Hania Rani – Ghosts. This one really hits the spot for me today.
Don’t tell my wife, but I think I’m in love with this woman. I just discovered her via her live KEXP performance. She’s got something special. Classical yet modern.
Her synth pieces remind me of Michele Jean Jarre, the only New Age composer I really like. Her piano pieces put me in mind of Erik Satie. She has a beautiful voice and her lyrics are compelling.
Interesting to find that she’s from Poland. More evidence of a rich cultural life. So it’s back to that old Rabbit Hole I guess. It’s been a bit of a rough week, so this music was just what I needed today. Just put it on and chill…
I swear I’m a music lover, not a music snob. All snobs do is turn people off. Sure it feels lonesome being the only one who knows or likes a band and having no one to discuss it with, but taste is subjective. If you wanna listen to K-pop, listen to K-pop.
Mr. Bungle – Air Conditioned Nightmare
Unfortunately there’s a little asshole in my brain I call Mr. Hipster. He’s one of the Jungian shadows I try to ignore. Every now and then he comes out like Mr. Hyde and sneers at somebody for liking something “objectively bad.”
“You have a right to your wrong opinion,” he says to my wife, who just rolls her eyes. (She doesn’t like The Beatles, which doesn’t compute for Mr. Hipster.)
He’s usually right, but he’s damn annoying. He made dating so difficult.
Mr. Bungle – California, full album. Listen to it however.
I was listening to Mr. Bungle a little bit ago and wanted to make sure my friend knew how awesome their album California was in case I forgot to mention it, and nag him until he listened to it. I do that to people (in my defense, he does it too).
That article killed me. For one thing, the feud was way more ridiculous than I remembered.
For another, Greg Gutfeld at Fox going off on the Chili Peppers because he was a rabid Faith No More fan, was just too much.
If you’re gonna have a strong opinion about something, better it be about an ancient feud between musicians.
Mr. Bungle cover Under the Bridge while pretending to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers – to mock them. Note how many comments sound just like Gutfeld and Mr. Hipster.
“Nothing personal,” says Mr. Hipster. “But how anyone could listen to Mr. Bungle’s California album and still give a shit about the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a legitimate question.” That’s how he talks.
Oh, and he would also like to add, “Flea is still awesome.”
If I’m serious, Mr. Bungle is an acquired taste. If you want to acquire it, start with California.
Their albums Disco Volante and the self-titled debut were kinda rough to listen to at first, though now I can’t figure out why I had a problem with them.
There are a couple of fan-made Mr. Bungle videos I wanted to include, for “Pink Cigarette” and “Retrovertigo,” but they’re really violent. They’re also really creative and kind of funny in a dark way. I think the guy who made them has Hollywood Horror movie potential.
Secret Chiefs 3 – Exodus
Incidentally, I may be MORE of a fan of Mr. Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance’, after discovering’s band Secret Chiefs 3. It’s as unique as Mr. Bungle.
They rock with a Sufi/Bollywood vibe, but they’ll throw in any style including death metal. They’ve made some incredible albums and they’ll come up again on this blog. Mr. Hipster insists.