Indie Pioneer -- Oingo Boingo

Although he will probably end up being famous as a composer for numerous films, Dany Elfman got his start in the band Oingo Boingo. In the 1980's, Boingo had a string of hits culminating with the Halloween anthem "Dead Man's Party". The band recorded a few more records in the early 1990's before disbanding and elfman launched his second career.

There isn't a good way to describe Oingo Boingo's music other than eclectic. From tribal drum beats to the liveral use of xylophones, Boingo mines unusual textures and sonic combiantions to find their signature sound. Over all of this is Elfman's otherworldy voice. His is a mix of demonic possession and pop troubadour that enfused life into his macabre lyrics. the muscial connections to Halloween and the Day of the Dead made them concert staples here in Southern California. The selections included here are from a variety of time periods starting with "Just Another Day", "Stay" and "Private Life" from their early work and "Glory Be" and "Skin" from the highly underrated DARK AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. Though not as inlfuential as some other 80's bands, Boingo's sense of theatricallity in music certainly left its mark on bands of today.

(m4a) Oingo Boingo -- Just Another Day
(m4a) Oingo Boingo -- Private Life (highy recommended)
(m4a) Oingo Boingo -- Stay
(m4a) Oingo Boingo -- Glory Be
(m4a) Oingo Boingo -- Skin