OINGO BOINGO

The year 1985 was a magical one for Danny Elfman, the creative mastermind behind the eclectic jazzy art punk and ska tinged new wave band that dominated the Southern California scene in the early 1980s. After scoring their biggest album yet with "Dead Man's Party," Elman started to receive offers to create music for film soundtracks after crafting the soundtrack for the zany mondo bizarro cult film "The Forbidden Zone." This led to the opportunity to compose the musical accompaniments for the off the wall film "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure." And then the track "Weird Science" was used from the "Dead Man's Party" album for the silly sci-fi movie of the same name. It wouldn't be long until the floodgates opened and soon Elfman would become one of the biggest score composers in the movie biz especially after becoming Tim Burton's go-to guy.

In the meantime though after "Dead Man's Party," the world OINGO BOINGO continued and two years later the band's sixth album BOI-NGO was released. After moving from A&M Records to MCA with the Elfman solo release "So-Lo" which was really an OINGO BOINGO album in disguise, Elfman convinced the label to continue as a band however the band's zany eclectic circus act style of the early years had been tamed considerably. While still clever enough to stand above the competition in the world of new wave pop music, OINGO BOINGO continued the zany party music dance pop fortified by a horn section, punk guitar heft and ska syncopation. By the time BOI-NGO came out though the band had simplified its sound to be more of a streamlined new wave standard and much of the art rock elements had all but vanished at this point.

Diverted by his blossoming solo career BOI-NGO maintained Elfman's impeccable ability to write catchy irresistible pop hooks with cleverer than average arrangements which kept the band firmly planted into the world of new wave and synthpop although by 1987 the whole new wave scene was starting to toper off yet still had enough steam to coast into the alternative 90s. BOI-NGO starts out strong enough with three excellent tracks that are of the calibre of the material on "Dead Man's Party." "Home Again" features a caffeinated piano roll and all the feisty zest that made the classic OINGO BOINGO sound stand out. The track portends for another top notch new wave release. "Where Do All My Friends Go" takes a detour into a totally new direction thus showing Elfman's desire to experiment a bit more beyond the established stylistic approach. This track showcases brilliant call and response vocal perfomance between Elfman's regular self and a baritone doppelganger. Once again, brilliant horn section. Groovy funky bass and of course Elfman's unique vocal zaniness.

"Elevator Man' also offers a new sound but this time more of a regular new wave pop song yet with enough classic OINGO BOINGO magic to keep it interesting. It seems after three tracks that the album is another new wave classic but then something happens that really never happened on previous OINGO BOINGO albums. A huge quality dip. While "New Generation" is decent enough it sounds more like a by numbers kinda track. Then it just nosedives from there. "We Close Our Eyes" begins a run of mediocrity virtually unheard of in the OINGO BOINGO playbook. This track reminds me more of the 80s pop band The Hooters which hit it big with hits like "And We Danced, "All You Zombies" and "Where Do The Children Go." Likewise "Not My Slave" is about as generic as it gets. Is this still OINGO BOINGO? Clearly Elfman was too busy to write an album's worth of new material. The following "My Life" is another lackluster pop track and actually reminds me more of 80s new wave pop rocker Howard Jones in the vein of songs like "Things Can Only Get Better" only not that good.

The following track "Outrageous" picks things up a bit and sounds more like an OINGO BOINGO song as the horns return and the track is a bit catchier and more engaging however even this track sounds more like OINGO BOINGO by the numbers than something innovative and passionately delivered. The album ends well though with one of the best tracks on the album which was also the first single. The grand finale "Pain" is also a different sound for the band but one that works well actually. A funky bass groove and guitar add a punchy rhythm along with drop in / drop out guitar effects and horns. The song is ridiculously catchy, well composed and even features what sounds like a violin performance. The lyrics are actually quite profound as well. Short but sweet. Pop as can be but perfectly designed.

