NOTHING TO FEAR

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.