. Otherwise, I LOVE "Desert Search For Techno Allah", "Violenza Domestica", "Ma Meeshka Mow Skowz", "Backstrokin", "Merry Go Bye Bye", and the secret song that follows "Carry Stress in the Jaw". All the songs are good though, but some just require a proper frame of mind from the listener if they want to be able to fully comprehend them. The aformentioned "Platypus", for example, may seem completely unmelodic if you don't listen to it right. If you actually listen closely though, and follow how the rhythm is played, it becomes not only a very interesting song, but a fun and catchy one as well.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Mr. Bungle's long awaited followup to Disco Volante is a breath of fresh air in a polluted musical society. In fact, I'd go as far to say it's about the biggest revelation in the late 90s in a decade very much lacking in groundbreaking creative music. Simply put, California is an astounding triumph that boasts not only the best qualities of experimental and adventurous art rock in general, but it's also a collection of extremely well crafted songs. That's right, you heard me - this generation's most incoherent, wildest band has put together 10 amazingly coherent tunes (at 44 minutes to boot) that still manage to go all over the place musically (in their wide variety of instruments used here) and melodically, with considerable shifts in mood and atmosphere from one song to the next.
Calfornia even utilizes the use of harmonies, evident in the absolutely gorgeous pop of "Sweet Charity", which has an immediately memorable hook and a vibe that takes you straight to the Hawaiian islands. The song shifts somewhat in tempo and mood during its' second verse ('drink poison from... a cup of gold') before returning to the powerful majestic chorus. Then it unexpectedly follows up with the deadly "None Of Them Knew They Were Robots", which is a sick combination of swing, punk and metal with surf-styled guitar and lyrics with a scientific twist that are just plain out there. And the melodies in that song are phenomenal (especially the 'J-j-j-joe' and 'get back, white shark attack' sections, which are also pushed forward by a perfect Trevor Dunn bassline) and the mood set up is just surreal
"Retrovertigo", meanwhile, is just about the most conventional song Mr. Bungle has ever attempted, a stripped down acoustic song (with piano embellishments) that boasts another top notch, stick in your head chorus written again by Dunn ('now I'm finding truth is a ruin') with a soaring, 'rocket ship breaks through the clouds' bridge (that's about the only way I can describe its' impact). Then comes the dizzying heights of "The Air Conditioned Nightmare", which has the best use of the Bungle harmonies that have come out of nowhere (!!!), with an irresistible 'ba ba ba ba' refrain that leads into the the sensational 'back and forth' chorus of 'GET me OUT OF THIS air conditioned nightmare... rots your brain just like a catchy tune yeah' Then it unpredictably turns into a circular fast paced bridge and a soft, sweet pop ending ('where's my rainbow? where's my halo?') and then those harmonies again... wow! "Ars Moriendi" covers Arabic territory (with Mike Patton 'playing a character' for the mood - just like he did on several Angel Dust tunes with Faith No More), with an aggressive edge and more musical madness that I've come to know and love this band for. And that's just the first half!!!!
"Pink Cigarette" opens the second half as a ballad (another unexpected departure for the band), which has really powerful romantic sentiments in its' lyrics and chorus ('your kiss goes here') all with beautiful melody. The song even has a hint of apocalyptic doom - at the ending section Patton counts down, 'there's just five hours left until you are dead' and when he gets to 'one', the song is suddenly halted by the sound of a smoke alarm. Trey Spruance's contribution, "Golem II: The Bionic Vapor Boy", is a freaky as hell, robotic novelty tune that is an inconceivable manipulation of experimentation and melody that makes anything the so called 'innovator' Beck ever did look positively sad, and that's not necessarily a knock against him, but more to the testament of Mr. Bungle's talents.
"The Holy Filament" manages to succeed as a beautifully ambient piano tune that's not exactly adventurous, but captivating and mesmerizing due to its' instrumental melody the whole way through. There's not much in the way of lyrics or vocals either, but when there is, it's all harmony filled, which pushes the song in a greater emotional direction. The momentum, though, is halted a little by "Vanity Fair", a very odd soul-style tune that I don't really care for, but it's the shortest song here at just under 3 minutes and it has a cool bridge, so it doesn't hurt the album.
