Tis the season for spooky vibes. Even though Halloween has ended once you read this, it doesn’t mean people still can’t enjoy the eerie or mysterious. What better way to indulge in the spooky season than to listen to music? Music sets the vibe, which is important because without the right tunes, the whole mood is off. And there is a perfect band to get someone in the spooky mood: Oingo Boingo.
If that name doesn’t sound familiar, the band leader, Danny Elfman, made soundtracks to the popular and classic movies, Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Beetlejuice, and Batman Returns. The band was formed in 1980 and released albums until 2002. The last one produced was a collection of their best songs, including “Weird Science,” “Dead Man’s Party,” and “Just Another Day.” All those songs come from their 1985 album, Dead Man’s Party, which consists of strange artistic rock sounds that can only be completely understood or described if you listen to it. Most of their musical success comes from Danny Elfman who had spent a couple years in France working with a theater group and studying orchestra, which reflected in Oingo Boingo’s hodgepodge of styles.
This band is worth listening to because it was a big part of the alternative rock scene in the 1980s, influencing future generations of rock. Bands similar to Oingo Boingo are The Cure, The Clash, and The B-52s, which all incorporate related musical elements and were also very popular in the 1980s.
It is hard to pick out my favorite songs/albums from this band since they have created many hits. But if I had to choose, the songs “Violent Love,” from the album “Boingo Alive”, “Stay” from “Dead Man’s Party”, and “Elevator Man” from “Boi-Ngo”. I like all these songs because they incorporate a mix of musical elements that are unique and entertaining to listen to. I personally love songs that are a medley of tunes, so this band is a perfect fit for me.
How did I find this band? I wish I had an awesome story about how I found this band, but really, the truth is that I was listening to my Spotify weekly playlist a year or two ago, and one of their songs piqued my interest because I had never heard anything like that before. Now, in the future, I am an avid fan of this group because I just casually stumbled onto it. Sometimes, finding something by chance is just as special.
If this band were to get a rating out of five stars from me, I’d give it a 4.5. I am giving them this rating because they incorporate many styles and interesting musical sounds that are perfect for the spooky season, but not all the songs they made strike a chord in me. All in all, many would say this band is for “weirdos”, or recoil at the name, but listening to it yourself would be beneficial so you can make your opinion, and see for yourself what this peculiar band has going on.