DEAD MAN'S PARTY

This album, the first on MCA released under the band's name (se "So-Lo" for the explanation for that), continues Oingo Boingo's journey away from the dark circus freak show style that made their A&M albums so wickedly enjoyable. Sure, Danny Elfman humorously touches upon the topic of death in Dead Man's Party and No One Lives Forever, but the rest of the tracks, lyrically, are forgettable. And musically, the prog elements are all but completely eliminated. What's left is slightly elevated pop. And although the horn section makes a greater appearance than they did on "So-Lo", with the exception of Weird Science, their parts are bland and nondescript. The low point is Fool's Paradise, which sounds like a remnant from David Bowie's dismal disco ("Let's Dance") period. The high points are the three songs mentioned above. While not progressive, they each provide a nice groove. And the pop music? It's listenable, but nothing special. I give this just barely three stars.