Clearly OINGO BOINGO was not Elfman's primary obsession any longer as BOI-NGO is the first release that sounds inconsistent as an album's worth of material. Sure none of the tracks are downright awful but given the phenomenal brilliance of past endeavors, this one is a clear step down with several tracks that just don't make the grade. It's a fun little pop album and any true OINGO BOINGO fan couldn't do without it but it certainly was the first album to feature substandard songwriting and an inconsistency that was unbecoming of Elfman's high standards. While more engaging than the following album "Dark At The End Of The Tunnel," BOI-NGO was unfortunately the beginning of the end for the classic OINGO BOINGO years. As it turns out, many of the best tracks were written during previous album sessions so essentially this album featured excellent tracks that didn't make it onto previous albums and then a bunch of filler. A mixed bag this one and disappointing overall but for those who love catchy 80s new wave, this is a decent release.

3.5 rounded down

As one of the most unusual and innovative new wave bands that existed in the 1980s, OINGO BOINGO led by the exceptionally talented Danny Elfman forged a unique path from his brother's previous surrealist musical theatre troupe called The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo and steered the aftermath into a bizarre high-energy act that fused disparate musical genres such as zolo, punk, ska, art rock, synth-pop, jazz and even world music in the vein of The Talking Heads. The band never really made it to the big time but were extremely popular in their native Southern California and over the decades has been reevaluated as being one of the all time best new wave bands that came out during those years. Unusual for a new wave band, OINGO BOINGO garnered its following through mostly crazy energetic live performances rather than releasing singles accompanied by MTV videos.

As an Elfman led band, OINGO BOINGO debuted in 1980 with its self-titled EP and then followed with a series of highly creative albums including "Only A Lad," "Nothing To Fear," "Good For Your Soul" and a very eclectically strange soundtrack to a cult movie favorite titled "Forbidden Zone." Change was afoot and Elfman's talents did not go unrecognized but the record companies wanted him, not his creative outlet in OINGO BOINGO so a compromise was struck and one solo album titled "So-Lo" was released in 1984 before Elfman insisted on keeping OINGO BOINGO a band. After the early years of more art rock inspired albums, the first OINGO BOINGO album to emerge from the new lineup and label backing was DEAD MAN'S PARTY which found the band at the peak in terms of their popularity and new wave potential but soon Elfman would be seduced by offers of writing music for films where he would take his career soon after.

DEAD MAN'S PARTY found Elfman and OINGO BOINGO in its last leg of its full potential where Elfman was completely focused on the band before his attention became too scattered to maintain the magical qualities that made this band so utterly unique. This album came out in 1985 and was boosted by the band's only real single "Weird Science" which was featured in the silly science fiction fantasy film directed by John Hughes. This album was more streamlined than the previous ones and featured a more mainstream new wave approach except Elfman didn't compromise all the elements that made OINGO BOINGO so unique such as the jittery ska guitar riffs, excessively catchy pop hooks, punk rock guitar heft, funk bass slapping and the tirade of the horn section. Sonically speaking the album resembled what came before but lyrically and compositionally eschewed the bizarre humor and eccentricities that made the early albums a major hit amongst a particular cult following.

For those who relished the art rock years, DEAD MAN'S PARTY was a major departure and step down from what came before but from the point of a someone who simply loves new wave music done par excellence. DEAD MAN'S PARTY offered nine top notch tracks that all displayed the magic of what made OINGO BOINGO so utterly unique in just about every way. The album starts off with "Just Another Day" followed by the title track and retains a perfect flow with one track seamlessly merging to the next with similar yet varied enough themes that made the album one of the most consistent new wave albums of the entire 80s and for anyone familiar with the world of 80s new wave, they will be astutely aware that the genre generated many one-hit wonders, excellent singles but very rarely yielded completely satisfying albums that worked from beginning to end. DEAD MAN'S PARTY was a true exception with everything perfectly falling into place.

