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DISCO VOLANTE

Mr. Bungle

RIO/Avant-Prog


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Mr. Bungle Disco Volante album cover
4.02 | 245 ratings | 35 reviews | 42% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 1995

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Everyone I Went To High School With Is Dead (2:44)
2. Chemical Marriage (3:09)
3. Sleep (Part II): Carry Stress In The Jaw (8:59)
4. Desert Search For Techno Allah (5:24)
5. Violenza Domestica (5:14)
6. After School Special (2:47)
7. Sleep (Part III): Phlegmatics (3:16)
8. Ma Meeshka Mow Skowz (6:06)
9. The Bends (10:28)
...1) Man Overboard
...2) The Drowning Flute
...3) Aqua Swing
...4) Follow The Bubbles
...5) Duet For Guitar and Oxygen Tank
...6) Nerve Damage
...7) Screaming Bends
...8) Panic
...9) Love On The Event Horizon
...10) Re-Entry
10. Backstrokin' (2:27)
11. Platypus (5:07)
12. Merry Go Bye Bye (12:58)

Total Time: 68:45

Line-up / Musicians

- Mike Patton / vocals, tape, ocarina (3), organ (9,10)
- Trey Spruance / guitar, organ, keyboards, electronics, biwa
- Theobald Brooks Lengyel / woodwind
- Clinton McKinnon / tenor sax, clarinet, drums (5), keyboards (6)
- Trevor Dunn / bass, viol
- Danny Heifetz / percussion

With:
- Graham Connah / piano (5,9,11)
- Lisandro Adrover / bandoneon (5)
- William Winant / cymbal (2), bongos (3,8), Jew's harp (5), tabla, kanjira & sistrums (4), xylophone & glockenspiel (8)

Releases information

Artwork: Trey Spruance with Arthur Hertz (photo)

LP London Records ‎- 828 694-1 (1995, Europe)
LP Plain Recordings ‎- plain137 (2008, US)

CD Warner Bros. Records ‎- 9-45963-2 (1995, US)
CD Slash ‎- 828694.2 (1996, Europe)

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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MR. BUNGLE Disco Volante ratings distribution


4.02
(245 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(42%)
42%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(31%)
31%
Good, but non-essential (14%)
14%
Collectors/fans only (11%)
11%
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
2%

MR. BUNGLE Disco Volante reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by billyshears'67
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Mr. Bungle, for me, one of the most important bands ever. This album, ABSOLUTELY GREAT, with the exception of "The Bends", which doesn't warrant anything intersting and is basically annoying. The rest of the songs: all great. I would've loved to have given this 5 stars, but blame it on "the Bends".

This album came so unexpectedly. Their self-titled debut was somewhat commercially acceptable, this album is one of the most anti-commercial albums in recorded history. Completely bizaare sounds cascade from crag-jagged towering monoliths of insanity. The musical styles range from tango, jazz, techno, death metal, surf rock, and sounds probably undiscernible from the creators themselves. "Everyone I Went to High School with is Dead" contains morbid lyrics and the vocals sound like they're done by the dead classmates. "Carry Stress in the Jaw" is perhaps the heavist track, going in and out of speed and death metal bursts colliding into vocal excursions that resound as if they were sung in the deeps of a cave. The time signatures are astonishing on the album throughout. "Violenza Domestica" is an italian song about domestic violence with great vocals by Mike Patton. The talent of the musician's is incredible, all exemplifying great range. "Ma Meeshka Mow Skowz" is in a language all their own (I hope). "The Bends" is the most astonishingly topsy-turvy "song" I've ever heard. "Platypus" is a very humrous and immensely technical song about, you guessed it the platypus. The album ends with "Merry Go Bye Bye" which begins as surf-rock normality (excluding the lyrical subject matter which is about suicide) and then descends into feral madness (the vocal abilities resemble a plane taking off, repeatedly). The song then goes in roller coaster mode for the remainder having a very gentle and poignant moment before being raped by the cacophony of musical din. The hidden stuff at the very end of the album is very loud and frightening if your trying to listen to the album before going to bed (not recommended; it will wake you right up, violently). Highly recommended album for fans of original musicians with integrity and skill.

Review by progmonster
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars The masterpiece of the nineties ! Their three albums defies any human preconception of what can be considered as perfect. But their second, "Disco Volante", stands out as the "Trout Mask Replica" of my generation ; an unindentified flying object that will change the life of anyone with enough guts to risk a listen. Forever !
Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk
2 stars Disco Volante must be one of the most unsettling record listed in our beloved Archives. Every proghead knows that the prog spectrum of the 90's is quite wide, ranging from the slightly regressive néo to the most adventurous RIO passing thru some approximate ( and stale) symphonically pretentious retro prog. However little were we expecting such a savage album by the mid-decade. And it came from the leader of one the noisiest and most uncompromising group around: Faith No More. Not only Patton either, as the others are quite dexterous at their respective instruments also.

However, as most progheads claim this album to be the pinnacle of the decade as far as adventurous prog/RIO is concerned, I was always one to wonder how this album, could be carried so high on the altar of music lovers. I mean by this that the musical qualities found on the album are so very impressive , but again the lack of direction seems to be its biggest weakness: they even venture for a few minutes in techno , but for no good apparent reason except maybe to show us that they can also do that style of music. Relatively pointless you'll agree...In between early Guapo, RHCP, RATM and a few more hard driving bands.

Again this album , although quite impressive musically speaking, it was a real disappointment for me , when I discovered this a couple of years after it came out as some of my buddies were making this album the Everest of prog. Mostly because it lacks aim.

Review by con safo
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Excellent album. A major departure from their first record, and their most original work to date. This album is not for everyone, but those who can understand it and appreciate it are in for one of the most insane musical journeys of your life. "Carry Stress In The Jaw" is a jazzy, death metal tune which is utterly unpredictable. There are little to no immmediately catchy hooks in this album, minus the first minute of "Merry Go Bye Bye," before it delves into complete madness. If you have an open mind for experimental music, or you want to hear something like you've never heard before, pick up this album. 4.5/5 - con safo
Review by penguindf12
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Brilliant. This is exactly the album I would make, but these guys beat me to it. Each track is something, horrendously combined with something else. Jazz-metal-surf rock? Italian-avant-opera? Middle Eastern Techno? It's all here.

The madness opens with "Everyone I went to High School with is Dead", a track likely placed first just to confuse, annoy, and make you write bad reviews. Essentially a slocore death metal track, the deep, growling fuzz bass and messy drums seem to flow like sludge through your speakers. All the agony and insanity, and a chorus of damned souls in a forced rendition of Hell's Alma Mater. Even so, it's probably one of the weaker tracks on here. I enjoy it, but if it's not your thing, don't judge the album by it.

