I haven't posted here in a while and I was debating for the longest time what I wanted to write about next — so I asked myself "OK, what have I really been up to lately?" and the answer is just...listening to Oingo Boingo.
I intended this blog to be exclusively about lolita and goth music, so this doesn't exactly fit, but whatever. Oingo Boingo is a cult 80s band and a lot of goths like 80s music and new wave so it's close enough lol. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that reads this blog anyway!
Oingo Boingo is an 80s new wave band fronted by Danny Elfman (yes that Danny Elfman). The band itself is huge and members came and went over the years -- I usually compare their makeup to Gorillaz in my head, in that Gorillaz also has many members fronted by 1 guy. Oingo Boingo disbanded in 1995 with a huge farewell concert, but most recently Elfman performed a ton of their songs at Coachella. (As an aside, I hope I'm that hot when I'm 68.)
I'm not sure exactly why I'm so obsessed with Oingo Boingo but their sound is incredibly unique, incorporating synth and horns, some ska influence, all paired with Danny Elfman's unique voice. Without further ado, I'm going to rank all the Oingo Boingo albums from my least favourite to most favourite.
7. Dark at the End of the Tunnel
I feel bad putting this at the end, because it's not a garbage album, but this one and BOI-NGO are really not the usual Oingo Boingo sound. This particular album is pretty dark, but not in the fun Dead Man's Party kind of way. Paired with a lack of horns and whimsy that usually characterizes the band's sound, it's not even really worth a re-listen.
6. BOI-NGO
A lot of what I have to say about this album I've already said about Dark at the End of the Tunnel, but I'm ranking this higher because it's more upbeat. That said, the album is really like a generic "80s pop" album. The world instruments, horns, interesting Elfman vocal delivery...kind of not there. I do like Elevator Man, though.
5. Boingo
This is Oingo Boingo's final album and while it's not a total return to form after the two previous albums, it's definitely more interesting and less 'generic 80s'. The opening track on this album, "Insanity", is SUCH a good opener. It's incredibly dramatic and I understand why they chose it for the opening number of their farewell tour. The songs on this album are all pretty long, actually, and overall it feels like a goodbye album. The rename here, "Boingo" instead of "Oingo Boingo" seems to refer to the fact that there are no horns on this album. In fact, the whole album is quite sad tonally. That is a big con for me so it's only in spot #5.
4. Only a Lad
The band's first album and a great example of their sound. This album contains the highly controversial song "Little Girls" which is a satire of men in positions of power who prey after underage girls -- though that tends to go under the radar a lot, and many people don't like the song (which I kind of understand). The whole album is catchy though and it's a great first album to listen to if you're not familiar with Oingo Boingo. I would rank it higher but the next three albums are such bangers that I can't!
3. Good For Your Soul
One of their most successful albums by far, I can confidently say literally every song on this album is good. My personal favourite is "Pictures of You", a song about a man in love with a...zombie-undead woman? It definitely feels like a precursor to Dead Man's Party, anyway. Other amazing songs are "Good for Your Soul" and "No Spill Blood". A solid album that I can listen to on repeat.
2. Dead Man's Party
The album the band is most known for and a great Halloween album. This is pure Oingo Boingo and I particularly love how it deals with the inevitability of death, but doesn't frame it in a negative way. This album contains their most well-known track "Weird Science", which Elfman just wrote for a movie and later would regret that it would become how the band was known. It's a good song in my opinion but I get where he's coming from. My favourite song on the album is "No one Lives Forever" but "Just Another Day" is also fantastic!
1. Nothing to Fear
My favourite album -- again, literally every song is good. The opener "Grey Matter" is a frantic, anxiety-inducing song, followed by "Insects" in which the sound of a mosquito in your ear plays in the background. "Private Life" is a fascinating song about a man whose basically cut off everyone in his life and thinks he's happy but isn't really. And "Running on a Treadmill" is a wonderfully upbeat song with a poignant metaphor. I love this album SO much, if that isn't clear.
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Well that's it from me! Just felt like doing a fun little post like this. If you listen to any of these albums let me know which one you liked (if any)!
