Mr Bungle's California: An analysis of one the most cryptic summer albums of all time

Hello and once again snipper-snappers all around the world, and welcome to my blog. As I said two weeks ago, I'm going to talk about something from my personal interests. Just like last year. And one of the things that I wanted to talk but I never had the chance to make is a post related to music.

That's right, This week I'm going to talk about a band. But not just any band and not just any album. This week the subject matter is going to be Mr. Bungle's California (1999)

Don't let the minimalist album cover fool you... this is one of the most complicated things you'll ever heard in your life

For those who don't know Mr. Bungle, It was an american avant-grade band from Eureka, California led by Mike Patton, known for being the singer of Faith no More, with Trey Spruance as lead guitarrist, Trevor Dunn as Bassist, and other musicans like Theo Lenn (saxophonist), Danny Heifest (Drums) and Clinton "Bar" Mckinnon in the reeds. They we're known for mixing different styles in unconventional ways. Like putting elements from ska music right in the middle of a Death Metal Song or backwards.

Unfortunately, the band made just 3 albums in their entire carreer: Mr Bungle, their self-titled album (1991), Disco Volante (1995) and of course California (1999). Apparently they don't have plans of get together once again. But, in some way, the things they made are so good, that 3 albums are just enough. Whatever.

California, their last work, is known for being thier most accessible album, with more individualistic songs and an overall surf rock sound mixed with jazz, hawaiian music, electro-funk, etc.

In fact, The album opens with the sound of the beach and let us dive into the sweet hawaiian riffs from "Sweet Charity", a song with a pretty catchy tune for this group. In fact, the melody is so mesmerizing that you don't even notice the small change of music style in 1:36. Every style in this song and this album works in harmony, unlike their previous recordings, where the chaos and irregularity were the premise of every song.

After that, we get right into the longest, and probably, the most complex song from the album: "None of them Knew hey were Robots", I mean, this song has at least 7 different sections that ranging from Jazz, Blues, Rockabilly and even music inspired in Tim Burton film scores. But despite the constant changes, the song flows very well, I mean it's very unconventional, but at the same time it's very catchy. Another interesting fact about this song is that some lyrics are in Latin. And because the song itself is about religion and the church, it fits perfectly and doesn't feel forced at all.

"Retrovertigo" in contrast with the previous song, is more traditional in terms of song structure. It's a classic Verse-Chorus-Verse song. Which, for Mr. Bungle is really rare. The Song itself is very Radiohead-ish, so much so that remind me "No surprises", but is the interpretation of Mike Patton that give the distinctive style to this track, and prove us that this group can make pop music. GOOD pop music.

But in the moment that "The Air Conditioned Nightmare" appears, things gets crazier and crazier. The song opens with the sweet hawaiian sound from "Sweet Charity", and then we immidiately move to a weird section that sounds like a mix between The Beach Boys and The Exorcist 2 Soundrack.After that we cut to the verse section that blend 50 horror music score part in the first and third verse, a Rock and Roll part in the second verse, and a Garage rock part in the fourth one. This entire section is repeated twice and then we cut to the chorus. And after the Chorus we return into the Hawaiian section, just to return to the chorus the last time and then we return to the hawaiian section and the song ends.

"Ars Moriendi" (Which means "The Art of Dying") is another crazy combination of ideas that co-exist harmonically in the same song. From Jewish music to arabic, to techno, to metal riffs and circus music that is reminiscent to their Self-titled album, this is one of my personal favorites. And just like "None of them knew...", it features latin verses that, oddly enough sounds very normal compared to the english verses. Let me explain, the entire Theme is sung with a strange foreign accent that match with the sound of Romance Languages. The creativity of this band overwhelms me.

And then we get to "Pink Cigarette", the only single from this album, which is a shame because songs like "Retrovertigo" o "Sweet Charity" could been big hits on the radio as well. The song itself sounds like a theme from a Quentin Tarantino movie, particulary the chorus that is reminiscent to Spaghetti Western music. The track is nice and full of atmosphere and stuff, but the thing that make this tune so memorable is the ending. I'm not going to tell you what is about, let's just say is one of the most clever moments in the album.

"Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy". This track it's just as strange as the title sounds. It's sort of like Stevie Wonder meets Techno mixed with creepy toy music. But what makes it even weirder it's, you guessed, the Mike Patton voice. His performance is very robotic (in a good way) and give the song that awkward atmosphere that is required. And by last but not least, adding some mainspring toy sounds and you got an awesome tune that works like clockwork (no pun intended)

"The Holy Filament" it feels HUGE. Every time I hear this song and close my eyes, I see the universe being created. with all their galaxies and planets evolving and expanding. This track sounds like Pink Floyd with all the atmosphere from the keyboards and the Guitar Riffs that sounds like echoes in the space. It's one of those songs that transport you into distant places and let you travel to the wonders of the unknown.

And because this is a summer CD, we return to the Beach Sounds with "Vanity Fair", a songs with a very 50's fashion and lyrics that talk about the people's obsession with their image (particulary famous people), it had a bridge section that reminds me "Your Mother Should Know" by the Beatles and some falsettos by Patton to compliment the music. And being the shortest song from the Album (it runs for 2:58) it's probably the weakest song from this record, but considering the greatness of the rest of the song, this one sounds awesome anyway.

And finally we close the album with a High Note with "Goodbye Sober Day", that, in my opinion it's one of the scariest recordings that this band made in their short history, and considering their previous work, that is saying a lot. We start the song with a catchy-as-hell jazz melody that suddenly stops and cut to a slower section with the atmospheric sound of the keyboard leading the instrumental part while Patton sings the title of the songs with a very creepy voice, with some little variations in the middle section. After that the instruments stops and we travel 3000 years in the past to the India, when when hear some priest chanting curses to their enemies (but trust me that's not the scariest part), and then we cut some Kecak war chantings that accelerates the music (but that's NOT the scariest part), and finally we return to the catchy jazz part from the beginning just to abruptly stops once again and THEN we get into the scariest part of the song when we heard the doors of hell opening and leading us into the dakness of the abyss and dissapear from the existence. BEST... END... EVER!!!

And THat was my review from Mr. Bungle California, I hope you enjoyed it and see you next time. Take care.

Guess who's back, Tell a friend, NC's Back, Back Again

Well, hello everyone and welcolme to the great re-opening of "Atheism and Religion are the same" blog.

Behave Youself or The Nostalgia Critic is going to put a bullet in your skull

Originally was a proyect for my English Class where I wrote about topics related to my personal tastes and stuff. And because I don't want to waste this account, I decided to give it a new a new purpouse... From now on, I'm gonna talk about all the topics that I wanted to touch in 2013, and I never had the chance to get into detail.

Of course I'm talking about movies, TV shows, music, current events, philosophy and all the things I consider interesting and stuff. If you don't care about those things, you can go somewhere else. But if you're here... good for you. I'm going to warning you that I'm not exactly the most interesting person in the world, so don't expect a full analysis or a professional opinion... I'm just an awkward guy in front of a computer in some part of the planet earth.

With that said, now I'm gonna tell you how the things are going to be:

1-The posts are every two weeks... If I don't write anything during that period of time, I'm gonna let you know...

2-If in the remote case I decided to use strong words in the post, I'm gonna put a warning advice in the beginning...

3-Everything said in this Blog It's all opinion... so try to understand the person who wrote before judging or just don't comment please...

Well I think that's it... I'll see you in two weeks... don't have a cow man...

You Know, I've Learned Something Today

When you're writing a weekly Blog from an English class level 3, you certainly ended up learning something about being methodic and responsible. I've never used Blogger before, so this was a totally different expererience in terms of work. As you can see, I'm not one of those folks who like to talk about their personal things, but if the teacher demands it, I guess I have no choice.

I know, farewells are always sad

At first, I didn't even know what could it be the most appropiate name for this Blog, that's why I pick the most random title I could think in that moment. But, looking back, I'm not sorry for naming it: "Atheism and Religion are the same", because it's the truth, unlike the fake statements from atheist nutballs like Richard Dawkins.