"Chemical Marriage" reassures you that you didn't waste your money on some noise-obsessed metal band when it's hockey rink organs start up. One of three "instrumentals" on this CD, it is the shortest and most easily digestible. It has a great atmosphere, and kind of gives you some down time to prepare for the next track.

Mr. Bungle's true genius shines for the first time in "Carry Stress in the Jaw", where saxes and standup bass battle against shred metal guitars and Edgar Allen Poe references, making this one hell of a ride. Simply amazing. It ends with a hidden track tacked on to it, the so-called "Secret Song", which features a ranting old man's narrative and odd-meter surf rock.

The next track is "Desert Search for Techno Allah", which I really cannot describe well. I guess it's Daft Punk meets...someone...and someone else...and a whole lot of weirdness...with a highly danceable beat...and freaky sound effects partway through and a mideastern motif. Anyway, it's another highlight.

Then they top their own weirdness with "Violenza Domestica", the first song to really focus on lyrics. In Italian. Tons of sound effects here, accordians, and ominous guitars. The story seems to be a narrative on an abusive father who...steals his child's tounge... Anyway, it gets really creepy towards the end, with whispering really close to the mike and what sounds like an icy bowling alley in the background.

"After School Special" is definitely the weakest track, about a kid's mom and how great she is. They're quite a bit of cynical and eerie undertones here, including mentions of an abusive father. It's fairly short, with a freakish sampled section tacked on the end. The music still manages to encompass at least two genres, this time cliched pop organ rock and a brief latin-tinged instrumental.

Some hyperactive punk metal drumming kicks off "Phlegmatics", part III of "Sleep" (parts II and I being "Carry Stress in the Jaw" and "Slowly Growing Deaf", respectively). This song brings to mind KING CRIMSON, because of their use of "Epitaph"-like clarinets and quasi-metal dissonance and free meter. The guitar and vocals are kept almost totally separate from the bass chords and speed metal drumming, soaring in free time and echoing each other. Eventually it collapses into the clarient section I mentioned before.

Mike PATTON's nonsense vocal experimentations are showcased in the otherwise instrumental "Ma Meeshka Mow Skoz", as well as the band's best ZAPPA imitation. Bouncy, dark, noisy, and jazzy. Another winner.

"The Bends" is the weirdest multisectional I've ever heard. The sections fade in and out, drifiting eerily like a spotlight deep in the ocean. The highlights are "The Drowning Flute", "Aqua Swing" (a brilliant deepsea jazz session with some excellent upright bass), "Panic in Blue", and the song-like "Love on the Event Horizon", which features some acoustic guitar and electronically enhanced sax. It all ends with "Re- entry", an extremely loud rush of noise. Turn your speakers down. Waaaay down.

"Backstokin" is, as many people have already noted, like the epilogue to "The Bends". Some bouncy and doo-woppy quasi-surf in a psychadelic format, a nice break from the extreme weirdness of "The Bends".

Mr. Bungle live up to their RIO name in "Platypus". It starts with some cliched metal guitar riffing, but soon drops into some seriously complex meters and time shifts. Don't blink your ears for this one. Towards the end they even throw in some musique concrete and subliminal musings on the scientific nature of the platypus.

The most deceptive song is "Merry Go Bye-Bye". It leads you into a super-cliched pop chorus, but something's fishy. The lyrics don't fit at all. What's this about suicide? But before you can catch on, they hurl you into some seriously nosiy death metal and electronic washing. But then even that subsides and leaves you with a sad, somewhat hopeful message. It also kind of hints at the nature of their next album, telling you what to expect, kind of a send-off into the more deceptive world of "California". But we'll get to that later. The album ends with an unnamed hidden track, lots of noise and trumpet honks.

It make take a couple of listens, but there is something here for everyone. No prejudice allowed.

Review by Man With Hat
COLLABORATOR Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team
5 stars What a strange and wild ride this is! In this one bizarre album, you can hear many different genres of music including death metal, jazz, surf rock, techno, eastern music, and just flat out noise (rock). The beautiful thing is the band switches between them flawlessly and performs each with an amazing dexterity. Even if there music doesn't appeal to you (which is very understandable) you have to admit there is alot of talent on this record. With that said on to the music.

The madness begins with "Everyone I Went To High School With Is Dead", a pure death metal track, showing off the metal roots of the band members. Next up is the average Chemical Marriage. Nothing overly special here, but some nice playing by all involved. Now this is where we really start to pick up steam. Carry Stress In The Jaw leads off an awe inspirering stretch of the album. Great sax, great bass, even great shred guitar. At the end the mood shifts drastically to a semi-demented surf rock song with a narration to remember. Great stuff! Next comes my favorite Desert Search For The Techno Allah. There is not a bad moment in the song (although that could be said for many of them). A middle eastern techno club comes to mind when i hear this. Very bizarre! Something everyone (every prog fan that is) should at least hear (IMO at least). Following this masterpiece is Volenza Domestica (sp??). A spooky song with interesting lyrics (which are in Italian I believe). In addtion, this is one of the few songs to give me chills! Very well done. Next up is After School Special. An eeriely "comfortable" feeling track with good vocals, but overall nothting "over-the-top". Phlegmatics is a good song with excellent playing and a punkish begining. Again, good but not stellar. However the same can not be said about Ma Meeshka Mow Skowz, a fantastic song with a great feel, melody, sax, and playing. A jazz feel is present throughout and pattons "vocals" are interesting if nothing eles. Great song. The "epic", The Bends, contains alot of noise. However, it really doesn't boring anywhere in the song (not that its all too exciting to begin with, but it does have its moments). My favorite part is the end with one of the strangest things i've heard in my life. Backstrokin' is a nice short song with nice melody, piano, and playing. The shortest highlight of the album for me. Platypus is perhaps the strangest song on the ablum. Very RIO/avant gurde at times, other times a bit more accessable. All the musicans are spot on throughout (and you would have to be to keep up with the "furiousness" of this song). Another highlight. The final song is Merry go bye bye. I find this to be a sour note to end on. Again the music/lyrics are good but it just doesn't hit me. At the end there is a "bonus track" which is basically them screwing around in the studio. Not bad but could become annoying.

All in all this is quite a musical advanture. There are very few flaws on this album and none of them come from the musicans themselves. Everything is played to perfection (even the lesser songs). Certainly not for everyone, but i believe that everyone should at least sample this album. Also, with the diversification on here, there should be a section that appeals to everyone. If you dont you are certainly missing out on a great prog album. Highly recommended!

