CALIFORNIA

This is the third and final studio album from MR BUNGLE released in 1999. Man have they changed, in the sense this is way more accessible sounding music, especially the vocals. Apparently "California" is a concept album about the ugly truth of living in California with disillusionment and depression rearing it's ugly heads in a land where money and technology rule. Man they have softened their sound though, but still mixing odd styles of music. Here it's surf music, doo wop, lounge music, polka metal, avant pop etc. Yes the extreme stuff is gone pretty much making this the ying to their debut which was a yang, metal driven and extreme recording.

I thought that maybe the main composer Trey Spruance was just getting tired of making this crazy music after forming SECRET CHIEFS 3, 4 years prior to "California". I mean that project has more in common with the first two MR BUNGLE albums than "California" does. Hey Timb Harris guests on here. He will be an original member of ESTRADASPHERE who released their debut the next year in 2000. Plus he would start being on SECRET CHIEF 3 records starting with "Book M' from 2001. In typical MR BUNGLE fashion almost every song is all over the place. I'm just not into this at all.

"The Air-Conditioned Nightmare" has surf music, silliness and is all over the place. "Goodbye Sober Day" is the closer and again all over the place. Slow, fast, mellow, loud. Heavy and soft with silliness. "Ars Moriendi" is all over the place and has a middle eastern vibe. Elvis could have sung "Pink Cigarette". Music box sounds and silliness on "Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy", some darkness on "The Holy Filament" but again all over the place. Not into the blasting horns and uptempo sections on "None Of Them Knew They Were Robots".

So a low 3 stars but it may beat their debut that was just too far into extreme metal for my tastes and was very abrasive including the vocals. Not my music in either case but check out "Disco Volante", now that's an avant album I like.