Mr. Bungle Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
Four years after Disco Volante, Mr. Bungle returns with California, which immediately distinguishes itself from its predecessors -- it's probably their most heavily orchestrated record to date and their most melodic overall, as well as the least dependent on rock styles. That's certainly not to imply that this is a tame or immediately accessible record, nor that Mr. Bungle has suddenly gone sane. There is a stronger lounge-music orientation to the group's trademark rapid-fire genre-hopping; we hear more pop, swing, rockabilly, country & western, bossa nova, Hawaiian and Middle Eastern music, jazz, Zappa-esque doo wop, arty funk, post-rock, space-age pop, spaghetti-Western music, warped circus melodies, and even dramatic pseudo-new age, plus just a smidgen of heavy metal. Sure, some of those sounds have appeared on Mr. Bungle records past, but the difference this time is the focus with which the band deploys its arsenal. California is their most concise album to date, clocking in at around 45 minutes; plus, while the song structures are far from traditional, they're edging more in that direction and that greatly helps the listener in making sense of the often random-sounding juxtapositions of musical genres (assuming, of course, that you're supposed to even try to make sense of them). As with any Mr. Bungle album, California requires at least a few listens to pull together, but its particular brand of schizophrenia isn't nearly as impenetrable as that of Disco Volante, even if it will still make you marvel at the fact that such a defiantly odd, uncommercial band recorded for Warner Bros. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In 1997, Rastacore Records started releasing Mr. Bungle's early Bowl of Chiley tape as Bowl of Chiley. It was the first time the album had been released as a CD, but when the band caught wind of the disc, the production was halted and only a limited number of these survived. Obnoxious, jokey, and much less experimental than they would become, Bowl of Chiley is essentially the sound of some very talented teenagers trying to make their love of jazz and ska come together in whatever way they can. Singer Mike Patton is surprisingly the hardest part of this album to take, screeching and crooning with the sort of manic energy that can be brutal without some structure. And a lack of structure is certainly what this suffers from, offering little more than extended funk and ska jams that have few hooks or memorable parts to recommend them. Still, songs like "Evil Satan" and "You Can't Make Me Mad" are fun little punk songs that don't overstay their welcome and contain decent hooks. Patton fanatics will probably hunt this down no matter what, and it is very interesting to hear the multi-talented vocalist in his teen years. Just be warned that this is light years behind their eponymous major-label debut, containing few hints that they would go on to be the strangest and most influential genre-benders in alternative rock during the '90s. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Mr. Bungle is the musical equivalent of a David Lynch movie. On its uncompromising second release, Disco Volante, the group focuses its sound a bit more than on its 1991 self-titled debut but still keeps things unruly and completely unpredictable. This is a band whose sole purpose is to break all the pre-existing rules of music and doesn't think twice about taking chances. What they've created in the process is a totally original and new musical style and an album that sounds like nothing that currently exists. The group, whose members go by aliases, may be the most talented rock instrumentalists today, as they skip musical genres effortlessly, while Mike Patton illustrates why many consider him to be the best singer in rock. The group tackles plodding death metal ("Everyone I Went to High School With Is Dead"), deranged children's songs ("After School Special"), and a Middle Eastern techno number that has to be heard to be believed ("Desert Search for Techno Allah"). Many of the songs radically change genres mid-song, encompassing the sounds of Ennio Morricone, John Zorn, Frank Zappa, and other heretofore unthought-of musical mutations. Not music to unwind to after a hard day, but it will challenge your mind when the right mood hits. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
To say that Mr. Bungle is unfocused is like criticizing a rapper for not being able to sing -- it may be true, but it misses the point of the music. Mr. Bungle is a dizzying, disconcerting, schizophrenic tour through just about any rock style the group can think of, hopping from genre to genre without any apparent rhyme or reason, and sometimes doing so several times in the same song. Mike Patton's lyrics are even more bizarrely humorous than those he used in Faith No More, and they're also less self-censored, as titles like "Squeeze Me Macaroni," "My Ass Is on Fire," and "The Girls of Porn" indicate. It's a difficult, not very accessible record, and the band wouldn't have it any other way. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny'
Release Date 1/1/1986
Tracks 8
Label Ladd-Frith
See Album Tracklist and Review