Review by Bj-1
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars This is Mr Bungle at their creative peak, at 68 minutes you'll get through a labyrinth of different genres, cultures and general weirdness. Although constantely playful it's simultaneously uneasy and completely original in it's different concepts, highlights being the amazingly creepy "Violenze Domestica" and the claustrophobic underwater journey "The Bends", the latter being a series of eerie experimental interludes and sounds dealing with different themes and is always a pleasure to listen to at night by yourself. The musicianship is as impressive as the unique compositions featured here displaying a wider spectre of creativity than most other records I know of and genuinely surpassing even the best of players. As with other Bungle albums it's a real mixed bag but still maintaining high quality on every minute of it even on the strangest and most outrageous parts of the music. Like the debut album this is one of the best examples of a "rollercoaster" album, rarely staying in one place for long but always with great focus and of course fantastic music. This album needs some time on you but it's hugely rewarding in the end though it's not easy listening by any means, it's recorded madness plain and simple.

I still consider Mr Bungle to be one of the bands that needs a place in any record collection alongside giants like Led Zeppelin, Hendrix and Pink Floyd as they really are one of the best there is, and especially in the experimental field. It's odd but highly professional throughout and worth of hundreds of listens further on.

Review by Australian
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars "Disco Volante" is one very odd number indeed.its just very strange, Zappa to the max plus a hell of a lot more. Mr.Bungle, under the lead of Mike Patton seems to have crammed as many genres as they can find into this album. The genres range from avant-garde -Esq music to techno and more, all in the course of one song! The album would have been bloody complicated to record and would be very, very difficult to play live, if it can be played live. The album is amazingly cheesy, every song is just so weird and spooky this feeling in brought upon mainly by Mike Patton's strange nonsense vocals or just general strange vocal sounds. Just take a listen to "Cary Stress in the Jaw" and try to disagree with me. Some of the album can be very entertaining, in an odd way particularly "Desert Search for Techno Allah" which is the highlight of the album for me. I think the swearing in a couple of songs, although brief really gets on my nerves sorry to say, especially at the end of Backstrokin'. It's just damn unnecessary.

1.Everyone I Went to High School With Is Dead (2.5/5) 2.Chemical Marriage (2.5/5) 3.Carry Stress in the Jaw (3/5) 4.Desert Search for Techno Allah (4/5) 5.Violenza Domestica (2/5) 6.After School Special (2/5) 7.Phlegmatics (2/5) 8.Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz (2.5/5) 9.The Bends- [Man Overboard-The Drowning Flute-Aqua Swing-Follow the Bubbles] (2/5) 10.Backstrokin' (1.5/5) 11.Platypus (2/5) 12.Merry Go Bye Bye-Nothing (2.5/5) Total = 28.5 divided by = 2.375 = 2 stars Collectors/fans only

In summary, it's not that bad an album when looking from a musician's perspective, but in all honesty I really dislike it. I'd recommend this album to anyone who is looking for something really out of the norm. It earns two stars from me by being a pioneering work, I respect that but I'll leave the praise for others.

Review by Cygnus X-2
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Another excellent release from Mr. Bungle. Disco Volante expands upon the more hectic and insane sections of the first album, almost to the point of being too intense. However, it's when you look past all the changes in style and you look at what's really going on you can appreciate this album immensely. It's definitely one of the harder albums to listen to, but it's probably the most representative of what Mr. Bungle was about and what they could bring to the table (which was nearly everything).

If you listened to the first album and loved how the group could coherently change styles many times within one song, then you'll probably love this album. Nearly every piece explores so many different styles of music, from middle-eastern inspired rhythms. to death metal, to cheesy lounge jazz and even quasi-opera music. My favorite pieces on this album are the two 10+ minute pieces, The Bends and Merry Go Bye-Bye. The Bends is a twisting and turning piece that may seem boring at first, but is a perfect expression of avant-garde insanity that can grip the listener and take them on a brooding journey that will leave you gasping for breath. Merry Go Bye-Bye shows shades of what California would be like in the intro. Bubble-Gum pop meets crushing death metal never sounded so well conceived and well executed.

In the end, although being the most representative of what Mr. Bungle was, Disco Volante gets a lot of flak by purists for being a bit "too" out there. For me, though, I love this album, it's filled with great ideas, smooth (and rough) transitions from drastically different styles, and an overall consistent idea of what they wanted to achieve. I rank it equally with the debut. You can't really go wrong with Disco Volante (the title of this album was taken from a John Zorn song on his album Locus Solus for those who didn't know, by the way). Highly recommended.

Review by 1800iareyay
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Following the demise of Faith No More, the genius frontman Mike Patton returned to his original band Mr. Bungle. The issued an eponymous debut that was weird enough to faze even fans of FNM. Then, he crafted Disco Volante. Patton forged a commercial bomb with this daunting, impenetrable, and unsettling album, and he knew it. For him, it was all part of the fun. The sheer number of musical genres crammed into each second of space is mind- boggling; death metal combines with jazz, but not in the way fans of Atheist and Cynic are used to. Techno, Eastern music, 50s R&B, and grindcore also enter the fray. For anyone with the resolve to give this repeated listens, a treasure trove of musical ingenuity awaits.

"Everyone I Went to High School Is Dead" upends the preconception of what death metal can be. It processes the prog-death of Death and Cynic through the vintage speakers of a stoner metal band like Kyuss, producing a sludgy, mid-paced song that contains the fury of death without the speed. The eerie vocals only add to the sense of dread that has by now entered your veins.

"Chemical Marriage" is a bit of a bland follow-up, though its abrupt switch of style grabs attention. "Carry Stress in the Jaw" is where the band truly lets loose, with morbid lyrics recalling Angel Dust era Faith No More, though the lyrics aren't Patton's. The song goes from a creepy atmosphere that erupts into a furious jazz number before transforming once more into Napalm Death-style grindcore, then ending in a bizarre Beach Boys surf-rock style with Patton's narration. Patton once again proves himself to be the most versatile singer ever as he goes from whispers to shrieks without pause.

"Desert Search For Techno Allah" completely abandons comprehension with a bizarre tale over electronic arabic music. "Violenza Domestica" features Patton warbling in Italian. Dex F. says the lyrics involve a father who takes out his child's tongue. So...there you have it...

"After School Special" deceives the listener as the narrator lists all the kind things his mother said to and did for him. Suddenly, he yells "You lied to me!" and the song gives way to a beyond-creepy baby voice that makes the hairs on your neck stand up. "Phlegmatics" sounds like King Crimson on some serious narcotics, with its dissonance and tone.

" Ma Meeshka Mow Skowz" showcases Patton's method of making noise with his throat over singing. "The Bends" is the highlight of the album, with its underwater journey complete with truly avant-garde arrangements. "Backstrokin' " helps to ease off The Bends with psychedelic organ. "Platypus" is yet another song that displays why Patton is the genius that he his. Funky bass under a crushing riff, with Patton using his voice like an instrument that would only be played in Mr. Bungle. As The T says, he leaves his mark.