After decades of reevaluating the music of the 80s, OINGO BOINGO has emerged as one of the most respected and DEAD MAN'S PARTY is now the most popular of the band's entire legacy and for good reason. The pop hooks are flawless and creatively laid out in the same energetic display of visionary vigor and fusion music as what came before and although much more geared towards a pop audience than an art rock fanbase, this album is actually brilliant on every level but then again i'm personally a fan of synth-pop, new wave and 2 Tone ska based bands from that era. This was the end of the great OINGO BOINGO albums as the following two releases were watered down second thoughts as Elfman's solo career took off. Yes, Elfman made a huge comeback by creating a new rendition of the band into the world of alternative rock on the band's final offering "Boingo" in 1994 but as far as the new wave glory of the band's horn based punkish ska antics, DEAD MAN'S PARTY was its last hurrah and honestly one of my favorite new wave albums of all time (along with the band's previous four albums of course!) This is one i never really tire of.

As a PA side note, there is NOTHING prog or art rock about this release but i don't penalize albums that don't actually belong on a prog site for being here. This is a masterpiece of new wave music so if this music has little or zero appeal then don't even bother! You'll hate it :)

4.5 stars. OINGO BOINGO released a slew of albums in the 80's with that New Wave style at first and plenty of humour of course. Led by orange haired Danny Elfman who plays lead guitar, sings, writes the lyrics and composes much of this. Everyone reading this has heard Danny Elfman's music even if you've never heard OINGO BOINGO before. Yes even you. One fan of this 80's band was Matt Groening who asked Danny about doing the theme song for his show The Simpsons to which Elfman agreed, that was followed by doing some Tim Burton films like Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas which Danny was working on at the same time as he was working on this record "Boingo".

And that could have influeced "Boingo" as we get a darker vibe and a much heavier sound. Less happy and more sarcastic. It just sounds like a different band and man there are some strong lyrics on this one. This is a long one approaching 80 minutes but it really is Elfman's masterpiece in my opinion. And the final OINGO BOINGO record which just seems fitting being released in 1994. Very political and lots of Biblical/Christian references. He really extends a lot of these passages as well.

Best cover of "I Am The Walrus" that I've heard, very powerful, it's hard not to get into it. The less than a minute followup "Tender Lumplings" is the first shot at straight up humour as opposed to sarcasm etc. It makes me laugh as does those laughing sections on that 16 minute closer where it's like we're at a party with many being laughing without restraint and I have to join in. An interesting track and not a favourite but when you have yodeling and that much laughter I'm in.

This is serious music though for the most part and the rhythm section is great giving us that heavy sound. Plenty of horns at times I mean this is a large band and we do get some guests adding backing vocals and some strings. "War Again" is a biting commentary on those smart bombs back in the day. This rocks hard and sarcasm abounds. The wordless vocals remind me of U2. "Can't See(Useless)" is one of the lighter tunes but it works. Catchy stuff but it's useless. The first three tracks really lay the groundwork for what is to follow, the story telling of "Mary" and the attitude on "Insanity" along with the catchy "Hey" and those backing vocals that sound so good. Even some brief RED HOT CHILE PEPPERS- like vocals that come and go.

This is the OINGO BOINGO record that caught my fancy, it's a keeper. Much respect Mr. Elfman.

An odd little quirk in the career of a rather quirky band, after Oingo Boingo experienced the departure of bassist Kerry Hatch and keyboardist Richard Gibbs, the band sort of took an extended hiatus after being dropped by I.R.S. Records (a division of A&M) which hosted their first four releases, EP and singles. After finding interest by MCA, band leader DANNY ELFMAN was enticed to the label only under the condition that he remain a solo act. This led to the next album SO-LO appearing as a solo DANNY ELFMAN release despite the fact that every musician involved was in Oingo Boingo itself thus making it a bonafide followup to "Good For Your Soul" and the "Forbidden Zone" soundtrack. The album also featured a fledgling Flea from the newly founded Red Hot Chili Peppers offering extra bass contributions.

