Mr. Bungle - Mr Bungle
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.66 You Save: $3.28 (33%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.15 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Mr Bungle
Free Music Review: A landmark album
Hit: 5 Stars
With the opening notes of "Qoute Unqoute," it's as if an atomic bomb has just detonated inside the listener's cranium. The musical equivalent of a three ring, traveling circus, Mr. Bungle's debut album is an overwhelming aural experience that flirts with the bizarre and frolics in perversion. Uniting 6 of the most outrageously talented yet equally immature artists ever to grace a CD, Mr. Bungle creates a wonderfully twisted take on rock that is distinctly their own. While most artists tend to shy away from diversity, preferring to deal with one concept at a time, the rampaging Mr. Bungle covers countless styles and innumerable genres in a matter of seconds, arriving at a finished product which manages to bridge the entire musical spectrum. Boasting deep, funk grooves and oppressive, metallic crescendos that are frequently interrupted by anything from a doo wop interlude to videogame sounds, Mr. Bungle takes the experimental drive of modern Avant Garde music and applies it to the world of rock, therefore generating a completely unprecedented amalgamation of all rock's various facets. Bungle's seamless melding of low brow and high brow philosophies succeeds at every turn by creating a CD that is truly eye-opening in its individuality, but still grounded enough to avoid alienating the average listener. Herein lies the most captivating aspect of the vast, varied myriad that is Mr. Bungle. Unlike any other band before them, although Frank Zappa bears some similarity, Bungle perfectly balances the complex and the mundane in such a way that hilarious lyrics can still sound right at home when backed by an intricate collage of raunchy sax and detailed rock guitar riffs. Because of all this, "Mr. Bungle" is the absolute height of successful rock experimentation, an amazing milestone that not only has the power to break down the boundaries of conventional music but also to completely reinvent them. Mr. Bungle is a group light years ahead of their time pioneering a brand of music that the rest of the world is still too structured to understand, but while other bands continue to opt for either visceral punk aggression, Avant Garde noodling, or straightforward rock hooks, Bungle has the right idea by choosing all three and injecting just the right amount of insanity to make it work.Free Music Review: An acquired taste
Hit: 5 Stars
The first time I bought this CD I was sixteen. I had read many of the reviews on this site and I already had California, so I thought it was about time to give the first Bungle album a whirl. I bought it late one afternoon and eagerly rushed home to put it on. I remember sitting in my room, listening to it from start to finish. My memories of that evening are hazy, but I remember that by the time I got to the 'death sequence' in Dead Goon, I actually felt physically ill. The song ended, only to have a bizarre collage of nostalgic music swell up again to finish the album. To me this was the final insult. I had just spent $40 on this import CD which had turned out to be the most awful thing I had ever heard. First thing the next morning, I returned the CD (getting only half store credit). This is the only time I have disliked an album so strongly that I have taken it back.Two years later, I started thinking about the album again. I could barely remember how any of the songs went, and became curious about this CD that had led me to have such a strong reaction. I downloaded the entire album (which I apologise for, guys) and slowly became addicted to every single song. A week later, I bought the album again and listened to it non-stop for nearly three months. It is now one of my favourite albums of all time.
I guess the point of my (long-winded) story is that this is an album which provokes some pretty extreme reactions. My advice to anyone who is thinking about buying this album is: give it plenty of time. At first I found the thematic content and samples a little hard to deal with, but after time I became to love the music itself so much that I forgot about those things. Now I think that if the album was not quite so dark and offensive, it would lose its nightmarish qualities (which I now enjoy).
The actual content of the album has been covered pretty well in other reviews, but I will say one thing: Prepare yourself for a lot of squealing from the horn section. I seem to remember that was one thing that caught me by surprise first time round, and something that was not mentioned on this site at the time (much to my annoyance).
So there you go. You have been warned...
Free Music Review: Lost in a carnival of doom!
Hit: 5 Stars
Mr. Bungle must laugh at new-school bands helplessly trying to fuse a mere couple of styles, like rap and metal, when they themselves - 10+ years ago - effortlessly jumped between just about any rock genre you can think of.