"Merry Go Bye" closes the album with Beach Boys vibes that belie the suicidal lyrics. Suddenly, we are treated to more grind-death which eventually gives way to some truly graceful lines from Mike. An incredible way to close the album.

Disco Volante is not for the faint of heart. Mike Patton's mission statement is to unsettle his audience; while in FNM he deliberately tried to alienate his MTV fans. The record challenged the norm in a time where rock had finally been conquered by the industry, where grunge had given way to an immense void filled by bands designed to make corporations money. Patton, the man who, along with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, and his mates in Faith No More, helped to pioneer rap metal, firmly thrusts his middle finger in the direction of the host of second rate imitators rising up to cash in on his legacy. Disco Volante is possibly the most defiant record of the 90s, and it brings a much needed rebellious attitude to prog. Highly recommended.

Grade: A-

Review by Prog-jester
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Good...actually, very good. But not for everyone's taste.

The main strong (or weak - it depends on your point of view) feature here is the lack of straight-forward direction BUNGLE would choose. That's great, because album sounds very varied, but from the other side, it's hard to understand and love at once. Don't push it down the throat, get use to it. I began my listenings few weeks ago with "OK, at least I can bear it" attitude, but now I can say that I really LIKE some tracks ("The Bends", "Merry Go Bye Bye", "Viloenza Domestica", "Sleep II" etc). At least, this album carries positive emotions (even in darkest moments) and you won't feel yourself isolated from the sacred world of RIO-lovers when you be listening to this CD. Recommended - at least, as an experiment.

Review by FruMp
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Bungle's most eclectic album.

For those unfamiliar with MR. BUNGLE's they are an extremely eccentric outfit with a great sense of humour who weave just about every genre under the sun into the rich tapestry they call songs. Headed by musical chameleon Mike Patton the group deliver some of their most polished material in Disco Volante yet at times they go overboard and take things a bit too far.

The first part of the album is exceptional, starting off with the disjointed 'can't be bothered' feel of 'Everyone I went to highschool with is dead' moving into slick jazzy territory with 'chemical marraige' with some of the best melodies on the album and some slick vocal work from Patton. 'Carry Stress in the Jaw' starts off with some frenetic jazzy drumming and a very fast paced yet quiet feel before erupting into a thrash metal beast complete with the spastic saxophone that was so prominent on their debut album. 'Carry Stress in the Jaw' also contains the 'secret song' a great little surf-rock/60's halloween number with a little inside joke pertaining to guitarist Trey Spruance. 'Desert Search for Techno Allah' is one of the clear highlights of the album, fusing MR BUNGLE's eclectic trademark sound with middle eastern influences and techno - you really need to hear it to understand.

Things calm down a bit after the 4th track and the highlights are a bit more sparse and 'The Bends' is a terrible waste of time that shouldn't even be on the album. 'Merry Go Bye-Bye' ends the album strongly though with some intense metallic music and a nice little poppy outro (Bungle style of course) to ease us out of it, (we wont really count the last 6 minutes of that track which is basically general studio tomfoolery).

Disco Volante is a hectic album full of crazy music, it doesn't contain as many solid songs as the previous effort and one or two are a bit of a waste (notably 'the bends') but it's still a fantastic album, highly recommended to fans of avant-garde music.

Review by Negoba
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars The Sub-Basement of the Funhouse

When my group of metalhead friends discovered Mr. Bungle's first album in the early 90's, we were flabbergasted. The CD completely redefined what could be done by a metal band (the massive number of sub-genres in metal had yet to evolve at that point). When _Disco Volante_ came out in 1995, I enthusiastically snatched it up, expecting more circus music and pottymouth. Well, Mr. Patton and the boys had no such intentions. Instead, I got what at the time was the most challenging record I'd ever heard, and even after 13 more years of very wide musical exploration, it may still hold that title.

Even on the first listen, I think any serious musician is going to realize that they are listening to something truly remarkable. The most accessible song on the album, Desert Search for the Techno Allah, is incredibly catchy, to the point that I find myself humming Qiyamat, Qiyamat a Tawil not that infrequently. Along with his own self-created jibberish language (Ma Meeska Mow Skwoz), Patton sings, warbles, recites, regurgitates, and moans in Arabic, Italian, possessed baby, and who knows how many other languages and characters. A master of considerable range already, this is his signature album, the one that makes the imitators just hang it up. As a fun highlight on the disc, bassist Trevor Dunn adds a little bit of Grampa Simpson on Secret Song just for good measure.

The instrumentation, though not as virtuosic individually, is a piece of genius in terms of composition, especially considering this was done in the pre-Pro Tools world. Along with their trademark genre- flopping, the band incorporate massive amounts of dissonance, jazz sensibility, experimentation, samples, and at times just noise. Carry Stress in the Jaw is the highlight in this regard, spanning massive musical territory and still holding together remarkably well.

The album starts quite strong, but by the time we get to the much-maligned The Bends, things become a more free form, chaotic, and lose their interest a little for me. The final track, Merry Go Bye Bye, has some brilliant sections, but is overlong by several minutes, even before considering the random sound effects at the end. Of course, the listener (maybe just this listener) may be suffering from mental fatigue, because making sense of this music can be exhausting.

There is no doubt that this is a monumental album. Like most masterpieces, it has highs and lows, but this stands as one of the most ambitious, experimental, skilled, and insane albums of the 1990's. This is album #1 in the Avant-Metal sub-category, and still essential for followers of all related genres.

Review by JLocke
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars ''Goddammit, I'm pissed off! I didn't get to play on it at all!''

Okay, so I realize there is a lack of RIO/Avant-Prog reviews from me on this site, so I've been recently trying to remedy that. And in my opinion, one cannot claim to be a fan of this type of music and not mention Mr. Bungle at some point. This band did so much to push this style of music forward in the 90s, and many people still claim that this is their favorite band. The music from Mr. Bungle, especially on this album, is not for the feint of heart. Nothing on this release is even remotely easy to digest, but once you allow yourself to escape into the brilliant, otherworldly goofiness that is Disco Volante, there is plenty to enjoy.

Mike Patton the person is a hard one to figure out. He acts at times like he is a genuinely nice guy, while at other times seems to be a huge jerk. Perhaps this dichotomy of a personality is part of what makes Mike Patton the musician so damned brilliant! He's been involved in so many musical projects over the years, and yet this particular musical act, that has of now only released three full-length albums, still stays with people much more than some of Patton's more publicly-accepted works. I think that says quite a lot about the power behind the content, here. It won't be for everybody, but the few who do enjoy it, for whatever reason we do, it's quite worth listening to.

