Mondo Cane - Mike Patton

This is the fifth solo album credited to Californian Singer Mike Patton. I love this guy, he is actually one of my musical heroes. This guys voice is crazy, and he also uses tricks and other stuff that I haven't seen anyone even attempt to try. Now I have heard this album about a dozen times and I love it, but as you know nothings that simple with me. Especially if I love this thing as much as I say I do. Well some quick background info about this. This was recorded with Mike and a backing orchestra of about 65 people. This album is cover versions of 50's and 60's Italian pop songs. This was released May 4th, 2010. I'm pissed that I didn't upload this earlier, I was out of town

1. Il Cielo In Una Stanza: This song starts out with what sounds like a storm. It's actually really cool to hear with headphones on. There is so much more going on, and you heard the instrumentation so much clearer when you have headphones on. This song is more stings and drums. The strings on this song make it seem like this would be a song that would be played at someones wedding. This song is very clear and easy to listen to. This is a very pretty song that I have teared up before because of.
2. Che Notte!: This is a faster song. There is more more brass on this song than the last. This is a more quick song, and I could never see at someones wedding. There is a trumpet solo in the middle of the songs and it is very cool sounding. Then after that solo comes a screach by Mikie and the song sounds like it falls apart. After it falls apart there is a like horn and then the song starts up again. The ending of the song has this feel of like a '50s jazz song.
3. Ore D'Amore: This song was partially written by Bert Kaempfert. That is a German orchestral leader and songwriter. He composed a song called Moon Over Naples, which Faith No More covered the song in 1995, but the version with lyrics. The lyrics were added in 1966 and the songs was retitled Spanish Eyes. This song is ok but I'm not huge on it.
4. Deep Down: This song was written by Ennio Morricone. Ennio was a Italian composer who wrote soundtracks for movies. Some of his best word was for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly soundtrack. This song is ok in the beginning. I am not huge on this song, but the best part is where it's like in the breakdown where it changes up a little. I think that sounds really cool. Guitar comes in and it is the only part that is, for the most part, different from the rest of the song. The ending is also pretty cool where it's him whispering the last part into the mic without any other music behind him.
5. Quello Che Conta: The beginning of this song sounds like it would be in a soundtrack to a classic Spaghetti Western. After the intro there is a fingerpicked guitar accompanied by strings and bass. Then after that comes in, what I am pretty sure is, a harpsichord and Mike's vocals. This song is beautiful and can bring a tear to your eye. This entire song is very sweat and not hard to digest. This song is one of my favorites on this thing. {9/10}
6. Urlo Negro: This is the heaviest song on this album. And it is by a landslide. The feedback in the beginning of the song is in the crossfades with the last track. Then there is a drum roll and Mike screams. "AH!!". He sounds like he is angry on this song. Like he has almost blood curtling screams on the versus on this song. But the thing is for the chorus he sings like it is a very catchy song. This is easily the catchiest song on here, because of the chorus. This song is a masterpiece and I tip my hats off to The Blackmen. That's who the song is credited to. Watch the video for this song, its actually kind of cool to see them do this. It looks like they are all having fun.
7. Scalinatella: This is another song that I could see being in a soundtrack to a movie. I could also see this being a song you can dance to. It is, for the most part, just Mike and an acoustic guitar. Strings do come in a little later. This song is also a beautiful song. This is a very, very chill song.
8. L'Uomo Che Non Sapeva Amare: This is a return to the feeling that I get from  Il Cielo In Una Stanza. I love this song because the backing vocals are awesome and this song has, what I think is, a harpsichord in it. There is also a part where there is this video games sounding thing. It kind of reminded me of The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny demo that Mr. Bungle made back in '86.
9. 20 KM Al Giorno: This is a jazzy feeling to it. It kind of reminds me of Minnie the Moocher. This song has a very slick feeling to it. The solo in this song is a keyboard solo that sounds kind of like something that Ray Manzarek would have played on a Doors' song. This song is very cool, and I mean that literally. 
10. Ti Offro Da Bere: This song has a like "piano riff". This song is another pretty song, but there is a guitar in there and it kind of sounds like a surf rock guitar. And it comes in after almost every verse on the song. It reminded me of something like the little guitar riff in The Air-Conditioned Nightmare off Mr. Bungle's 1999 album California. Not the main one, just... listen to the songs and you'll know what I mean.
11. Senza Fine: This is a very good way to finish this album. This song has this vibe that brings the song Good Night, which is the last song on side 4 of the 1968 self titled double album by The Beatles. It doesn't really sound that similar, it's just that I get that vibe from it. It's the last song, so lets say goodnight or good show, and maybe you'll comeback, but for now your tired and you want to end your "trip" fun. Lets say goodnight and goodbye. The horns and everything about this song work. The only thing that hurts the whole entire goodnight vibe is that towards the middle of the song it gets louder. But then towards the end it gets quiterer than it was before and it kind of just... ends. Well that is after the screams and noises are done, and the song goes back to the original loud feel. Then after than it is the end. And to say that's all there is a hit of a triangle and that ends the song and also the album

