California is often a mess, but a beautiful mess. Full of ideas, urgence, innovation and fun. It results in an album that you would not expect at a major label. With great songs like "Sweet Charity", "None of Them Knew They Were Robots", "Ars Moriendi" and "Pink Cigarette". The problem is that after a while the silliness is abundant and weakens the result. I like Mike Patton as a person, but when reading Wikipedia about his RHCP parodies, I can't blame the RHCP for being annoyed. You can prove a point by pressing a cigarette butt in someone's arm, but is that an effective method... The same for this album: it could have been great (even fantastic), less is often more though. Still 3.5 stars rounded to 4 for the effort.California is often a mess, but a beautiful mess. Full of ideas, urgence, innovation and fun. It results in an album that you would not expect at a major label. With great songs like "Sweet Charity", "None of Them Knew They Were Robots", "Ars Moriendi" and "Pink Cigarette". The problem is that after a while the silliness is abundant and weakens the result. I like Mike Patton as a person, but when reading Wikipedia about his RHCP parodies, I can't blame the RHCP for being annoyed. You can prove a point by pressing a cigarette butt in someone's arm, but is that an effective method... The same for this album: it could have been great (even fantastic), less is often more though. Still 3.5 stars rounded to 4 for the effort.
California
Mr. Bungle
1999
Album Summary
California is the third studio album by American experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. It was released on July 13, 1999, through Warner Bros. California explores an ambiance new to the band, conjuring up the surly dance moves of Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire; digging through the graveyard of riffs to find English pop, Elvis, Neil Diamond and Michael Jackson. The album is sure to alienate those expecting weird meter-changes and heartless vulgarities. To be sure, this is Western music, chockful of backbeats, strings and vocal harmonies. But like the original 49ers, the listener is headed into a desert land of drought and famine — the dark side of the California Dream.
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!If Beck and The Stray Cats got their original demos mixed up and then re-mastered together by the ghost of Frank Zappa, you’d get 80% of the way to this album. ‘Bugs Bunny on peyote’ is a good way to describe this disc. And I’m here for it.
Pretty good
A wholly different experience than ‘Easter Bunny’ and one where Bungle shows their chops. There’s an insane mix of ska and metal stylings on this LP, and every time you think you’ve found the rhythm of where this album is going it changes up on you. The back half lacks in the prominent melodicism that makes the front so enjoyable and the listen gets a bit fatiguing, but even then there’s no denying the originality and uniqueness of this LP (which is what this list should be about!).
I do believe that I had heard of Mr Bungle previously, although I can't claim to have heard Mr Bungle. I am genuinely unsure whether I appreciate this album or not. On the one hand, it is a rare album for me that specifically resolves itself into a "I should listen to this again to see if it grows on me" as a first reaction. On the other hand, why isn't it something I like on the first listen? I'm really going to have to give a holding response so I can attempt it again on a quiet Sunday afternoon when I've already had as many baths as someone can reasonably have.