Some people say this stuff is excruciating to listen to. Well, in some ways, it is. But let us not forget that this type of music is not meant to sound like the way music is typically viewed. Instead, this approach to music-making evokes a much more primal, personal side to our emotions. Visual thinking is much more present than audible thinking. Instant shifts in mood, sudden jolts of noise from the side of you (most effective when experienced through headphones!), disturbing, unsettling moments paired with some of the funniest, goofiest stuff I've ever heard on record. It just has to be heard to be believed. None of this should be a problem for you if you understand what this style of music is all about. Don't go into a record like this expecting anything conventional or initially pleasing to the ear, because chances are, in this sub-genre, that won't happen very often. And on a Mr. Bungle record in particular, you can bet that a slightly unsettling listen is in store.

Now please don't read up to this point and assume that Disco Volante is nothing but noise, random silliness and jump- scares. That stuff IS present, as already mentioned, however along with it are some truly strong orchestrations. Yes, they do actually play musical instruments on this album, as well. Not all the time, but when a more 'traditional' song does show up, it's almost always an absolute joy to hear. Much of these more recognizable musical movements are heavily rooted in extreme Metal territory, and probably won't appeal to you unless you already have an affection for that style. Having said all of this, I do think the mixture of doom-ridden, massive soundscapes and the more straightforward moments of music creates a comforting balance between the darkness and light; the sane and insane; the pleasant and the unpleasant; the content and the disturbed. Again, you cannot expect to get into this without completely setting aside anything you previously conceived as acceptable music. You just have to go witht he flow and allow it to take you into the dark, often unsettling territory. The experience of emerging unscathed on the other side once the album is finished is one of the most rewarding feelings I've ever had in my music-listening life.

My favorite songs on the whole things are ''Carry Stress in the Jaw'', ''The Bends'', ''Backstrokin''', ''Platypus'' and ''Merry Go Bye Bye''. While I did mention earlier the significant Metal influences, aside from that there are also some heavy traces of Avant-Garde Jazz and old school Doo Wop. The combination is strange indeed, and when all of these seemingly unrelated genres are integrated into all the noise and random, nonsensical dialogue present on Disco Volante, it certainly makes for one of the more difficult listens you may ever experience. At least first. But as I say, as long as you push yourself to enter the grimy darkness (which is quite heavily present, here), coming out clean on the other side makes it all worth it, and you then realize what an incredible album this truly is.

Patton's vocal abilities make this album what it is,without a doubt. He spastically jumps in-and-out of character, portraying an entire cast of unrelated, incredibly diverse characters. In addition to those moments, when the music valls for it, his singing style adapts to every single genre present on the album at one point or another. One minute he's smoothly carrying on like a 50s lounge singer, and the next he's showing the listener's ears with some truly brutal and effect death growls for the Metal movements. He can do it all, it seems, and on a record like this, the singer being as diverse as this is really the only way vocals could have been pulled off, at all. Some would say this type of music would be impossible to align with vocals, but Mike Patton proves that it can indeed be done, at least as long as he is involved.

Once the whole experience is over, as shaken and unsure of what you just heard you may be, there is a very high chance you're going to want to dive back into that mystery world once again, and that is absolutely saying something. You might think yourself mad for liking this stuff at first, but you can also be proud for sticking it out and aligning yourself to this album's mindset (if an album even has one of those). If you don't dig this type of stuff, you're going to absolutely hate it, but if you are willing to look at music from a completely different perspective and expect different things from it, you're going to appreciate Disco Volante so much more. It's certainly not an album I would recommend to everyone, but at the same time . . . it's got to be listened to. Either way you feel about this, you'll be breathing a heavy sigh of relief once it's over. For some of us, however, at that point, the fun has only just begun.

Long live Mr. Bungle.

Review by Sinusoid
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars This album is a circus of musical genres that encompass everything from noise metal to jangly surf pop to ambient electronic music. Mr. Bungle certainly likes to put a whole bunch of styles into their songwriting, but therein lies the problem. There's simply too many genre jumps for me to really latch onto this one.

The whole point of DISCO VOLANTE is to throw a whole bunch of styles at you without caring too much about flow, continuity or reason. It's nice that we get chamber music with weird vocalisations and we're treated to the creation of a freaky new style of techno, but very little of the songs strike me as interesting. Only ''Desert Search for Techno Allah'' and ''Backstrokin'' kept me interested the whole time; everything else ran over me as ''okay, but what's the point?'' I'm not a fan of overly serious music, but much of the album sounds like juvenille goofing off.

Review by EatThatPhonebook
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 8/10

"Disco Volante" is the best early Avant-Garde Metal album.

Pure genius. An unforgettable album, with such a huge sense of originality and bizarre that it will really impress you, in the inside. Mike Patton's best album, only second to Faith No More's "The Real Thing", the alt metal masterpiece. But this is one of my very favorite Avant Prog albums.

The style is something that really makes you think that this band is completely nuts: the songwriting s complex, full of weird moments and sounds, played with various instruments. Many influences are present here: from heavy, death (in the last epic track), thrash metal, to jazz, to techno, to avant garde,to progressive, to classical influences. A kaleidoscope of diverse soundscapes, all very innovative and alien sounding, even though it is conceptually a very down-to-earth work.

"Everyone I went..." is probably my least favorite, but it is a very interesting intro for a RIO album. Very weird indeed."Chemical Marriage" is mellow, but a masterpiece. Three minutes where the keyboards, very oriental sounding, are mixed with a tense and at the same time calm atmosphere that really catches your attention. It's an instrumental piece that should not be underrated. "Carry Stress In The Jaw" is a fabulous nine minute song, where for the first time we can hear Mike Patton (although he was present in the first track) sing, especially in the calmer and more mysterious part, that reprises every once in a while, where we can also admire the singer's emotional voice. The rest is trumpet and sax driven, creating a sort of contrast to the just mentioned mood."Desert Search For Techno Allah" is another masterpiece. An intelligent and unorthodox mix between techno and arabic music, like the title suggests. A genius piece, where there is always room for other instruments and atmospheres, that contrast the main theme."Violenza Domestica" is another masterpiece. It's not music, it's more like kitchen and domestic sounds, mixed with some scary threats whispered by Mike Patton, in Italian. As usual, there is some space for some other jazzy elements, more John Zorn like. Another genius track. "After School Special" is a fun interlude, very pleasant and melodic. "Ma Meeshka" is another oriental driven song, but with more synths and keyboards. Very interesting. "The Bends" is a ten minute long song. Again, a great song. Very minimalistic, the tones have all a lower volume, and everything is more tense and it seems like the song could explode in any moment. The innovating thing about this is that it is composed only of brief crazy pieces, that are not connected to each other except by a few seconds of silence. "Backstrucking" is an interesting interlude, good for connecting a long track with medium length one. "Platypus" is very heavy metal driven at times, while in others its pure avant garde rock. Didn't enjoy it as much as the other songs, but you should still check it out. The final track is the thirteen minute epic masterpiece of the album. It starts off with a victorious and cheerful melody, also sung by Patton. But then it explodes unexpectedly in a fierce thrashy tune, the most violent moment of the album. Also Patton features here some growls, the only song that has this kind of singing. After seven minutes the music stops, and you can listen to the hidden track, where apparently the drummer and somebody else, probably Patton, are fooling around with their instruments, accompanied by some laughs.