Despite being a band effort, ELFMAN used the opportunity to offer a different album from what had come before with slower tempos that focused on a more overtly pop musical construct that eschewed many of the musical liberties of the earlier releases and focused on the current trends of mixing new wave, synth-pop and the ska revival without sacrificing the horn section that made Oingo Boingo stand out from its competition. Slightly frustrated with the lack of national success despite having a huge fandom base in Southern California, SO-LO tamed things down a bit to flirt with a more mainstream approach that would hopefully attract a few more newbies to the cult. The album only generated one single in the form of the opening "Gratitude" which provided the perfect synthpop sound for 1984 and unlike many such bands never lost that post-punk grit provided by the feisty guitar workouts.

The album follows the playbook the lead single generated with less frenetic performances that stick to a tight groove, super catchy melodic hooks and the usual Oingo Boingo instrumental interplay that featured call and response efforts from the horn section and rhythm section. ELFMAN also toyed with various synthesizer tricks of the trade such as on the Devo-esque "Cool City" with only ELFMAN's idiosyncratic singing style and the band's already established sound keeping it all firmly planted in the Oingo Boingo universe. "Go Away" keeps the album humming along with a wider array of rhythms, stylistic approaches and songwriting techniques that seemed to stem from the fact the band wasn't playing at lightning fast speeds any longer. This track takes on somewhat of a "New Romantic" vibe in the vein of Duran Duran, ABC or Ultravox once again without crashing anyone else's party. "Sucker For Mystery" took Boingo into even stranger territory with less focus on the guitar aspects and almost totally dominated by the synth-pop and vocal interchanges between ELFMAN and the backing singers but still offering an instantly infectious melodic construct.

"It Only Makes Me Laugh" went straight for the ska revival sounds of Madness or The Specials only accompanied by a heavy synth-pop presence. Seemingly alienated from previous efforts despite the band throwing a complete curveball still maintains the high quality pop music melodies ELFMAN cranked out effortlessly. Same goes for the following "Last Time" which while extremely watered down compared to the rest of the album still finds a unique way to express a completely new idea without sacrificing its instantly ear worm hook likability. For me the least palatable track is "Tough As Nails" which tries to deliver a funk-based groove with an accompanying horn section but ends up sounding one of those early cheesy albums from Red Hot Chili Peppers that couldn't quite muster up the musical mojo until later in their career. "Lightning" is the closest as it gets to the Oingo Boingo old school of yore so much so that it easily could've been slipped onto a previous album without anyone noticing. Dynamic instrumental interplay with some spazzy keyboard playing, punk infused guitar energy and ELFMAN firing on all pistons. "Everybody Needs" also delivers an interesting mix of of old school Boingo with what makes this album unique and the best example of the funk being used on the album.

For those who only love hardcore Boingo or nothing then anything from this album on will be a true disappointment but for those who love the simpler expressions of 80s new wave music in addition to the more experimental passionate liberties of the early years then SO-LO turns out to be a very fascinating album. It did take me quite a while for me to warm up to this because ELFMAN used the transfer to MCA to water down his classic sound enough to go mainstream and although this album has become somewhat of a footnote in the greater Oingo Boingo canon, it served as a huge experimental transition that took them to their next successful album "Dead Man's Party" which after convincing the record label to renegotiate to become a band effort again, produced one of Boingo's most successful hits "Weird Science." While this is hardly the peak of the Oingo Boingo run of albums that were released between 1981 and 1994, SO-LO is actually a very brilliantly designed album that lover's of classic synth-pop new wave will love. While the experimental purists will run away in horror at this point, i have found myself revisiting this one quite a bit over the years and it has easily slid from a 3.5 side note to a 4 star highlight in my collection.

3.5 stars. I definite step up from "Only A Lad" their debut where I had so many issues. A low 3 stars for that one and all those issues are still here but greatly reduced making this a much more enjoyable listen. I'm saving my favourite OINGO BOINGO record for review down the road. This third studio album just seems so much more mature than the debut, more professional sounding if you will. We still get the high energy tracks with the focus on the vocals and that humour isn't going anywhere when you name your band that. But the vocals aren't as theatrical and the music less abrasive and warmer.

