Boingo - Released May 17th 1994
Technically their 8th
and final album (as I'm counting Danny Elfman's solo record
So-Lo) is a record of major shifts in tonality, and execution.
Specifically we are introduced to a new guitarist
Warren Fitzgerald of
The Vandals.
The usual
parties included
Danny Elfman (vocals rhythm guitars),
Steve Bartek (lead guitars),
John Avila (bass), and
Johnny
Vatos Hernandez (drums). Whereas Carl Graves, Sam Sluggo Phillips, Leonard Schneiderman, and Dale Turner are relegated into the background, while they do get album credits, little is known as to their contribution. As most of the record had a distinctly guitar punch rather than the keyboards, and horn section of prior material. Overall its a melancholy record, with heavy sprinkles of orchestration.
Why was this record shift so pronounce? Tonally the shift from the 80's peppy, polished, and heavily produced, into a distortion laden, and impishly sarcastic folk tome throws the listener off the scent. With
Boingo there isn't anything left of their 80's sound, it is a focal testament to the constant evolution Danny Elfman brought to
Oingo Boingo.
With
Boingo, its execution and theme are dark, cynical, and subversive.
Boingo serves
the listener (at first) with a palate of heaviness, and after begins to mellowing out.
At first I was put off by it, yet its allure was in the hypnotic strips of the orchestral pieces, and hidden within songs were layer upon layer of introspective prose.
The first
song
Insanity, is a dark woven construct, and prickly. At the very core
rips out every belief, and bares rabid teeth to make a crucial point:
humanity is fucked. It shapes what essentially
becomes the entire motif of the record. The song weaves a crescendo like
wave, interspersed with using a choir of children seems unique, and off
kilter. Every time I hear this song, the rhythm, and tapping of the drum
sticks puts me into a hypnotic trance.
Hey! the second track welcomes me into a elegant poetic form. Shifting one into a folk manner, as this is a off the cusp (what the hell moment?). Yet it works, the honesty in which alludes so many, Danny is upfront with the message. He cares not for what you or I think.
Then comes
Mary which shivs me with its
cruel execution. A song about suicide told from the perspective of Mary. When I listened the emptiness is pronounce. The hard road of travels, and the pain of realizing that life has moved on, and people within the circles forget. Its deft in execution, and can be harsh for those first hearing this.
Can't See Useless, a song about everything going wrong. Nothing works, and no matter the gist of the situation, it can be a bear of a struggle to stay upbeat. I sometimes have to skip this as this is very difficult song to get through.
Pedestrian Wolves, one of the most curious aspects of this song is how it goes into two directions, throwing me into a dizzy fit. Using both a waltz, and reggae rhythm, which breaks up continuity of the guitars. The lyrical prose is filled with a reference of horror, and elation. Its a strange affair to behold.
Lost Like This, having heard the demo (1983) and what would be is interesting. It pushes the upward tick in the way the heavy drop of reality settles. While it isn't standard fair of
Boingo, it has its own purpose of showing what
Oingo Boingo were doing.
Spider, a radio friendly number, not my favorite.
War Again, a song about all the coverage of the Gulf War (1991), and the lessons America has yet learn in the ways of diplomacy. Pretty political in the scope, and its execution. I still think Little Guns off of
Good For Your Soul(1983) makes a better assessment. I felt like Danny was repeating the same things.
I am the Walrus, a Beatles tune, done in a modern
Boingo way.
Tender Lumplings, kind of an odd arrangement, yet I should add here, that way after this record came out, I went on a search for B-sides. Sure enough the songs like Water, and Vultures were omitted due to constraints of the (then) compact disc size.
Vultures song follows right after
Tender Lumplings which I think should have been left on. I was more than miffed after finding this out years later. I believe it broke up the flow of the final release. With
Tender Lumplings going into
Change almost quickly, my ears could
pick out a major edit. I found these songs online, and they are essentially a garbled mess (maybe poor mixing?).
Change is by far longest track
Oingo Boingo ever did. It gives insight of that final evolution of the band in the form of this song. I fell deeply into this as it spoke to me in it's layering. The way this evolves is curious to me because of the flow and description it evokes. If ever there is a heavier moment, this is the track.
For this record it's construction is not simple, but its woven with a guitarists hand. Touching upon folk mood, parlaying a disjointed ambiance, and emotional staining jumbling forth. The Poly/Indo/Asian rhythms
are prominent still, but the drumming is strictly adhering to a progressive style, rather than
to the atypical new wave rock format.
Nowhere on this record is there a
reference to any of
Oingo Boingo's zippy, bizarre 80's arrangements. This is essentially a record so far removed from what they were known for, it was why I had a harder time associating with the record.
When I write about the overall appeal of
Oingo Boingo, it is because of the breadth and style they brought. They never really got out of that stasis of being a niche West Coast band, and that I think harmed their overall acceptance. Front man Danny Elfman, put up great distance to his fans, as it was more out of wanting to be done with the whole thing.
I think Danny Elfman's key gift as a musician is in his keen potent
observation, as it derives a lot from unfair industry criticisms, and a kind of pop music rejection.
Though he had made more of a name for himself with his soundtrack work,
Oingo Boingo were a entity few cared to notice or even acknowledge.
When I look back
Oingo Boingo flexed, and gleefully poked at the
status quo. Nothing they did gelled with the popularity construction, nor
in societal acceptance. Hits were few, as their core audience derived
of a few die hard fans.
Boingo were left alone to do
whatever they wanted, which in this day in age is unheard of.
Because of the niche aspect,
Oingo Boingo struggled mightily, from many of the interviews I have
parsed, Danny Elfman's struggles seemed to be around the label disinterest, and the
lack of finding motivation to continue on with any of it.
He felt he'd
done all he could with
Oingo Boingo. The changes, the trials, and
struggles were enough to put it to rest in 1995. I am extremely glad to have been part of their journey, but as these years drag onwards, I appreciate, and respect the work created. Thanks for reading.
B.
