Hot on the heels of the Faith No More reunion, comes Mike Patton’s latest opus, Mondo Cane. And in typical Patton fashion, the Faith No More reunion and Mondo Cane have nothing in common save for the fact that he participates in both. Mondo Cane is a collection of “rock meets orchestra” Italian language songs that sound as if they’d be right at home in Foreign Language action films from the sixties and seventies.
There is no disputing that Patton is the best vocalist on the planet- anyone that can do Tomahawk, Faith No More, Peeping Tom, and work Bjork albums has to be a hell of a vocalist. If there was any question left though, Mondo Cane is evidence that he can croon as well offering yet another interesting dynamic to both his interests and his abilities. For example, the brass laden “Ore D’Amore” sounds like a sleazy Italian love song (I don’t speak Italian but that’s the vibe I get) and many will be surprised to learn that this recording is recent, as it sounds like an ambitious older work. The album’s teaser “Deep Down” is one of the poppier moments and wildly brilliant. I have no idea what Patton is singing about but you can’t help but be sucked in by its poppy goodness. You’ll be crooning along by midway through the song. The heavily orchestrated “Il Cielo In Una Stanza” and the sinister snarls heard in “20 KM Al Giorno” also stand out as highlights on Mondo Cane.
Overall, as with any Patton release, if you are looking for something tremendously interesting or something that sounds nothing like popular music in the United States then you should check out Mondo Cane. Although I’m very unfamiliar with the history of Italian pop music, I’m gonna risk it and also say that if you love that style of music then you’ll be well pleased with Patton’s wonderful performance here. This is one of Patton’s most accessible works in a number of years and I absolutely think it’s one of his best.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