They are still an eight piece but have added two guest horn players who both play on the same three tracks because you cannot have enough horns as the band already has three of them. A good example of their presence on here is "Wake Up(It's 1984)". This album was actually released in 1983 by the way. If I had to pick a favourite track it would be "Pictures Of You" it's just a cool tune and clapping too. Some female vocals on this record and even a Reggae song called "Fill The Void".

I'll have more to say about these guys on my next OINGO BOINGO review but this record has been given a lot of words already on here by fans of theirs so check them words out.

OINGO BOINGO and in particular Danny Elfman have made quite a career for themselves with their high energy, humour filled music. I mean if you name your band OINGO BOINGO I'm thinking you don't really care if people take you seriously or not. The album's title, the cover art, this is all about having fun and doing it at a high rate of speed. Ten songs over 38 minutes as we get songs between 3 and 4 1/2 minutes and a lot of silliness.

This really is a niche style of music in my opinion. I know Danny has been very successful with his musical work with The Simpsons and Tim Burton movies in particular, but also their big hit "Weird Science" from the movie of the same name made them some cash. Some mention that this is proggy New Wave music for lack of a better description and I thought maybe I'd like this based on being in my 20's when New Wave was all over the radio and I did like some of it. This not so much, although I tried.

The vocals are an acquired taste for me, the lyrics too. I feel this is for young people who like the punk mantra of do it as fast as you can for as short a time as you can and it doesn't really matter if you can play or not it's about the attitude. Okay first off these guys can play, it's more about other multiple things that bother me on every track. There are four guys playing horns and they blast us, not my thing. And it's the lead guitarist of this 8 piece band who did the horn arrangements surprisingly. They cover THE KINKS "You Really Got Me" and please give me the VAN HALEN's rendition or the original. The processed vocals on that one early turn me off right away. I was reminded of the B-52's on "Perfect System" mostly the chorus. Rough vocals on the closer "Nasty Habits" singing about what goes on behind closed doors.

I have two other albums by this band that I prefer, this is a low 3 stars.

1982 was quite the year for some very stellar 80s hits. The Cure released their very immaculate gothic rock score of Pornography, Kate Bush went to a more experimental edge with The Dreaming, Iron Maiden released their mighty Number Of The Beast, and Michael Jackson would release Thriller, which as we all know came to be the biggest selling record in human history. It also gave us Nothing To Fear by Oingo Boingo! That is definitely an achievement worth seeing.

Oingo Boingo's sophomore release is one that I personally think has some of the band's most notable qualities, as I see it is when they really began to take shape. For one, we get a start to the band's unique sounds of fun and danceable new wave, combined with heavy hitting post punk sounds, with reggae and ska inspired instrumentation, and a notable punk mannerism that really makes the sound of Oingo Boingo really pop. I think within the sounds of the 80s, I think Oingo Boingo has one of the most recognizable, and the most fun in my opinion. The danceable charms these songs weave, and the eccentric wildness that goes through all the album is one of the best qualities within it. This type of music is so fun and wild that I'd be hard pressed not to say I didn't at least try to dance to these songs before. They are just that catchy of earworms.

But what I really, really love about this album isn't the sound of it, but the cheesiness of it all. The goofy sounds this band weaves with the almost really depressing lyricism just really makes this album one of those pieces of art that feels like a cheesy dark comedy in music form. I also just love when the band goes for almost Halloween sounds within their music, since, as a sucker for Halloween stuff, and a sucker for Oingo Boingo's brand of music, I think tracks like Islands and Nothing To Fear (But Fear Itself) are some of the best songs Oingo Boingo has made. I just love goofy Halloween music, and Oingo Boingo really hits the spot.

My one qualm on this album is that they do not really have the more refined qualities that make them a really stellar band here in my opinion. They are VERY close to getting those good marks of loveable goofy new wave music that they'll excel in with albums like Good For Your Soul and Dead Man's Party, but here you can tell they aren't in their very inuit maturity that finds them in '83. It all sounds good, but I just think this album may need a slight bit more polish and a bit less of a bottom heavy tracklisting for it to be a tried and true masterpiece, but just for the record, again, it is VERY close to being a masterpiece in my ears.

