I scratched the surface of this album in the most recent Newer Release Roundup, but I have so much more to say about it that it deserves to be bumped up the Album Review queue.

Big Mess is Danny Elfman’s first studio album rock record since Oingo Boingo’s Boingo from 1994. Technically, it’s his first solo studio album rock record since So-Lo in 1984 (although only in name, he had the whole Oingo Boingo band with him for that one). In the 27 years since Boingo, Elfman’s focus has almost entirely been on his film scoring and orchestral composition work due to a) losing interest in the band altogether, and b) losing his hearing over the course of the years due to live performances. He hadn’t stepped foot on stage to sing at all until 2013 for a series of concerts related to the Tim Burton movies, and it has been infrequent since. I had always thought that Elfman lost his chops and wasn’t fit to perform vocals anymore, but that’s not the case. And this record proves that he really can still sing, ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself already.

In early 2020, Elfman was working on a retrospective project featuring a couple of new songs (in this case, “Sorry” and “Happy”), some reworked versions of film score music, and some reworked versions of Oingo Boingo songs, all slated to debut as part of Coachella that year. For obvious reasons, it didn’t happen. And since Elfman likely found himself restless amidst an indefinite halt on movie production, he just started writing song after song completely off the cuff during that summer. “Once I started I couldn’t stop”, he said. 18 songs later, he had an album on his hands that he had no idea he was going to make only a few months earlier! And here I am farting around on a computer doing nothing with my life! Just kidding! Maybe.

As a huge Oingo Boingo fan, and a reasonable Danny Elfman fan, I was beyond cautious going into this. It took me over a week to work up the nerve to even listen to it for the first time. I had to make sure my environment, my mood, my stress level, and my alertness was prepared for it. I hadn’t heard a single new Elfman rock song since I was a teenager, I didn’t want anything (outside of the music itself, of course) to paint my perception poorly. And, wow, that introduction in “Sorry” that builds and builds with the drums, the strings, the female voices chanting “I’m so…I’m so…soooorrrry/I’m so-so-so-/I’m so- I’m so-…” back and forth in both channels, the crescendos throughout that never end until the very last note of the song, Danny’s voice returning after 25 years with such genuine ferocity, incredulity, and anguish,  it was an incredible experience to say the very least! “Sorry” is intense and cinematic just like “Insanity” was for Boingo, except the energy is fresh and updated! Elfman is actually yelling instead of singing at the end, wow! This is a contender for the one of the best rock songs that Elfman has ever written! The only problem is, I think, just maybe, the production is a little muddy? Elfman’s voice is so forward in the mix that it’s suffocating, but every instrument also seem to be fighting for a front seat as well. Am I just imagining it? Maybe? Oh well, let me move on…

Wow, those strings at the beginning of “True” are tense! It almost feels like his take on doom metal. But wait, right away I have this nagging feeling again that the sound seems murky, choppy, and hazy. Is it my headphones? All the elements of the sound seem to be piled on top of each other. What’s going on?

And then song after song it never gets better. The sound quality doesn’t match the epic scope of the musical theatrics whatsoever. It’s so noticeable that it’s too distracting, and at 72 minutes it’s almost impossible to get through completely in one session. Now, bear in mind, I’m no audiophile. My standards for recording quality are embarrassingly low. Big Mess is REALLY on a whole other level with this. I believe that Elfman’s hearing loss is part of the problem. He produced the album himself, which I don’t believe he does for his film soundtracks and scores. He shouldn’t have fucking done that. It’s irritating and frustrating.

It’s irritating and frustrating for so many reasons. These songs are good, I can tell. Elfman is tapping into some real outside-the-box musical ideas, combining elements of industrial rock, classical music, new wave, post-rock, and film score ambiance. The arrangements are technically breathtaking, and they match Danny’s trademark impish ethos with some added anger. But man, that production, everything is so crowded and oppressive and just plain ugly that you feel like to come up for occasional breaths of air and you can never break the surface. OK, for the defense again, Danny is pushing 70 and he sounds pretty good! It’s kind of cool that the dude wanted to basically make industrial metal at his age. But man, why does he still act like he’s trying way too hard to creep out his dad? It’s a little sad, right? AHHH! OK, how about this: elements of Elfman’s whole career is all over this record. I hear bouncy semblances of circus music everywhere, but I also hear his adult contemporary phase coming out a bit (parts of “Better Times” for example, sound to me like “Glory Be” from Oingo Boingo’s Dark at the End of the Tunnel) and then his alt-rock Nirvana wannabe side as well. But man, ugh, he’s trying to pack everything and the kitchen sink into every second of every song. OK, one more: it’s really interesting to hear him finally be blunt about the political and social climate, weaving in satirical takes on the current shitty times with authentic misanthropic contempt. That’s something I can relate to! But man, was that a sample from a Trump speech at the beginning of “Choose Your Side”? That’s not going to age well. In fact, why is he talking about Trump at all? I know he recorded this while Trump was still president, but it just seems out-of-touch for a 70ish-year-old guy to be late to the party like this on his hot political takes.

See? I’m torn. I love the guy, but I don’t love this. It makes me wonder how I would’ve felt listening to this at 16 years old. Maybe I grew up while Danny never did?

Here’s my final opinion: this album could’ve easily been broken up into two ~35 minute albums. With some resequencing, more time spent on polishing up the writing, hiring a different producer to mix and master, and a little less effusive attention-seeking behavior (“Kick Me/I’m a celebrity/Kick Me/I’m a celebrity/Kick Me/I’m a celebrity/Kick Me/I’m a celebrity/Losers not invited/Losers not invited/Losers not invited/Losers not invited” is obviously meant to be somewhat self-deprecating, but did he have to be so annoying and intrusive about it?), and we have ourselves a winner! But, no, this isn’t a winner. Danny Elfman is so legitimately talented too, it’s a real damn shame.

In theory, bad Danny Elfman is better than no Danny Elfman at all since no one else is doing anything like him on this planet, but if he keeps up with these sludgy monoliths I might have to just bow out gracefully at some point and continue to enjoy his historical works.

KINDA BAD