Their self-titled debut I would describe as a circus-themed funk-metal record... or something like that. And it is irresistibly groovy, creepy and entertaining throughout the whole thing. Within a single song on the record, don't be surprised to find elements of about a dozen genres, and don't be surprised if you find yourself laughing maniacally and banging your head relentlessly back and forth, wondering how the hell something so weird and extreme can be so utterly delightful. The explanation may be that however indigestible this may seem to be, it's still surprisingly memorable. Mostly because of Mike Pattons superb, over-the-top (in a good way) vocal performance. More than on anything else I've heard him on, 'Mr. Bungle' showcases his mad skills and equally mad creativity as a singer. He can growl, he can scream, he can croon, he can... rant-rap?.. or whatever it is he does on "Squeeze Me Macaroni".
And he manages to make it all sound so intriguing that you'll keep listening and keep coming back to this record, awe-inspired. Not to bring ANY disrespect to the band, Patton is merely the force that fascinates you at first sight. Trey Spruances extreme talent for creating anything from crushingly heavy riffs to funky ska-like licks; Trevor Dunn's almost Les Claypool-ish energy-groove and Danny Heifetz's competent, varied, skillful though never spotlight-stealing drumming, and the two-man (I think) horn-section, is what lays the groundwork for Pattons talent to reach its full potential here, and is truly one of the best, most groundbreaking and fun instrumental performances I've ever heard - from any band!
This is, without a doubt, one of the best experimental, genre-bending records I've ever heard, only surpassed by some of the very best Zappa-stuff - and if you're even remotely into that stuff, don't sleep on this gem!
Free Music Review: One of the most unique albums in existence and I mean that
Hit: 5 Stars
With the exception of Led Zeppelin IV, there is no other album that I vividly recall listening to the first time. And the reason why I remember it is because my soul felt jolted after hearing it...I was in shock that there were humans that existed that could create such a thing. It also helped that it had so many David Lynch references, one of my favorite directors. I could almost quantify this as Mike Patton's "Sgt. Pepper".
There's really no way to put a label on it - it certainly goes far and beyond such watered down terms like "alternative", which hadn't even fully crept into the mainstream world at the time of its release. And since there's no genre called "psychotic, yet incredibly intelligent clown music", we'll have to just let it remain unknown. It was, and still is in many ways, one of the braver albums I've ever heard. I've been listening to it regularly for going on 17 years now and I can STILL hear new things, new melodies that I never picked up before...it's that layered and complex.
With all that said, it's certainly not for everyone. But there is honestly a small slice of almost every genre laden throughout the lengthy tracks; the first time listener may struggle to determine where one songs ends and another begins. The tempos and vocals are ever changing and at times, the album is quite terrifying. I don't recommend it on a first date.
I think it's also best experienced as a whole, played from start to finish. The tracks seem stronger in succession vs. stand alone, though that conclusion is subjective and completely debatable. I find this album to be heads and tails better than its successor, Disco Volante, but still not as accessible as California (another gem). This is a must-have for any Bungle or Mike Patton fan.
Free Music Review: Perfect album on a first date
Hit: 5 Stars
Listen up, 'cause this is one crazy and ingenious cd we're talking about here! There is no other act out there today that's like Mr. Bungle(I guess there are similarities to John Zorn), and I doubt we'll ever see one again. The world this band puts you in is one of the most wicked and humorous. The songs are downright hilarious both lyrically and musically. But, along with this humor, there's an extremely strong sinister feel. These songs also conjure demented pictures in your mind that will cut deeper than the most evil of black metal bands on their best day! Only an extremely talented bunch of musicians can pull something like this off(and continue to do so for two more albums, though in a slightly different way). I have so much respect for what these guys do. You listen to these whackos at work and you realize that these guys must love what they do, and are serious about really entertaining the listener. These guys aren't about making radio hits, no way. They want to place you in a demented circus where violence. . . and insanity run rampant. And boy, do they succeed in doing just that! Unfortunately, the . . .group that calls themselves SLIPKNOT cashed in on Mr. Bungle's gimmick of wearing masks while they perform. . . . Bungle should be recongized for what they do. They have some of the most talented musicians in the group, but I know they will never get the recognition they deserve. Why? Too weird! Most people can't handle this stuff and pass it off as bizarre, noise. . . . I know even Guitar Player magazine probably won't touch Trey Spruance with a ten foot pole and that's really sad. Anyhow, if you want something that's gonna kick you in the teeth every time you put it in your cd player, I simply can't recommend this album enough.