Boingo
Boingo (Giant) (STAR)
With their first studio album in four years, Boingo (formerly Oingo Boingo)seems to have become less a band than a vehicle for singer and primary songwriter Danny Elfman’s artistic pretensions. In recent years Elfman has concentrated on doing scores for some high-profile films (“Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Batman,” “Dick Tracy”). On “Boingo” he too often forgets that these are pop songs, not mini film scores. To put it mildly, the songs here are overblown, over-orchestrated and overly long-especially the 16-minute “Change,” which recycles the main riff from the Beatles’ “Taxman.” The most accessible song, “Spider,” recalls the quirky melodicism of XTC, who do this sort of thing much better. As Elfman sings, “Hey, I’ve got a commentary without much to say.” That about sums it up.
———-
Ratings: Excellent (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Good (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Fair (STAR)(STAR) Poor (STAR)