As a dyed-in-the-wool Oingo Boingo fan I have to admit that my original interest in this album grew from the fact that Nightmare was said to have a Boingo-Like sound.  That being said Boingo fans will find a familiarity with the sound, but, Nightmare of the Elf goes in their own direction and doesn't attempt to sound like Boingo-Part 2.  A truly unique sound of their own that everyone will enjoy.  Buy 2 and give one to a friend.
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I was sent this CD from a friend, and like most people, took a while to listen to it. But when I did, I couldn't believe it: it really was, as they put it, "Bauhaus meets Boingo". Nightmare of the Elf has succeeded beyond all expectations in putting together two of my favorite genres of music : New Wave and Gothic. This album is now one of my favorite albums. Producer James Hazley has managed to put together a well-produced medley of songs that still transmit a "raw" and "live" sound in the studio that is refreshing. "Lucy", obviously the premiere song of the album, is a haunting romantic ballad apparently about a deceased lover who has become a fairy. People will recognize Byronesque romantic poetry in this song, and even a hint of Poe. "Brat" is like neo-Lydon meets Drop Dead Fred with fun gang vocals to boot. "Time to Go to Work" is a hilarious, Devo-esque anti-work anthem with robotic-style vocals and strange Arabesque guitars. "Primal Emotions", the first song, seems to throng out of the deep jungles with its shamanic drums and droning bass pulse, deep chantings, and sounds like a tribal version of Bauhaus. "Is It Real?" is classic Etherial monster mash ; Landau's crooning vocals sound especially Elfmanesque on this song which manages a gothic overtone of fun with a surprisingly rockin' groove. "Mortal Coil" is another Mystic Knights meets Haunted Mansion kind of song, and is very entertaining. "In A Dream" is a bardic ballad telling a story about childhood initiations and nightmares. "Primate" is a great funky/disco song about love and monkeys -- I will say no more, but check it out!! "I Have No Name" is obviously the gag piece on the album, a neo-Dada "insult the audience" kind of song repeating over and over, and yet, it continues to grow on one with its repetitive bass and jangly, atonal guitars. Renz' keyboards are subtle yet hauntingly dissonant on this piece. "Visions" sounds like Sisters of Mercy meets London After Midnight. I won't spoil the bonus track, but it is very beautiful as well. This band is definitely part of the neo-New Wave Renaissance, and, according to their website, have played with the likes of New Collapse, Radioactive Chickenheads, the Weegs, and Babyland. I'm definitely going to check out their live show next chance I get, and rumor has it that they are putting together a compilation CD of local alternative bands. Awesome! This is definitely something to share with friends, and for those who were upset by the demise of Oingo Boingo, be cheered, for something new and bizarre shines over the horizon!
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This CD has such energy, charisma and humor -- I can't get enough of it!  You can really FEEL, in an almost visceral way, the love put into this album!.  Glimpses of Boingo, Devo, old-school punk, funk, and goth/industrial are only spices added to the meaty, bold personality of the writers, players and producers who have created this unique, yet somehow comfortingly familiar, style.  I absolutely love this CD -- this band has what it takes to drive an underground movement.  A++
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