Umlaut - To Your Poverty Quietly Go (2014)

The second album from Mr. Bungle horn-man Bär (Clinton) McKinnon. Shrouded in controversy, the album swings from meticulous chamber-pop majesty to unapologetic 4-track romps. It echoes in McKinnon's work with Mr. Bungle, but deepens his singular voice with lush compositions, elegiac meditations , and crushing bursts of irreverence. The record features an assorted cast of Musicians: Shane Lieber (A Lonely Crowd), Angus Leslie (Sex On Toast), Rob McDonald, Olaf Scott (Saskwatch), John Myatt (Sex On Toast), Gareth Thomson (Sex On Toast).

"After spending years on the international circuit as a member of Mr. Bungle and the Secret Chiefs 3, Bär (pronounced "bear") settled in Melbourne and went into hibernation, writing a mountain of songs. The result is Umlaut. Playing like a film score, Umlaut is a mix of Burt Bacharach - infused pop set in a cartoon - like world. The offbeat tunes fuse saxophone, flute and keyboards with more traditional rock guitars - an appealing mix that is quirky, energetic and beautiful." - musicfeeds.com.au

"Sporadic bursts of circus - themed noise. The sludgy guitar grind of heavy metal. Unpredictable blasts of horn instruments. There's no denying the influence of Mr. Bungle in every note…" - consequenceofsound.net

"…an otherworldly tweak on something comforting and beautiful - a lot of the album is purely instrumental in vein of most classical compositions. There's just a healthy dose of insanity." - consequenceofsound.net