Mondo Cane (album)
Mondo Cane is a 2010 album by Mike Patton. Featuring a forty-member orchestra and fifteen-piece backing band, the album contains a series of cover versions of 1950s and 60s Italian pop music. Patton conceived of the album while living in Bologna, and became attracted to music he heard on the radio featuring pop singers backed by orchestras.
Released on May 4, 2010, through Patton's record label Ipecac Recordings, Mondo Cane has been met with favorable responses from music critics. Reviewers have drawn comparisons to California, an earlier album by Patton's first group Mr. Bungle. Mondo Cane peaked at number 2 in the United States' Classical Albums chart, briefly charting in Switzerland and Finland as well.
Production
Gestation
Mondo Cane consists of Mike Patton's arrangements and performances of 1950s and 60s Italian pop songs. Patton had heard these songs while living in Bologna; the singer had adopted the city as a second home after marrying Italian artist Titi Zuccatosta, and had become a fluent speaker of Italian. Patton began exploring Italian popular music; although initially wishing to listen to contemporary music, he found nothing that interested him. However, he became drawn to pop music from the 1950s and 60s, intrigued by singers using orchestras for backing rather than pop bands. Having considered making an album covering these songs for some time, Patton initially believed he would approach the project with a small band, but was offered the chance to compose music for an orchestra. Patton then opted to use this opportunity to record Mondo Cane instead.
Mondo Cane
Mondo cane (A Dog's World, 1962) is a documentary written and directed by Italian filmmakers Paolo Cavara, Franco Prosperi and Gualtiero Jacopetti. The film consists of a series of travelogue vignettes that provide glimpses into cultural practices around the world with the intention to shock or surprise Western film audiences. These scenes are presented with little continuity, as they are intended as a kaleidoscopic display of shocking content rather than presenting a structured argument. Despite its claims of genuine documentation, certain scenes in the film are either staged or creatively manipulated to enhance this effect.
Mondo cane was an international box-office success and inspired the production of numerous, similar exploitation documentaries, many of which also include the word "Mondo" in their title.
Vignettes
Drugstore (band)
Drugstore are a London-based alternative and dream pop band, led by Brazilian singer-songwriter and bassist Isabel Monteiro (born September 9, 1965, São Paulo, Brazil), formed with Dave Hunter (later replaced by Daron Robinson) on guitar and Mike Chylinski on drums.
The band's name is taken from the 1989 Gus Van Sant film Drugstore Cowboy.
Career
Formation and Drugstore (1993-1995)
The band was formed via a flat-share in East London, when Monteiro and American drummer Mike Chylinsky met. They were joined by guitarist Dave Hunter and soon released their debut single, "Alive", on their own label Honey Records in 1993. The following year Hunter was replaced by Daron Robinson, and after only a handful of gigs, the band signed a major record deal with Go! Discs. Their debut album Drugstore was released on 1 January 1995 and it reached number 31 in the UK Albums Chart. The following three years were spent touring with Radiohead, Tindersticks, Jeff Buckley and The Jesus and Mary Chain, and playing at festivals such as Reading and Glastonbury
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