People familiar with Mr. Bungle's first album, a great and accessible adventure into avant-garde that'd either leave you entirely confused, or loving it. Those same people can tell you how happy the album sounded, while some of the lyrics were messed up, it had a very happy sound, as Mike Patton and crew would switch between funk, ska, and even gypsy music in some songs, but this album is radically different.
Where as the first album had a happy, weird feel to it that'd probably remind you of some crazy guy you know, this album is very different in what it communicates, not even by just the lyrics, which have turned more deep and cryptic, but with the music. It generates an odd atmosphere that can best be described as lonely, depressed, schizophrenic, and misunderstood, like a person longing for personal absolution with themselves with bits of raw anger finding its way out, but all of this not without a certain sense of intelligence, and even at times beautiful.
Even if you enjoyed and fully understood (hint: you're psychotic) the first album, this album is not an immediate punch to the face in enjoyment, but almost like reading a really good book that you don't realize is good until you've read through it once, twice, or maybe even several times over the course of a year. It took me a year to get into this album, and it's hard to say if you should dedicate yourself to it if you don't like any part of it on first listen, and it's also hard to say if it's worth the effort, but in my eyes, it was a hidden gem.
I cannot think of a genuine happy moment on this album. From the rough, sludgey opening of 'Everyone I Went to Highschool With is Dead', leading into the odd, almost Jewish sounding sound of 'Chemical Marriage', such as something you'd expect to be played at a barmitzvah or something (yes, I know a barmitzvah isn't a wedding. screw off), with bits of free-style jazz, death metal, and even Arabian-techno throughout the course of the album, it can be a lot to take in, and learning this album is truly a feat.
But is it just a worthless feat, or a feat that leaves to a feast for the ears?
That was an awkward question.
This is the most avant-garde album I've ever heard released on a major record label (warner brothers), and I think they had some serious balls to put this out, because none of this is marketable material. There's not one song on here I think could even possibly be a radio single. It leaves me wondering with some of the songs, does Mike and crew know they're making condensed insanity, or since it sounds so natural, are they unaware of what they're unleashing into the music world?
It's talented as hell, taking much influence from other albums, but how are the songs? Like I've mentioned before, no songs on here are even half-way marketable, but are still good in their own right once you've learned the tricks of their trade. I don't think I enjoyed any of these songs on first listen, but I do love the majority of them now. Not every track's a winner with me, but I can't say any of them are bad, because they do work in the context of the album. There's a few tracks that I wish had been touched up a little bit more, with either removing or adding a few things, but that's just me trying to find something to nitpick about.
Production though isn't that terribly great. Some of it sounds under-produced, but in a way, I think that's intentional, as if to give a raw sound, like what's in a track I've mentioned 'Everyone I Went to High School With is Dead'. It doesn't do any fancy tricks, it shoves you right in the music. Although some layering on this album is impressive, sometimes it's just a bit quiet.
Lyrics are really what sold me on this album, besides the general songs. Some songs are so cryptic that there are actually debates on what they're about online, such as 'Merry Go Bye Bye' with some arguing it's a statement against religion, and some arguing it's about being an astronaut. Some songs take research to understand, and some are just out there completely, like one track in which Mike possibly talks from experience, 'After School Special', about being molested by his father and his mother not doing anything to prevent it, so even though he knows she loves him, he grows to hate her. The outro to that song, of a member pretending to be a child being molested, or possibly ripped from a movie, might be seen as bad taste to some of you, but it gives a very, very creepy edge that's actually unsettling to listen to, and shows just how disturbing and haunting child molestation can be. If that was their goal with that song, they certainly have succeeded.
Disco Volante is kind of like a book that people will pretend to understand on first read, but we all know they're lying. I can assure you, though, if you stick with it, there's a great ending.
8/10
Recommended track(s): Carry Stress in the Jaw