If you want to get into Oingo Boingo, either start with Good For Your Soul, or this album. I promise you this band's music is truly intoxicating, and you will be loving most if not all their releases, and this release will show it in spades. Go give it a listen, even if it may not be a masterpiece it will still be worth your while.

Well, it was originally near unbelievable for me, but 'Oingo Boingo's' followup to what I considered to be a near perfect album 'Nothing To Fear' happened to be even greater in virtually every respect. The songs are each even more diverse and insane than before, with both composition and lyrics also improving greatly. From the very first track, it's obvious that the sound of the band has been further refined, being able to handle the insane, bouncy energy of their songs to an even greater extent.

To me, while the album doesn't have quite the same level of consistency between tracks, with a couple of weaker points, the high points completely stand over anything else the bamd has put out, with their opening track "Who Do You Want To Be" being one of the most entertaining, energetic songs I've heard, with the great harmonies adding a lot of punch to what is already feeling like some sort of deranged circus, in the vein of 'Mr. Bungle', albeit more commercial. The title track that comes directly after really shows off the dual nature of the band, being able to create strange, manic songs, while also having the capability to make some truly beautiful, catchy stuff, which is what I find this song to be, especially with the nearly ethereal nature of the synths. This sound quite similar to 'The Cure' is quite enjoyable and pulled off really well, all the way down to a similar sort of vocal style that Danny Elfman applies here The middle portion of the album isn't quite as strong as these first two tracks, but shows the band further spreading their creativity, with songs referring to works of literature, namely 'No Spill Blood' and 'Wake Up (It's 1984)', while others dabble in other genres of music, such as the wonderfully catchy reggae tinged 'Fill The Void'. While this middle portion doesn't quite stand up to the first tracks to me, I do still find the variety present here along with the generally skilled compositions to still be extremely good, with almost all the riffs working well, with the vocal melodies never dipping in quality. The final three tracks pick up a lot, matching the quality of the first 2, with 'Pictures of You' being my favourite song by the band. It has a very dark, mysterious atmosphere to it with some superb melodies, sounding straight out of one of Danny Elfman's soundtracks. Everything about the song just works perfectly, and it makes for a great song to have right near the end, calming down after the hyperactivity present beforehand. 'Little Guns' ends the album with a slightly creepy, bouncy beat with some really neat interplay between the trombone and percussion, making for some great energy that still maintains a level of restraint.

Overall, this is my favourite 'Oingo Boingo' album, as it takes everything about the band's already incredible sound, and improves it even more than what happened on the excellent 'Nothing To Fear'. There are few albums I like quite as much from the perspective of pure entertainment and enjoyability, with each song firmly staying in the camp of catchy music that isn't difficult to get into at all, while still showing excellent creativity and compositional skill. The way each song sets its own tone is also admirable. On the whole, this is definitely an album that I don't hesitate in the slightest to give maximum score.

Best songs: Who Do You Want To Be, Good For Your Soul, Pictures of You (especially worthwhile)

Weakest Songs: Wake Up (It's 1984)

Verdict: I highly recommend that people listen to this album, as it's deranged enough at points to appeal to those who like stranger music, while also just an incredibly enjoyable experience, fusing various styles throughout the album.

The second album by 'Oingo Boingo' improves upon their debut 'Only A Lad' in almost every way. There is more variety on it, no longer solely being a ska laden new wave album, now branching out to include more jazzy elements, along with a more varied tone. The songs no longer always have the same contrasting upbeat circus feel and dark lyrics, now including some dark sounding music at parts to complement it nicely. The compositions for the most part are far better as well, with not a single moment feeling like a dip in quality.