I personally enjoyed making these entries, even if the half of the time people couldn't read it for whatever reason. This proyect showed me that I actually have some personality, and that I have a lot of things to talk about, from inmigration controversies to teen dramas. My english vocabulary certainly has improved when I started to make these entries, because when you write a Blog in a different language than yours, you need to learn to keep it consistent and try to be very careful with the details. One word wrong, and the entire thing gets screwed.

But there are something I'd like point out. And that is I wanted to talk about more controversial topics aside from my personal tastes. I don't know, talk about current events, philosophy, political correctness or stuff like that. There's so many things I wanted to write about those things. And I don't care if people consider that pretentious or boring, I just love pushing buttons. I guess I am who I am because of that.

Well peolpe, I guess this is the last time you're going to read this Blog, so I hoped you enjoyed and have good luck in your future work as journalists, so goodbye, aloha, auf wiedersehen, live long and prosper, good night and good luck, see ya later alligator, that's all folks.

Santiago de Chile, a big misunderstood mess

Well, if I’m going to talk about the city I lived for nearly 11 years, then I’m going to be as honest as possible. So be prepared for a long rant of criticism the same way that I’m going to be prepared for the negative feedback. Oh boy, here we go.

Yes, we're living in a big hole in the ground

Santiago besides of being the capital of my “beloved” country, it’s also one of the most centralized cities in Latin America. In other words our capital it’s the fifth most populated city in the continent.

That shouldn’t be a problem for us, but the fact that our city was founded in a Valley becomes a real problem in terms of environment. Why? Because between the public transport, the smoke from the cars and all the air pollution creates this big black cloud of CO2 that surrounds the entire city and suffocates the population. And if you’re wondering… No, the vehicular restriction will not fix the problem at all.

Now that’s the physical description, it’s time to talk about the places and stuff. And Santiago, being the capital of Chile, has a lot of history behind that it’s worth to check it out.

For Example, we have “Casa Central” that is the head office of the University of Chile, that keeps a neoclassical architecture that still remains the times when we were colony of Spain, and has a Statue of Andres Bello inside. The government palace called “La Moneda” that had a lot of repairs after being attacked by the military in 1973, but the memory is still there. The Costanera Center Mall in Providencia where people go to shop and eat, and looks like a giant corn.

The National Stadium where people become over zealot for the freakin’ football (like I care) , the San Cristobal hill where people can ride the cable railway and see the city from above, Fantasilandia, an amusement park, the interactive Museum (MIM) in “La granja” and so on. Okay, I’ll admit that Santiago has practically everything in terms of culture and history. But that doesn’t mean that represents Chile as a whole.

Being a big city, there are a lot of places to work like hospitals, schools, malls, drugstores and public transport. One good thing about living in a place like this is that there always work to do, something to repair, something to take care or something to clean. Except when you’re a politician, in that case can do absolutely nothing and still keep winning money.

And now I’m going to talk about the problems with Santiago. Mmmm let’s see…  The crime on the streets, the incompetence of the authorities, the contamination of the Mapocho River, the unevenness of the social classes, the laughable health program, the corruption in the legal system, etc. The only way to repair this bloody mess, it’s choosing a candidate who is neither liberal nor conservative because the bipartisanship it’s the worst way to make politics.

And that was Santiago, the capital of Chile. Polluted, corrupted, with a lot of problems, but also full of history and culture that makes it shine in their own way. It’s the worst city of the world? No. But it could be way better than now. Just give it some time.

In the Jungle, the quiet Jungle... the Lion King came out

As every average kid who grew up in the 90's... one of the first films I watched was *pause for dramatic effect* The Lion King... which shouldn't be a surprise consider that is the highest grossing animated film of all time and stuff. I mean It's kind of impossible to overlook this movie... even if you're an adult...

I know that being succesful in the box office doesn't make it the best Disney Film. And I realized  that It's not the funniest, the smartest or the most groundbreaking animated movie of all time as I thought when I was younger. But... for what it is, It's a really enjoyable flick. And even after being released almost 20 years ago, It holds up pretty well. Let me explain it.