Besides, "Goodbye Sober Day" closes the album as yet another brilliantly executed strange mini-opus and makes up for it, with unpredictable twists and turns coming to a climax in a strange, hypnotizing, vaguely Russian chant that's stopped by a seemingly juvenile yell of 'chukchukchuck chuckachucka chuckachuckachucka' which is quickly repeated in absolutely perfect fashion over a great hard-hitting riff before the song turns back to its' original form and ends on an explosive note (literally!) This album as a whole is by far the best Mr. Bungle record money can buy and also the first up to Faith No More standards (it's close to the immortal Angel Dust). It may, however, transcend even that as, in this writer's opinon, the most creative, breathtaking and bold statement released in the late 90s music scene. An absolute stunner.
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COMMENTS
[email protected] (Andrew McQuillan)
I agree that both FNM's Angel Dust and this album are immortal, perfect records.
The first time I listened to this CD - i fell in love with it. Then subsequent listening I thought - oh what did I see in it - then I persevered and was won over permanently- it is weird but so so good. My ten year old son adores the cd and plays The Air Conditioned Nightmare on repeat for ages. Sweet charity can bring tears to my eyes on the right day. It is 10/10 and it is one of those CDs that many people do not know..
At last, a decent review of Bungles' last album. (Looks likely to be the very last). Immaculate. I really do think the hardcore Bungle fans' enthusiasm had waned by the time of this album, nowhere else had I seen this album get the credit it deserves. Put it another way, were the Bungle fans who had been into the band since the first album really reviewing this album just on the way it sounds alone? Or how it compared to the first album? Did they want men in clown costumes doing more psycho-circus tunes? I have to wonder, because although a massive fan of the first album (Top 10 in a collection of hundreds), I've gotta say this is the pinnacle of Mr Bungle. All the mischief, creativity, oddness, and talent come together with this one. Angel Dust was just Pattons' precursor to this one, once he had a band talented and risk-taking enough to even contemplate it. FNM could never attempt something like Ars Moriendi or Goodbye Sober Day. I'm only glad I heard this one first, then heard the other albums. Perfection from a near perfect band. 10.
Retrovertigo usually moves me to tears.
| First Grand Constitution And Bylaws | 1996 |
| Second Grand Constitution And Bylaws | 1998 |
Yet another one of those weird bands featuring members of Mr. Bungle, and in fact they're just as good as Bungle. Everyone except Patton is in the band, probably because they are largely an instrumental group and didn't need a vocalist. Their sound is totally unique (of course), and consists of lots of Indian influences, Brian Wilson production techniques, and music inspired by the film scores of Ennio Moriconne. Needless to say, it's somewhat of a strange style, but it's not always inaccessible.
--Caleb Smith
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released by Secret Chiefs 3
(reviewed by Caleb Smith)
This album is a truly fascinating listen. It's not often I'd use the word "fascinating" to describe an album, but that's the only way I can see to describe it. Amazingly, it was written almost entirely by guitarist Trey Spruance, which further proves that there's much more to Mr. Bungle than just Mike Patton. Don't get me wrong, Patton is an amazing songwriter and an even more amazing singer, but too often he gets ALL the credit. Anyway, on to the review. I said above that these guys have "Indian influences," but here it's not just influences, this is actual Indian music. They're not experimenting with Indian music, they're not "flirting" with it, they are actually playing Indian music, and how many American bands are there doing that? Of course, they're playing other things as well, and they're combining the Indian music with all sorts of different styles, but that just makes it even better.
Take "Book T: Waves Of Blood" for instance. It's driven by a surf-rock guitar, and it's got electronic beats, but the electronic beats are playing Indian rhythms. Or how about "Beyond the Mountain Qaf," which features a distored sitar. Or "Renunciation," which I can only describe as Arabian ska meets a spaghetti western film score. It's really cool stuff, sometimes it's downright hilarious (the crazed drum and bass song "Jabalqa"), and other times it's intensely moving (the acoustic opening number "The Rose Garden of Mystery"). Most of it is instrumental, except for "Mera Pyar Shamir," but this is a good thing. Most of these songs wouldn't work as well with vocals, though I'll admit the high-pitched female vocals of "Mera Pyar Shamir" are quite surreal.
If there are any lesser moments here, it's the somewhat pointless "Book T: Orbital Ballroom in the Hall of Resurrection," but even it is a nice song, just not entirely necessary. If you're looking for something new, something different, this album comes highly recommended. And except for a few instances of heavy white noise on "Jabalqa" and "Beyond the Mountain Qaf," it's pretty easy to listen to. You'll just have to be prepared for hearing something unusual, and who doesn't like the unusual?
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