A genius album, like I said a few times, definitely listen to it f you're an avant prog or avant metal fan.

Review by zravkapt
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars You would be hard-pressed to find more experimental and unaccessible music in the mid-90s than this. Of course, would you expect anything less coming from a band signed to Warner Bros.? Actually the reason Bungle got a major label deal was because when Mike Patton agreed to join Faith No More it was under one condition: that his band Bungle would get a record deal. Odd because FNM themselves were not even signed to Warner Bros. This CD sounds terrific and I find myself having to turn up the volume a lil bit because I'm so used to louder CDs. I have no idea if this has been re-released and remastered, but I hope not; it sounds great the way it is...LEAVE THIS ALONE! Unlike the self-titled previous album, which featured songs that had been around for years already, this has all new music.

Clearly these guys owe a lot to people like Zappa and Zorn, but you also get some death metal and techno influences here. The circus music and ska influences of the last album seem to have disappeared for the most part. In their place you have a stronger jazz feel and some various ethnic influences(Arabic, Italian, etc.) I always thought that "Ma Meeshka Mow Skwaz" was Polish but apparentally it isn't. They use a lot of different instruments on here, many of which I probably don't even know the proper names for. Some of the stuff here may not be for the faint of heart. "After School Special" is about child abuse and at the end you can hear what sounds like a child saying "Why are you touching me?" Of course it's really a sped-up adult voice but the effect is creepy as hell. Parts of "The Bends" can be an aquired taste to say the least; the "Re-Entry" part at the end sounds scary on headphones. It literally sounds like you fell out of the International Space Station and are crashing towards Earth.

My favourites here include "Desert Search For Techno Allah" which sounds like a cross between techno, death metal and Arab music. Doesn't look good on paper but it works. Despite the subject matter of "Violenza Domestica"(sung in Italian) there is a nice little melodic part which I always love hearing. About halfway thru "Carry Stress In The Jaw" the song completely changes and goes into a really upbeat and fun part. Trey Spuance(not Patton) does an impression of an old man on the song. I also like the part in "Platypus" where Patton is talking documentary-style: "The Platypus...can be seen driving a forklift in his habitat". Cracks me up every time. The musicians here are top notch and Patton does his usual vocal acrobatics. Deserves nothing less than 4 stars but may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Mr Bungle's debut album was weird, but was mostly rooted in a particular metal subgenre - as a listener you can quickly work out that the band are presenting an avant-garde interpretation of alternative metal, and appreciate it on that basis. Disco Volante, however, is a much trickier proposition; letting their anchor in alt-metal slip, the band deliriously slide between musical genres ranging from death metal to easy listening to free jazz to prog rock polka. This, however, is not random noodling; the compositions here are intricate and reflect the diversifying interests of the band, including the fascination with traditional Arabic music which would go on to become a key ingredient of Secret Chiefs 3.

Whereas the first album presented outrageous vocal gymnastics against a musical backing which usually much more grounded, this time around the musicians are as diverse and versatile in their performances as Mike Patton is with his vocals - and Patton's vocals are even more out of control than they were on the previous album, making full use of the human voice's potential as an instrument. It's easily the most experimental album by Mr Bungle and I'd say it's a key part of their work. That said, unless your tastes in music are incredibly broad you are likely to find some parts of it more compelling than others, so many listeners might find the album uneven.

Review by HolyMoly
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Retired Admin
4 stars Where's the Kitchen Sink?

When Mr. Bungle's debut album came out in 1991, it was a coup of sorts. Thanks to Mike Patton's success in Faith No More, suddenly an avant-garde rock band from the John Zorn school of Blink-and-You'll-Miss-It, released an album on Warner Brothers, about as "major" as labels get. Faith No More were fairly weird for a popular band, but nothing prepared people for this. The debut album wowed me to no end for a year or so, but after a while, the over-the-top carnival atmosphere and pornographic funk metal tracks lost their novelty for me and I put the group away.

When "Disco Volante" came out, I didn't even consider buying it at first, figuring I'd heard all I needed to from the band already. But when I read a review assuring me it was "100% Uncompromising" (I remember that quote), from a prog rock publication no less, I was intrigued and picked up a copy at the next opportunity.

A complete and utter surprise. This is music wherein the band seemingly wrote down every twisted musical idea that came into their head, and all of it somehow worked its way into this unbelievably dense album. Metal music, while present, is no longer the focus of the band's sound; rather, the pieces seem to fall into two groups - a) songs that present whiplash-inducing changes of style, tempo, and volume several times during the song, and b) songs that explore a single style, but executed in a way designed to sound completely different from what you've heard before.

In the former category, a big thumbs up to "Carry Stress in the Jaw" (note: the original LP version had a hidden track within the grooves of this song; for the CD version, this secret song is just tacked on to the end, and comprises the last 3 minutes or so of the track), "Merry Go Bye Bye", and "Platypus", all of which use (death?) metal as a contrasting element to surf rock, jazz, and lounge. In the latter category, we have the utterly incredible "Desert Search for Techno Allah", a previously unheard-of marriage of electro-techno and Middle Eastern music - this concept was later turned into the basis for an entirely new band, Secret Chiefs 3, by Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance (also highly recommended), Equally memorable is the cinematic "Violenza Domestica", which comes across like a radio drama (in Italian) complete with suspense music and breaking glass.

The album's not perfect, though. At the end of the album, there's about 6 minutes of random percussion noises with occasional tuneless noises that are kind of a waste of time (another "hidden track" tacked onto the end of "Merry Go Bye Bye"). "The Bends" is another track that fans seem divided on. While I think the idea of a 10 minute scary ambient track in the middle of all this madness is an inspired one, and its purpose as an audio depiction of someone getting the "bends" is clear (decompression syndrome, often experienced by deep sea divers), it ultimately fails to produce much effect, and just doesn't have that much going on to justify the length.

A solid 4 stars - and one of the strangest albums Warner Brothers has ever released.

