CMJ-NMR Review of California Predicting what the extraordinary Mike Patton will do next is as futile as explaining astrophysics to an infant. You're in for a surprise if you're expecting California to continue the goofball fusion of rap, speedmetal and smoky club jazz found on the band's previous efforts, Mr. Bungle and Disco Volante. Mr. Bungle has taken a dose of Valium to ease its schizophrenic psychosis, but California still exhibits multiple personalities. The album is an amalgam of noises - a carnival of keyboards, explosions, calliope organs and crunchy guitars, along with those Patton-ted, over-the-top whispers, knee-jerk screams and whacked-out harmonies. Such otherworldly, frenetic emissions make the record resemble the music that accompanies your favorite Saturday morning cartoons. Mr. Bungle's eclectic juices flow throughout the beachy sounds and near-falsetto crooning of the cool "Sweet Charity" and the smooth, doo-wop experiment, "Vanity Fair." In Faith No More and Fantomas, Patton hinted at the powers of his mouth. With Mr. Bungle's latest album, he's found the open-ended outlet that allows him to manipulate his phonemes to deranged perfection. © 1978-1999 College Media, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.