OINGO BOINGO

Oingo Boingo entered the major label record scene with this brief (under fifteen minutes) EP. Right out of the box, this short set shows Danny Elfman's infatuation with the darker side of life. Only A Lad depict a juvenile delinquint allowed to get away with increasing crimes because "society made him go astray" (This wasn't the only time Elfman wrote about hypocracy on the left side of politics - see Capitalism on the "Only A Lad" album - but don't worry, he also skewered the right).

A cover of Willie Dixon's Violent Love follows. This is done reggae style, and reminds me a bit of the earlier 10CC forays into the genre.

The second side is the more interesting of the two. Ain't This The Life is an upbeat tale of the life of a wealthy hedonist. There is a clever twist in it that I won't give away. I'm So Bad, the best track on the EP, introduces the layered tuned percussion that would become one of Oingo Boingo signature sounds. It's a slightly eerie piece about a rage filled potential murderer.

It's a nice album, but for it's brevity, I can only give it 3 stars.