Review by LinusW
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Volatile, aggressive, flighty, energetic, eclectic; like an instrumental Battle Royale in too crowded a studio. Or one of the zanier Canterbury bands joining the dark side on some very, very hard drugs?

A hard-hitting streak of thrashy, harsh and dirty metal might be as close to a common theme you can come on Disco Volante. But why even bother about finding that? So many different bits and pieces of sounds from all over are deconstructed, mangled, turned inside out, regurgitated and haphazardly pieced together that things tend to get a bit blurry after a while. And everything is fused at such a breakneck pace, with a furiously capricious kind of composition. A whirlwind of a vast array of different instruments makes it a fairly colourful and vibrant mess for much of the ride, which only further enhance the brooding menace and underlying dark energy that's always lurking beneath the surface.

While at times commanding, intent and direct in individual bits, the structure is more like a room of countless doors that have their own particular sounds and identity behind them and slam open and shut at irregular intervals. Anarcho-jazz breaks and wild flights of fancy meet diabolic funfair stuff. Sidetracks into warped whimsicality and quirky little melodies abound and a rich array of the most surprising effects and samples is simply everywhere, occasionally breaking down completely in a descent into noise. The genre and ethnic mash-up is further propelled by demented pastiches on as disparate things as lounge/elevator music, "twangy" 50s instrumental rock, old school suspense music and...is it tango? From the utterly goofy to the deeply disturbing, the moods shift quickly and dramatically throughout the album. But there's a sheen of irreverence and dark humour on top of it all, perhaps excluding the more sombre and cerebral musique concrète excursions.

In agreement with other reviewers, to me there are three compositions that stand out as something extra special:

A darkly melodramatic and visceral soundtrack to a twisted avant soap-opera of horror and violence, with the sampled destruction of a home as a cheery backdrop. Truly sinister and called Violenza Domestica (there's a clue as to why it sounds nothing like a happy show tune).

The erratic and fractured minimalism of the semi-ambient The Bends, where twitching and flickering sound bits shine their subdued and ghostly light in a murky underwater soundscape. But that still leaves enough room for some understated jazz noodling along the way. Just for good measure.

And finally the rollercoaster industro-Krautronica with strong Middle Eastern vibes that is Desert Search For Allah, with perhaps the densest atmosphere on the album, with a mysteriously compelling, mirage-like vibe.

And throughout all of this, the vocals twist and turn in an absurd number of characterful and limitless ways - snarls, hisses, whispers, gargles, howls, "doodling" and a bit of actual singing now and then. Processed, distorted or just unfiltered, straight out of Patton, it's hardly ever what you'd expect a vocalist to do. On top of that, they're often wordless or sung in perfectly fluent gibberish. At times intense and intimate, like they are whispered right into your ears or disturbing voices inside your head, they are nevertheless quite a treat, especially for these ears, which have gotten used to Demetrio Stratos vocal acrobatics and contortionism.

But is it really enjoyable? To be honest, I'm a bit uncertain about how I feel about Disco Volante. It's fascinating, downright enthralling, and a hell of a ride. For all of that, it remains a curiosity. One to cherish from time to time, but hardly the stuff that makes a personal favourite.

But as a jolt of fresh energy into dulled-down and blasé senses, this is the medicine. And oddly charming at that.

3 stars.

//LinusW

Review by siLLy puPPy
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic
5 stars MR BUNGLE started out simply as the whacky project of a bunch of crazy high school students in Eureka, CA but against all odds managed to find its way into scoring a three album deal with Warner Bros mostly due to lead singer Mike Patton's involvement with Faith No More which scored big with a single that hit the top ten with "Epic." As the 80s ceded into the 90s, suddenly everything alternative was en vogue and MR BUNGLE emerged from nowhere to shocking the world with its avant-garde weirdness laced with ample doses of goofy absurdity. While once only associated with artists such as Frank Zappa, however he and his projects which were in tune with current trends and often reinvented his style to co-exist, MR BUNGLE unapologetically ignored contemporary the popular musical scene and in the contrary crafted some of the most unorthodox musical hybrids ever recorded.

The self-titled debut emerged in 1991 and immediately shocked the Faith No More fanbase since the album showcased Patton's true restless and creative nature that went well outside the commercial paradigms of alternative rock. The debut was eclectic but still used the BUNGLERS' eclectic mix of funk metal as the canvas to create upon. Inspired by funk and rock bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Camper Van Beethoven, Oingo Boingo and Bad Manners, the sextet decorated the funk metal paradigm the with added elements of jazzy brass sounds and ska rhythms. Astonishingly the band was allowed complete freedom to explore any avenue of desire, a trait so very rare in the music business of the era. And as extremely bizarre and unorthodox as the debut was, it was simply a warm up session for what came next.

As Faith No More continued its success throughout the early 90s, MR BUNGLE was cleverly crafting its sophomore extravaganza. DISCO VOLANTE (Italian for 'flying saucer'), a title that refers to the James Bond yacht in the film "Thunderball" emerged three years later in 1995 and took things into the stratosphere of experimental rock laced with the band's already established genre hopping eccentricities but this time the band exploited every possible sound, style and genre they could muster up and in the process, gone was the stabilizing factor of the funk ska rock infused with jazz and metal. DISCO VOLANTE was an avant-garde free-for-all and to this day remains one of the craziest albums ever to appear on a major record label. How these guys got away with all this freedom is the biggest mystery of all. Perhaps Warner Bros saw the potential of these albums catching on over time but for most who had warmed up to the debut album were left in a state of stupor as DISCO VOLANTE seemed like an entirely new mutant strain that infected this band from some far away planet.

While the genre hopping nerd factor had already been turned up to steaming on the debut album, DISCO VOLANTE was like a volcanic eruption of everything but the kitchen sink. The band basically brought to the table all the different sounds that the six members of Mike Patton (vocals, tape, ocarina, organ), Trey Spruance (guitar, organ, keyboards, electronics, biwa), Theobald Brooks Lengyel (woodwinds), Clinton McKinnon "Bär" (tenor sax, clarinet, drums, keyboards), Trevor Dunn (bass, viol) and Danny Heifetz (drums and percussion) were influenced by. Spruance for example was into lounge exotica, electro-acoustic, noise and Middle Eastern techno while Patton was fascinated by Italian folk, the space pop of Joe Meek, theatrical music and tangos. Dunn on the other hand was fascinated in deconstructing music and sewing it back together like a sonic Frankenstein. Due to the change of musical direction the horn section had been significantly reduced and therefore band member Theobald Brooks felt like his services were no longer needed and left the band shortly thereafter. Clinton McKinnon on the other hand simply adapted to the new expanding dramatic shifts.

