GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL

Well, it was originally near unbelievable for me, but 'Oingo Boingo's' followup to what I considered to be a near perfect album 'Nothing To Fear' happened to be even greater in virtually every respect. The songs are each even more diverse and insane than before, with both composition and lyrics also improving greatly. From the very first track, it's obvious that the sound of the band has been further refined, being able to handle the insane, bouncy energy of their songs to an even greater extent.

To me, while the album doesn't have quite the same level of consistency between tracks, with a couple of weaker points, the high points completely stand over anything else the bamd has put out, with their opening track "Who Do You Want To Be" being one of the most entertaining, energetic songs I've heard, with the great harmonies adding a lot of punch to what is already feeling like some sort of deranged circus, in the vein of 'Mr. Bungle', albeit more commercial. The title track that comes directly after really shows off the dual nature of the band, being able to create strange, manic songs, while also having the capability to make some truly beautiful, catchy stuff, which is what I find this song to be, especially with the nearly ethereal nature of the synths. This sound quite similar to 'The Cure' is quite enjoyable and pulled off really well, all the way down to a similar sort of vocal style that Danny Elfman applies here The middle portion of the album isn't quite as strong as these first two tracks, but shows the band further spreading their creativity, with songs referring to works of literature, namely 'No Spill Blood' and 'Wake Up (It's 1984)', while others dabble in other genres of music, such as the wonderfully catchy reggae tinged 'Fill The Void'. While this middle portion doesn't quite stand up to the first tracks to me, I do still find the variety present here along with the generally skilled compositions to still be extremely good, with almost all the riffs working well, with the vocal melodies never dipping in quality. The final three tracks pick up a lot, matching the quality of the first 2, with 'Pictures of You' being my favourite song by the band. It has a very dark, mysterious atmosphere to it with some superb melodies, sounding straight out of one of Danny Elfman's soundtracks. Everything about the song just works perfectly, and it makes for a great song to have right near the end, calming down after the hyperactivity present beforehand. 'Little Guns' ends the album with a slightly creepy, bouncy beat with some really neat interplay between the trombone and percussion, making for some great energy that still maintains a level of restraint.

Overall, this is my favourite 'Oingo Boingo' album, as it takes everything about the band's already incredible sound, and improves it even more than what happened on the excellent 'Nothing To Fear'. There are few albums I like quite as much from the perspective of pure entertainment and enjoyability, with each song firmly staying in the camp of catchy music that isn't difficult to get into at all, while still showing excellent creativity and compositional skill. The way each song sets its own tone is also admirable. On the whole, this is definitely an album that I don't hesitate in the slightest to give maximum score.

Best songs: Who Do You Want To Be, Good For Your Soul, Pictures of You (especially worthwhile)

Weakest Songs: Wake Up (It's 1984)

Verdict: I highly recommend that people listen to this album, as it's deranged enough at points to appeal to those who like stranger music, while also just an incredibly enjoyable experience, fusing various styles throughout the album.