Mr. Bungle
California

There are bands that will never truly achieve success, that will always remain a niche phenomenon for few die-hard fans; these are the so-called "Cult" bands. Mr. Bungle is one of those, creators of music for which calling it crossover is an understatement, with a leader named Mike Patton (not just any young lad), they've made three albums: the first, self-titled, will always be my favorite (always because unfortunately they broke up); the second, "Disco Volante" is definitely too experimental to be appreciated by a large audience; this last one, "California" is pure madness.
The title itself has its story: Mr. Anthony Kiedis (I refuse to say who he is) saw them live during a festival and accused Patton of copying from him (?!?!), dear Mike responded in not exactly a courteous manner, and they've hated each other ever since. Some even say it's because of the Peppers that Mr. Bungle never again participated in major festivals on American soil and that's why they never broke through (I don't go that far because I have too much love for the Peppers). In short, by the time they released "California", which came out simultaneously with "Californication", the title is a clear reference or, if you prefer, a clear mockery.

The album begins with two tracks that have a vague '60s flavor, they resemble the Beach Boys at times but decidedly more experimental, then comes "Retrovertigo", a ballad that is among the most beautiful pieces on the album, in which Patton demonstrates, if there were any doubt, that he really knows his stuff (furthermore, for those who have listened to the previous albums, a ballad by Mr. Bungle was pure science fiction), truly a great song. Then comes the central part of the album, perhaps the best, where we can say that all musical genres that have ever appeared on the face of the earth coexist perfectly, listen to "Ars Moriendi" to believe it, it starts with an Arabic vibe and then alternates hardcore outbursts, sudden pauses, restarts, and almost folk-like accelerations, in short, total chaos. The seventh track, "Golem 3, The Bionic Vapour Boy" (?!), almost sounds like an animated series theme song and it is really fun, towards the end of the CD there’s even space for a little R'n B' gem, "Vanity Fair", and for three more songs that, in pure Mr. Bungle style, combine all types of music that ever existed (types of music... what an ugly expression).

In short, this album is mind-blowing, a sort of who cares if nobody gives a damn about them, listen to them and decide for yourself if Patton really copies from Kiedis. This is true crossover, not Linkin Park and Rage Against.