DISCO VOLANTE is like being bombarded with a tornado of sounds, styles and schizophrenic freedom. The tracks are literally all over the music map ranging from sludge and death metal, psycho-jazz-metal, surf rock, Middle Eastern techno, mystique concrète, tango, exotica lounge, freeform jazz, sound collages and psychedelia. The album exemplifies the ultimate expression of DIY musical freedom except that it's all dressed up with high budget production, engineering and mixing which makes DISCO VOLANTE perhaps the most professionally recorded example of renegade rock since Frank Zappa's unique stamp on the 70s. The album is rich with different instruments as well. Guest musicians provide the extra touches of piano, bandoneon, cymbals, bongos, jew's harp, tabla, kanjira, sistrums, xylophone and glockenspiel. In addition to the influences aforementioned, there are many styles of ethnic music adding extra colorful textures ranging from African rhythms, Slavic folk as well as the more obvious Middle Eastern touches.

Everything about the album exudes a sort of retro feel from the 60s but in a demented alternative universe. Of all the sounds on board, only the death metal on "Merry Go Bye Bye" and the sludge metal of the introductory "Everyone I Went To High School With Is Dead" borrow from the contemporary musical world. Tracks like "Chemical Marriage" seem like the result of am acid trip gone wrong where lounge exotica music and psychedelic rock of the 60s fuse whereas "Carry Stress in the Jaw" and "Platypus" engage in knotty over-the-top feats that tackle the most extreme examples of jazz-metal distorted into overly complex constructs simply for the sake of doing so. The lyrics retain the goofiness of the debut however the contrast of the lyrics and music adds to the more surreal nature of DISCO VOLANTE. "Violenza Domestica" is like a tango soundtrack to the alternative version of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" whereas the cleverly crafted electronic of "Desert Search For Techno Allah" provided the blueprint for the entire world of Spruance's future project Secret Chiefs 3.

Out of this amazing roller coaster ride through the demented sonic universe of MR BUNGLE, some of the tracks have proven a hard pill to swallow for even the most stalwart followers. "The Bends" is a sound collage that entertains 10 distinct sections, all completely unique and all exhibiting the most impenetrable displays of the avant-garde. Based on the the theme of the decompression sickness that describes the condition of ascending to the surface too quickly after diving underwater, the short snippets that last from one to two minutes exude the scariest sounds on the album yet retain a humorous twist with titles like " Duet For Guitar and Oxygen Tank" and "Love on the Event Horizon." By far the weirdest of the weird but an effective non-melodic respite from the otherwise melodic constructs that mostly keep the album from spiraling into a world where no mere mortal can comprehend what is going on. "Platypus" is a favorite as it the most jaggedly angular example of jazz and metal dancing side by side that i've ever heard and displays the most technical workouts of the album. It comes off a modern form of the Canterbury Scene with its whimsy and technical wizardry all fused together or even some sort of jazz-metal-in-opposition.

The biggest mind f.u.c.k. is saved for the ending. "Merry Go Bye Bye / Nothing" starts out as a catchy even kitsch example of exotica lounge music about existential universal quandaries but abruptly morphs into death metal with noisy electronics which revives the death metal antics that the band hadn't performed since its first demo along with the chaotic electronica that Spruance fortified his Faxed Head project with. The chaotic mix goes off like a nuclear bomb designed to disturb and perplex any adventurous soul still going for the DISCO VOLANTE journey. Once the album ends it doesn't really end at all. After a period of silence, it finishes things off with practice session snippets that erupt into an explosive pyroclastic flow of unhinged energy and potty mouthed profanities that link it to the debut. After a cacophonous roar of dissonant horns, the album leaves you in shock and you'll never be the same.

Everything about DISCO VOLANTE is designed to contrast expectations. It feels both retro and futuristic and seemingly unrelated genres play side by side like lions and lambs at a warehouse rave. The album exists in a paradigm stubbornly outside of the commercial music world of 1995 and the album exudes an alienating effect that is somewhat like a musical VPN that disguises its era, location of creation and true genius of the members who crafted it. This album is basically just plain nuts yet it enthralls the soul with captivating technical workouts and innocent childlike melodies that evoke the most primeval attractions to music while contorting it to create mind-numbing expansions of consciousness. Despite al the odds, this album exists and the six guys involved took full advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity to create some of the least commercial music on the planet that strangely found an audience. Even more brilliant than the debut, DISCO VOLANTE showed quite clearly that MR BUNGLE was no one trick pony and had a seemingly bottomless wellspring of ideas and influences to mine. Disturbing and beautiful, this album is exquisitely unique and mind blowing. Easily one of my favorite albums of all time.

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5 stars Mr. Bungle are truly a legendary group. Their impact and influence is usually more than one realizes. Their sound is often duplicated, you can hear it in The Mars Volta, Primus and Incubus among other bands. An amalgamation of sounds and styles, Disco Volante is treated more as an experienc ... (read more)

Report this review (#36926) | Posted by | Saturday, June 18, 2005 | Review Permanlink

5 stars The little pop up box that comes up when you press 1 star or 5 stars(to warn that they are ratings that should be reserved) made me stop for a minute. Is this a 5 star CD? Yes,it will scare off the layman and the newbie to prog,but(big BUT),this rating is about the experience I had with it. It mi ... (read more)

Report this review (#31101) | Posted by | Wednesday, April 20, 2005 | Review Permanlink

5 stars As a teenager who did copious amounts of hallucinagenic drugs, listening to this masterpiece was a staple in my "trips". Not that I needed to be in any drug-induced state to feel like I had experienced a more-than-unique and intense musical production; Disco Volante takes you to wherever you ... (read more)

Report this review (#31099) | Posted by | Tuesday, April 19, 2005 | Review Permanlink

4 stars This album has everything on it! I love to bring this album out and show people who make the claim they like everything and watch them gasp in amazment at this truely original peice of work. A definit must have for anyone interested in doing music composition. Although the album has times ... (read more)

Report this review (#31098) | Posted by | Sunday, April 3, 2005 | Review Permanlink

4 stars When I first got this album I was hoping to listen something like "My Ass is on Fire" or "Squeeze me Macaroni". But When I listened to it I knew I had another thing coming! This album is great and sounds nothing like their debut. I can tell you, coming from my experience, that you might be consi ... (read more)

Report this review (#31096) | Posted by | Tuesday, January 18, 2005 | Review Permanlink

5 stars After months of listening to this album, along with all the other Mr. Bungle albums. I have been able to soak much of it in (there's still some left I'm sture). While I don't know that I would classify this as prog, I would say that it is one of the most unique albums I own. From the Elementar ... (read more)

Report this review (#31095) | Posted by Spanky | Sunday, December 12, 2004 | Review Permanlink

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