Oingo Boingo
Nothing to Fear


4.5
superb

Review

by Necrotica USER (196 Reviews)
February 24th, 2014 | 52 replies


Release Date: 1982 | Tracklist

Review Summary: A one-of-a-kind album by a one-of-a-kind band.

Some bands are just too diverse to be pigeonholed in certain scenes and musical trends. The 90s rock band Morphine, for instance, is considered an alternative rock act; however, their saxophone-based jazz fusion sound and an almost surf rock-ish vibe would suggest other influences that extend beyond their alternative label. Then you've got Alice in Chains, who bring sludge metal, doom metal, classic rock, and blues to their grunge repertoire to form a unique sound that pleases numerous audiences. Well, if any band were to join this list of artists who thought outside their scenes, it would be Oingo Boingo. Fronted by composer and vocalist/guitarist Danny Elfman, Oingo Boingo were frequently labeled as a new wave band for their fast punk-influenced rhythms and heavy use of synthesizers, as well as their generally quirky attitude. However, simply limiting them to this genre would be downplaying just how unique they were. Progressive rock website Prog Archives lists the band as "crossover prog," and labeling the group as progressive or experimental indeed seems more apt than just "new wave." The band combined classic punk, new wave, progressive rock, ska, jazz, alternative rock, and a multitude of other genres to create something way different from the pack, and this fact only makes it more understandable that Danny Elfman would continue to experiment heavily in his film scores.

Only a Lad, while making only small waves commercially when it came out, served well to lay the groundwork for what to expect from the band. Fast tempos, high energy, lots of horns, lots of synthesizers, eccentric singing from Elfman, and elements of jazz and classical music were all part of the Oingo Boingo experience; luckily, the album ended up finding an audience in the Southern California pop/rock scene. Nothing to Fear, the band's sophomore effort, pretty much expands upon Only a Lad stylistically without making really drastic changes. Then again, with how odd the band already were, they didn't exactly need to change too much. There is, however, more of an emphasis on guitar distortion and overall heaviness, which would please fans of the band's more punk-inspired work. Songs like "Insects" and the title track have some damn low and heavy guitar riffs that contrast the loud, bombastic horns very nicely. "Insects" in particular finds a fantastic balance between the two; a few times within the track, you have a low metallic riff from Elfman and lead guitarist Steve Bartek while the trumpeter and two saxophonists play a really nifty Middle-Eastern melody over the top of it. Stuff like that provides neat nuances to keep you frequently coming back to the album, and the horn playing in general is usually what adds those nuances when combined with the rhythm section and vocals.

Speaking of vocals, Danny Elfman gives perhaps his best overall vocal performance here. He suits every mood his compositions throw at him, from creepy to quirky to sad to gleeful. His eccentric performances give a ton of personality to the songwriting, like mixing slightly whispered and raspy mid-range vocals with low chants in opener "Grey Matter" or showing a bit more lightheartedness and restraint with the bizarre mid-tempo number "Whole Day Off." He's definitely a versatile performer, just as he's a versatile songwriter and composer. His writing on here is some of Boingo's most complex work yet, showcasing their penchant for odd time signatures and frequent musical mood swings. While I mentioned that the band's work features generally fast tempos, there are times in which the band tone down to represent moods other than complete batshit insanity. "Private Life," while still on the faster side, is definitely more restrained and straightforward than much of the band's work; "Insects," meanwhile, touches on many bases in terms of speed. The main motif is heavily characterized by the lack of the snare drum... well, until the fast dance-like sections that occasionally (intentionally, I'm assuming) interrupt the general flow. This diversity is what makes the band so interesting to listen to; if you ever wanted to listen to a sort of precursor to Mr. Bungle, Oingo Boingo's music fits the bill very nicely.

In fact, in keeping with that Bungle comparison, you can consider Nothing to Fear the band's version of Mr. Bungle's masterpiece California. An increased sound palette, increased accessibility, and a heightened sense of cohesion makes the comparison pretty apt. Nothing to Fear takes the music of Only a Lad and makes it even better, retaining the eccentricity and overall oddness of Oingo Boingo's sound but slightly tightening and refining the musicianship and adding more subtle compositional nuances here and there. If there's one Oingo Boingo album you must own, this is probably it; I think Nothing to Fear could safely be dubbed the band's finest hour.



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user ratings (97)
4
excellent


Comments:Add a Comment 
Necrotica
February 24th 2014


10693 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Curveball!

Voivod
Staff Reviewer
February 24th 2014


10937 Comments


Great review, and band is bookmarked for future investigations.

Mind Over Four is another excellent example of "crossover prog".

Necrotica
February 24th 2014


10693 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Thanks man.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pWYERNOHtw



Here's "Insects" from the album if you wanna hear it now. Still my favorite Boingo track for sure. And yeah, I'll check out Mind Over Four. What specific genre(s) are they?

Voivod
Staff Reviewer
February 24th 2014


10937 Comments


Their music is a non-trivial mix of prog rock, hard rock and punk.

All their discog is worthy of attention, but their debut has a special spot in my heart.

Phil Anselmo from Pantera was wearing a MOF t-shirt at the Vulgar Display of Power album photo.

http://www.yellmagazine.com/pantera-premiere-piss-video-vulgar-sessions/31623/#

Necrotica
February 24th 2014


10693 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Oh sweet, I saw that you gave their first album a 4.5, I'll have to try it out then. Apparently

they're considered alt/prog metal, but on the unconventional side. I'm pretty interested, then; I've

enjoyed multiple other crossover prog bands like Oingo Boingo, Deerhoof, Supertramp, etc. But I never

really delved into the metal side of the subgenre

Thales
February 24th 2014


102 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Dead Man's Party is their masterpiece but this is excellent too.

Necrotica
February 24th 2014


10693 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Yeah, that album is great as well. These guys don't get enough attention on this site, unfortunately

Mort.
February 24th 2014


26085 Comments


I only know of them due to their infamous "little girls" song



Digging: Mamaleek - Out of Time

osmark86
February 24th 2014


11506 Comments


same here, but that song rocks so I should probably check out more of their stuff.

Digging: Aluk Todolo - Lux

Necrotica
February 24th 2014


10693 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

You guys haven't listened to Dead Man's Party or Weird Science? Those are their most popular hits

Mad.
February 24th 2014


4916 Comments


Damn this sounds pretty awesome, great review

Insurrection
February 24th 2014


24844 Comments


the band name alone makes me want to check this out

Necrotica
February 24th 2014


10693 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Yes, THAT Danny Elfman ;]

Gwyn.
February 24th 2014


17270 Comments


IT'S A DEAD MAN'S PARTY
WHO COULD ASK FOR MORE

Thales
February 24th 2014


102 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_H3teJ1Co

RoyalImperialGuard
February 24th 2014


1569 Comments


Great band/review.

kingsoby1
Emeritus
February 24th 2014


4970 Comments


yikes dont ICP fans like these guys for some reason

Thales
February 24th 2014


102 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

What?

SharkTooth
February 24th 2014


14937 Comments


well it's certainly better than ICP

Necrotica
February 24th 2014


10693 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I don't think most ICP fans even know these guys tbh



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