Their name is Exit Mindbomb. Their album is Happy Accident. And I’m pleased to be able to tell you that the heir to the Kingdom of Bungle has arrived. This is the band that was foretold to you in the prophecies. And I don’t normally do song-by-song rundowns of albums. Usually that annoys the hell out of me. But every single song on here is a grenade of goodness, and the throughline consists of incredible vocals, excellent production work, and a complete and utter disregard for you and your expectations. I think I’m in love.
The album starts with “Phoenix” (download it here), which will throttle the living shit out of any single they’re playing on the radio today. It’s basically what would happen if Santana sat in with Faith No More. Then straight into WTF-ville, with “The Curse of the Crazy Cigarette Lady” (download it here), which is a strange cross between David Lynch and Fyodor Dostoevsky: the touching tale of a neighbor woman who’s so goddamn annoying, the consensus is to bury an axe in her skull. But of course, she comes back from the dead and still wants cigarettes.
Then, “Away,” the lost collaboration between Marilyn Manson, Mike Patton and Rev. Maynard. After which comes “Python,” an electronic mindgrope straight from the California sessions. “Dream Girl” (download it here), at least when I listen to it, is a nightmarish exploration in obsession…which just proves that my therapy isn’t working worth a damn, I think.
“Tonight (a mind is a terrible thing)” is a carnival where you suddenly turn a corner and trip over Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan when all you really want is a funnel cake. “I Don’t Have Time For You” is an electrified stomp number directly from Bone Machine Tom Waits. “Anxiety” is, again, a song where I realize my therapist sucks and Mike Patton becomes my new therapist. And somehow this helps me. Maybe it’s the catharsis.
“Godzilla Will Rule You” (download it here), is, as I’ve said before, what happens when Trent Reznor becomes the new leader of the Brotherhood of Dada. This song wants to eat your spleen. I’m not kidding.
“Fysch” is a hard, pseudo-rap funk fest. Which is nice and short and a nice sorbet palette cleanser since “Any Day,” which follows, wants to pull out your spine and, gratefully, pummel someone else with it and not you. That’s the lyrics printed on the inside of the liner notes: “When all the hearts you’ve pushed away come to shove you back–I’ll be there.” Oh hell yes.
“Farewell” (download it here) appears to be another meditation on life and relationships, although delivered with the relentless pace of a really intense moody bastard. You might know a few of those. “Interesting” (download it here) is a truly Bunglesque piece with a nice keyboard break and (although it seems to be removed on the album version) a touch that’s so Mike P. at the end you’d think he walked in the room for a minute. Eerie.
“Oui” is a blunt instrument that the band actively tries to give you a concussion with, since they realize the album is almost over and they want to give you something to remember them by. “Good Question” is an instrumental piece that closes everything out and gives you a couple of minutes to come back to reality without getting the bends. Which you should thank them for.
This album is nuts. I can’t stop listening to it. And every time I play it through I hear something I missed before. If you don’t click over here and buy their album (right hand side, under “About Exit Mindbomb”) and support these folks for creating music that’s actually engaging and demands something from you, then you deserve whatever crap the radio is trying to force upon you from the four bands that, from what I can tell, dominate the world now: Incubus, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Incubus, Coldplay and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Coldplay. Download the sample songs. The album is $10. Go. Pledge allegiance.
I just bought the cd too. It’s awesome. I just needa get the lyrics for phoenix.
These guys are wonderful. The music and recording is very good, that’s why my band is having Brandon produce our first full length. He is crazy genius!
The songs are very unique of themselves, not the same boring thing every time. Beware- the music is very addictive, I couldn’t stop playing the disc for weeks.
Although they’ve had to restart with a new drummer this year, with the right promotion Exit Mindbomb could be the next “unrock” hit in America.
I remember what it was like to have a band. :( Lucky bastards.