The movie is about a young lion prince called Simba, who is very excited because he is going to be the King of the Jungle, and his father, Mufasa along with a Hornbill called Zazu teaches him about being a good governor and learn about his future responsabilities.
But Scar, the younger brother of Mufasa and Simba's uncle, feels very frustrated because he feels that Simba took his place in the royal heritage. So he join forces with a group of Hyenas to kill Mufasa and Simba and take over the Kingdom.
The hyenas make an ambush that eventually kills Mufasa and fool Simba to make him think that he was the responsible (in problably one of the most depressing Disney moments). So he runs away with remorse and shame and Scar become the new governor.
Later, when he grew up and realized that Scar is destroying the Kingdom of his father, letting everybody dying, he returns and confront his uncle.

As you can see, the plot it's pretty much a remake of Hamlet... in Africa... with talking animals... But being an animated movie let the filmmakers take more chances with this set up.
For example, the villians kills Mufasa provoking a stampede, which is a very creative idea and looks huge in the bigscreen. Or this scene where Scar and the Hyenas sing "Be Prepared" is just amazing. I mean the colors, the visuals, the entire choreography creates an outstanding experience. In terms of animation this movie it's still impressive.

But, like every movie, It have some flaws. The characters for example, while they're very likable and colorful, they're kind of generic. We've already see them a million times. And some of the songs feels a little bit dated, like Hakuna Matata (please don't kill me). But these are just little details, because the good stuff is so good that you can easily avoid it.

So overall, I'm glad to grow up watching the Lion King. Maybe not one of the Disney's best, but certainly one of their most ambitious and epic. And of course, one of my childhood favorites.

Siddhartha: your soul is the whole world

Okay, this is a hard one. Because... I read a lot of books in my life and it's kinda difficult choosing just one. I mean, it's not like movies or TV, where I got a clear idea of what I like and what I don't. With books it's so hard to pick just one choice. But because I don't have much time to think... I'm going to pick a book that, I consider the deepest (in terms of content) that I ever read.

So, as you can guessed already, I'm going to talk about Hermann's Hesse Siddhartha.

This novel is setting in the time of Gautama Buddha and is about a young man called Siddhartha, who always had an easy and comfortable life. Being the son of a Brahmin he never starved, never suffered and he always had everything that he wanted.

But one day he realized that all his possessions doesn't made him a better person, and decided to become into an ascethic along with his best friend Govinda. So they leave their homes and join the Samanas, a religious movement that believes in the liberation of people from the vicious circle of hedonism through self-mortification and poverty.

However, Siddharta and Govinda discover that the style of life of Samanas it's just as bad as the materialistic life they used to have, and realized that the man needs to search a middle ground. So they went to talk with Buddha itself, who told them that they need to choose their own way to find the Nirvana, and invite them to join their order. Eventually Govinda joins Buddha, but Siddhartha decides to search for the illumination alone and go down the river to start his spiritual journey.

Hermann Hesse published this book in 1922 in a time where he was itself in a self discovery journey. He is known for his novels about self-discovery and spirituality, and certainly this is one of their best and most representative works. With a message of being patient and learn to realize your mistakes and fix them, but at the same time being aware about your achievements.

I personally recommend this book to you. And that's pretty much it.

CNN Chile: It's Happening right now and you're seeing it right now

Everybody knows CNN. It's one of the most famous cable network of news that there is. But I´m going to talk about the chilean version. Mostly because it's the only news network channel in Chile that I actually trust right now.

Now I'm just going to say you that I don't visit the website very often. But I follow it through Facebook and always watch the channel every morning. But I'm going to do my best, and try to to talk you about the website.

Like all the news websites, the news section is divided in different categories. There's an economy section, an international news section, a section related to the elections if we're in that period. There's Even a sport section. But it's nothing but football,  it could be some news related to a different sport, but mostly it's just football news so don't pay attention to that.

And in the top of the page there are some links related with the most relevant news of the moment, that changes every time because there's always something happening in the country.

And also there are links to twitter, facebook and RSS. A search bar in the top, along with the title and the slogan. A weather section in the right part below the links. A program section in the bottom of the page with links of all the programs of the channel and a questionnaire section in the end of the page.

Here's the link of the page if you want to visit it. I know you're not going to do that, but here it is just in the remote case that you're actually interested in this kind of things. Take care.
http://www.cnnchile.com/