Overall this album gets a 10/10. This is a masterpiece and it's beautiful. This is the perfect album for just about any occasion. This can relax you, it can make you tear up, it can be something you listen to at a family party, you can even show your grandfather who likes this type of music. Patton's vocals throughout this album, for the most part, have this echo feel to it. I feel like this was recorded in a room with concrete walls when it comes to some of the quieter songs. It is best though with headphones on, but for the most part, what isn't. This was my fourth or fifth time listening to it, and I can honestly say that it has gotten boring.

The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny - Mr. Bungle

This is the first demo album by my 3rd favorite band Mr. Bungle. This was released around this time in 1986, so why not review it now. I was obsessed with this band last summer. I still love these guys, and they helped me so much in my taste in music. I know that this, being a demo, is a little different from most things that I review, but this is special. They released it and it wasn't released as a bootleg, so it goes on this blog. Now I have to do this fast, so I won't put a ton of background info in this one but I'll still put some.Bungle is an avant-garde metal band from the 80's hailing from Eureka, California. The members, at the time, consisted of Trevor Dunn bass, Mike Patton vocals, Trey Sprence guitar, and Jed Watts as the drummer. They all did more than just than on this demo but that was their main instruments. This was released on a cassette demo and was mixed by Trey. I NEED THIS ON CASSETTE!!!!!

1. Grizzly Adams: This is an instrumental intro to the album. The first time I heard this song I thought that it was weird because I thought that this was so different from anything else that I heard off any other release. I knew that they had variation, but this song has this overall depressing, rainy day feel to it. This song kind of makes me feel down, so to say. It isn't the funny sarcastic Bungle, but more of a sad. It is a sole guitar doing arpeggios that sad thing. It's kind of hard to tell if someone else was playing along or not, but it is a sad intro to this mix tape. After a little bit in the song, like at the end, all the instruments come in and play one last like verse of the song.
2. Anarchy Up Your Anus: This is a good example of the "death metal" I was talking about. Mike had in the past said that this was death metal. The quality on this isn't very good. There is a spoken word going along with the guitar. Everything kind of sounds muddy. The screech in the beginning sounds super far way. This is like a punk feel to the chorus of the song. This song kind of sounds like something that would be off Slayer's 1983 debut album Show No Mercy.
3. Spreading the Thighs of Death: This continues that death metal thing. It is hard to understand what Mike is saying and to hear the bass on this track. There is like, what sounds like a solo on guitar, but sounds like there is electronics in there to. I know that in the credits Trey is credited guitar, backing vocal, trumpet, video games, and vocals on track 4. So that might have something to do with that. This 
4. Hypocrites: This is the track where everything is mixed up. Trey does vocals, Mike plays bass, and Trevor plays guitar. This song has more of a party feel. It still has that metal feel to it but it feel poppy. Trey's vocals kind of remind me of Boredoms. They put La Cucaracha on this. This song is more of a classic Bungle genre shifting song. When they say the title of the songs it has this reggae feel to it. Mike gets a little bass riff in here. This song is actually fun to listen to, and I think that they covered the Pink Panther theme song, and also  La Cucaracha. Like during the solo of the song.
5. Bungle Grind: This is back to the metal sound of this. This really kind of reminds me of a low quality, muddy sounding, Slayer album. Like seriously, this kind of reminds me of the 1986 Raining Blood album. This also has that video game sounding solo in it. You can hear Mike blowing the train whistle on this song.
6. Raping Your Mind: This song is just like the other songs on this. This is fast, mixed together and not good quality. I think that it is an ok song. This isn't the best song on this but its not terrible.
7. Evil Satan: This is a fun song. It is kind of silly, and more upbeat than the other songs on this, excluding Hypocrites. This song is also on their 1987 demo Bowel of Chiley. There is train horn on this song and trumpet. This is a really fun song,  There is a bongo intro that is backed up by bass. This is just a really cartoonish fun song. This is really silly but it's so good. This is my favorite song on this, and it's super hard to get out of my head. I can't understand what he's saying, but it doesn't matter. This song is still really good.
8. Sudden Death: This is the last song on this and it still reminds me of Slayer. This song is in the same line of songs that I feel Raping Your Mind is in. I don't think that it's amazing, but I like it.

Overall I give this a 7.9/10. This isn't Bungle's biggest and best release, though it's not bad, but it's different. All of their albums are different from each other, and so are all the songs on each album. The thing that's cool about this is that it shows where Bungle started out. They had more of a death metal feel on this album. I don't think that you NEED to check this out, but if you check out Bungle this is a definite thing to listen to, along with everything else they did.