Man, I've been waiting a long time for this CD: six years to be exact. This is the rumored return to accessible pop music that Mike Patton fans have been dreaming about since Faith No More broke up. Yes, we had Mr. Bungle's California and a couple Tomahawk CD's to feature Patton's singing over structured, beginning-middle-end songwriting, but we wanted something a little more sane to rest our heads after ingesting Fantomas and Maldoror. These were fun to listen to, but throw us a friggen 4/4 rhythm every once in a while, eh?
Anyway, this is everything I wanted. It's groovy pop music with a good hiphop beat, but it also has the typical Patton edge to throw you for an occasional "what the hell was that?" and keep you guessing what's coming next. Every song features a guest DJ, musician, or vocalist (Dan the Automater, Dub Trio, and even Norah Jones make appearances) but this is 100% pure Patton. He does his (sorry) "Patton-ted" tricks: crooning, whispering, screaming, etc. while not seeming as obtrusively goofy as his other stuff (i.e.: he actually sings WORDS on this one).
With no throw-aways, this CD is a concise, concentrated collection of densely produced tracks. They all have their hooks in order: catchy choruses, buildups to payoffs, and sing-along melodies. It's challenging enough to keep the hard-core Patton fan interested, but it's accessible enough to try to slip in to the CD player when your friend is in the car. While I did appreciate his zillion projects between FNM and the present, I can finally say: THIS IS THE PATTON I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! I WILL LISTEN TO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN!
Thanks, Mike!
Rating: ******** (outta 8)
Oh yeah, the packaging is really nifty. Not that it matters, but check it out if you are a downloader.
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