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j— MUY N€XU 9 t nTe rTa in m e nTI O i N C O A Stroll Through the Forbidden Zone; A Giant Leap For Rock V Roll clock airplay on KROQ, L.A.’s pom-pom girls. Eventually, when Fact is, they despise the main­ By Oren most progressive radio station, self-proclaimed leader Danny strides into the audience to pick stream New W ave sound, with songs like “ Only A Lad” and Elfman took charge, the ac­ one of the pretty girls in the front “Ain’t This The Life” , two tunes favoring the unique and energetic row to be his partner in a trick he cordian and pom-pom girls were over the pop and popular. Aviv lifted from their disc. KROQ, in tossed out on their kazoos in favor “ learned on Mister Rogers.” His It is just this ability to combine the beginning of October, of a unique sound that might one voice is so serene and convincing, seemingly opposite modes of broadcastd one of their Whisky day bring them national when he finally ties up- his P a aranoid Rock. Neurotic New music that separates the men of engagements, and, as it turned popularity and critical attention. “ assistant’s” hands with his Wave. Psychotic Sounds. Call it out, it was their best live per­ Oingo Boingo from the boys. pajama top and flings her over what you want, but whatever formance so far. They have made Their lyrics, refuse to consent to his shoulder for their act of name you • come up with to the Top 40 groups’ unwritten laws it a habit of packing in dedicated A here is good reason for L.A. “ Violent Love” (another song describe their music, you’ll of writing about how a love has followers and impressed locals to have a refreshing band frt>m their L P ), the crowd is always end up with the Oingo newcomers into Madame Wong’s broken a heart. Elfman prefers to surprised, shocked, and finally Boingo. to turn to, considering the con­ write more realistically: rather and the Whisky every week. So tinuous relentless flow — or thrilled with this strange and Just what the hell is the Oingo than crying about a lost love, he why not the press coverage? should I say, overflow — of less unexpected state of affairs. Boingo? A circus troupe? A Certainly a really good new will fantasize about some female Closing the regular show with comedy act? A superball? than mediocre, often down-right he wants to “ make violent love group (though they’ve been awful, groups that find their way an uplifting and catchy Ska Frankly, they are a fantastically to.” What makes their songs have around since The Flood) to the stages of night clubs. The melody (Oingo Boingo’s version energetic and delightfully that frightening quality may be of “ Be True To M e” ), the band deserves more coverage than Oingo Boingo has a tremendous original combination of all of Carter and Reagan, no? just that they are more realistic has managed to play tunes those things, and then some. Why variety in their sound, unlike than they are pleasant. How often For one thing, they are a groups such as The Cars, Boston, anywhere from Rock (the Kinks' would there be anyone interested is reality pleasant? Their songs “ local” band, and all local bands Foreigner, and other popular Pop “ You Really Got Me” ) to Beach in writing anything about another deal with day-to-day stuff iike have to wait their turns to make a bands. Still, even with this ( “ California Girls” — a much new group? Well, that’s just it — teenage monsters, commando dent in the Media Machine (of variation in sound, their overall livelier rendition than the Beach they aren’t just “ another” group. girls, sinister family members, course, if a decade isn’t enough aural presence is unmistakable. Boys’ ) to Jazz (the horn jam ) to They are eight musicians who nuclear babies, and sexual time to bash a gaping hole in the A driving bass, provided ably ultra-New Wave (as New Wave take their music and their psychopaths. Machine...). More importantly, by Kerry Hatch, is always as they’ll get with a song called business seriously, and that is however, the Oingo Boingo’s faithfully accompanied by the “ The Controller” ) to Punk all in a reflected in the songs they music is too strange, too un- steady, although abstract, up­ matter of an hour and a quarter. produce. Just because the Oingo 'aXI, though deadly serious about coventional, too unusual, they beat of drummer David Eagle. This is the purest example of Boingo (formerly the Mystic what they play, they are nothing variety in music today. deviate too far from the norm, for And, unique to this group, they Knights of the Oingo Boingo) has but fun when the lights go down critics to digest. Their stomachs have the suport of a