From the first song, 'Grey Matter' the band's growing maturity becomes quite apparent, being varied in instrumentation, including a marimba, yet still showing off their incredible strength of being downright catchy and enjoyable hooks and melodies. There are also songs with more prominence of the already wonderful horn and saxophone lines, with the title track being a shining example of this. This song is also one of the best on the album, being incredibly groovy, with smooth saxophone along with a more rock oriented approach, which is quite a nice change after the first half was quite exotic in terms of sound, making this a nice palette cleanser. Other highlights include the manically energetic and dance oriented 'Insects'. which is easily one of the more different songs on the album taking influence from disco or at least a similar kind of dance music. My favourite songs here however are definitely the more offbeat, dark ones, namely 'Why'd We Come' and 'Islands' which show off the strengths of Elfman's writing amazingly, with the intro to 'Why'd We Come' sounding a lot like something that could be found in Nightmare Before Christmas, and 'Islands' being rich in dark atmosphere.

Overall, this is a massive step forward in every respect, with more variety, better instrumentation, and more interesting compositions as well. The themes explored here are generally less overly satirical, but I also find a lot of them to be more enjoyable, balancing out dark themes of what's wrong with the world with songs about dancing on insects, making for a more balanced listen. I consider this to be one of the band's finest albums, and find myself returning to it on a regular basis.

Best songs: Grey Matter, Insects, Islands

Weakest songs: none

Verdict: This is the kind of album that I feel like could be enjoyed by a lot of people, given that it balances between accessibility and experimentation in such a way that it's extremely appealing, and I highly recommend more people to check this album out.

The process of coming to find this band was a pretty great one. Initially I had heard of them through apparently being quite an influence on 'Mr. Bungle', so I naturally went to check them out, only to become extremely excited once I realised that it was fronted by Danny Elfman. I then realised what a wild ride it would be from the moment I listened to 'Little Girls'. While this music is mostly simplistic and has little to do with prog for the most part, there are definitely some really great things about this album, especially the overall sound having a strong circusy feel to it that I can definitely relate to 'Mr. Bungle' and just Mike Patton's antics in general. The album is also very strong from a melodic standpoint, with each song being built around a couple of riffs and melodies only, but each of them being relentlessly catchy and fun. The final thing that I really love is the lyrical content, having a particular biting satire to many of the songs, along with having a similar sort of perversion or dark edge to their music that could be found in Patton's work.

'Little Girls' starts off the album in a really great way, being a way of instantly establishing the weirdness of the band, contrasting really fun, catchy synthpop melodies with some incredibly unsettling lyrics. This is definitely one of those songs that will worm its way into your head and pop up at the most inopportune times, but I still can't deny that it is really fun to listen to. 'Perfect System' is great as well, having a cool, bouncy bassline with some nice horn arrangements. The next couple of songs continue this pattern of being incredibly fun songs with groovy basslines and some really wild vocal delivery that jumps around a lot. 'You Really Got Me' is a really great 'Kinks' cover that easily beats out the wonderful 'Van Halen' version, along with the original version in my opinion. In general, 'Oingo Boingo' seems to have a knack for making covers, as can also be seen later down the line with the excellent cover of 'The Beatles'' 'I Am The Walrus'. I really love the heavily altered backing vocals especially. The title track is definitely one of my favourite songs on the album, with the first couple of times giving me a genuine chuckle in terms of how funny I found the lyrics. This is combined with it being by far my favourite song on the album from a melodic standpoint, along with being one of the most dynamic offerings, jumping between many different riffs and bridges, telling a whole story within the 4 minutes the song goes for, along with having a hook so catchy that it approaches being maddening. Past this point, the album goes back to being generally highly enjoyable, although at this point there is definitely the knowledge that the album sounds quite similar on the whole. The final song, 'Nasty Habits' is definitely another massive high point, with some more absurd, perverse lyrics, but also has a really great intensity and sense of urgency to it.

All in all, I really enjoy this album, it's catchy and fun, with a really great groove present throughout. While there are still signs of some immaturity and greenness in areas, particularly when talking about how similar some songs sound to one another, this is nonetheless a great debut.

Best Songs: Little Girls, Only A Lad, Nasty Habits

Weakest Songs: Controller

Verdict: Despite some cheesiness in terms of songwriting and instrumentation, particularly in synth heavy sections, this album is a lot of fun and really shows off Danny Elfman's compositional talent. I'd highly recommend giving it a listen.