CDNOW Review

California, the third album from Mr. Bungle, finds itself awash in a storm of
frenzied sonic dissonance, slanted and enchanted half-melodies, and the
typical, musical dementia that follows the bands of Mike Patton. In other
words, it's brilliant.

One suspects that with the demise of Faith No More and the lackluster
response to the one-off group Fantomas, Patton had more time to spend
with his original Bay Area sideshow.

California recalls the spontaneous and frantic, but still perversely cohesive,
sounds of the band's first LP and early demos -- not the fragmentation of
Disco Valente -- culminating in a dizzying sound that lies somewhere
between a haunted circus and the cartoon scores of Carl Stalling. 

On the songs "None of Them Knew They Were Robots" and the closing
 "Goodbye Sober Day," Patton trapezes from smooth, lounge-like crooning
to rock-anthem shouting to mouth-turning sarcasm to lullaby whispering --
often in the same verse. Bassist Trevor Dunn and the rest of the band
aptly follow, able to move from jazzy chord progressions to gargantuan riffs
on a dime. 

There's something schizophrenic and utterly out of control with Mr. Bungle's
antics, particularly with Patton, but that's ultimately the deep-rooted allure
of this band. Love it or hate it, Mr. Bungle shows you the other side of the
funhouse mirror.

Joseph Patel