trumpet One leaves the performance been around for almost a decade, are used to pogoing when pogoing (on stage, that is). Jumping into hoping to see them again, hoping and just because they were the (played by 40-year-old Dale the spotlight in army surplus was in, discoing when that was in, Turner), a trombone and alto sax to buy their L P ( if it can be found first unsigned band to headline and bopping when... With all this garb and two toy pistols, Elf- in record stores), wearing an The Roxy in Hollywood, and just and clarinet (Leon Schneider- man’s manic maimer lashes out stuff being “ in” , the group was man), and a solid, steady, Oingo Boingo T-shirt and a because their L P (a 10 inch ex­ left, to borrow a lyric from one of at the crowd, attacking them, button, wishing you could stay for tended play Nu-disk with four reliable, functional, and toying with them. Their act their more civil songs, “ on the altogether .fabulous sax (Sam the late performance, but great tunes) is selling out in all outside.” They even wrote a song immediately screams knowing your dates — who’d look “ Sluggo” Phipps) to comprise record stores in the Southland, called “The Impostor” , “ Professionalism!” and never great in a T-shirt, especially if and just becase they are the Oingo Boingo’s backbone. Lead once lets down. Just one example dedicated ferociously to Robert guitarist Steve Bartek is as much they’ve got large Oingo Boingo’s hottest live act on the West Coast, of this appears when Elfman Hilburn of the L.A. Times, who in a pleasure to watch, with his — want to get home now and doesn’t mean the group deserves a series of articles on L.A. bands leaves the stage for five minutes discuss Oingo Boingo’s con­ attention. hilariously entertaining gestures to allow his horn section a good conspicuously left out the words and expressions, as he is to hear. tribution to music a little later. No, not much. Oingo and Boingo from each piece of the crowd’s favor. After It would seem that reproducing Finally, after a struggle to His back-up vocal support of a spunky, jazzy,* buzzy, artice. This song is performed Elfman, along with the high- the sheer excitement of the live draw the media into their stimulating jam session, Elfman show on record would be im­ live at every gig to emphasize the octaved voice of Bassist Hatch, frightful magnetism, the Oingo point. em erges in bathrobe and has a very captivating live effect. possible, but they have come Boingo is on the verge of com­ pajamas to belt out a terrorizing They were there from the start Their live shows are more in­ close by compensating with mercial success, something that ballad of “ bad dreams” and ( “ This is where it all begins/I’m vigorating than a Water Pic. clearer synthesizers and a more has been as inevitable as it has “ forbidden zones. ” on the outside looking in” ), as a Many critics maintain, and polished sound. The Oingo Boingo been a struggle to achieve. The The show builds and builds theater group performing on the rightfully so, that a New Wave is a likeable bunch with an ab­ press has chosen, simply, to boardwalks of Venice, or until we feel we have reached a solutely overpowering live act ignore them. • band should have a sound that is crescendo, and Elfman releases wherever else they could scrape rough, offensive, loud, and and a wonderfully fresh sound. Even so, this trend has begun to us just in time to reaffirm his up an available space to ac­ generally anti-pop. As true as this They will be opening for the disappear slowly. They have contact with the crowd. The comodate their drums, guitar, may be, the Oingo Boingo has Police on Saturday, with XTC as been getting virtual round-the- music is then brought down into a accordian, kazoos, and three never claimed to be New Wave. well, so get your oingo down there soft, romantic mood, as Elfman and see it for yourself.______________ THURSDAY. OCTOBER30. 1980 PAGE2A DAILY NEXUS 1 H 9 are as memorable as past of the Atlantic, singer Jello now, eventually bust into the XTC staples like “ Radios in Biafra and company unleash top ten and hopefully into Motion” or “Are You a brutal, high-energy assault your until-then shoddy Receiving Me?” of post punk with zest and record collection. In fact, the best song on appropriate panache. This It is time now for you to Black Sea is the least album is not fo r the scrape up a petty $2.99 and characteristic of XTC: squeamish — many would treat yourself to four of the “ Travels in Nihilon,” find it unlistenable — but most exhilirating new songs Partridge’s eerie, urgent that’s part of its charm.

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