Big Mess
by Danny Elfman
  • Record Label: Epitaph
  • Release Date: Jun 11, 2021
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
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  1. Classic Rock Magazine
    Jun 11, 2021
    80
    Big Mess is dense and discordant and wilfully ugly at times, but also a richly original and impressively ambitious musical response to a nightmarish pandemic. [Jul 2021, p.84]
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  2. AllMusic
    Jun 11, 2021
    80
    While the powerfully cathartic Big Mess does feel overlong, it may serve as a rare case where that's masterfully appropriate.
  3. American Songwriter
    Jun 11, 2021
    80
    The agitated, anxious emotions that explode over Big Mess create a difficult, even grating 73 minutes, which is clearly what Elfman was aiming for. It’s a bumpy, challenging, often exhilarating, sometimes scary experience. Strap in and hang on.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. Dunksyk
    Jun 11, 2021
    9
    Loved this album...Quirky, raw, jagged & beautiful. A chaotic collision of smooth strings, metal guitar and rock drums .Always interesting andLoved this album...Quirky, raw, jagged & beautiful. A chaotic collision of smooth strings, metal guitar and rock drums .Always interesting and often surprising, the compositions have a sprinkling of Bowie and a touch of New York punk but with that Elfman twist. Highly recommended for those who like there music off the main highway.… Full Review »
  2. Dunsweet21
    Jul 3, 2021
    0
    Álbum muito genérico.
  3. 2phat
    Jun 18, 2021
    10
    Wow.. This record is a full-on experience from the first note to the last. It is not a casual listen, and I expect and understand that manyWow.. This record is a full-on experience from the first note to the last. It is not a casual listen, and I expect and understand that many people will take a quick dive and move on to something easier.
    The vinyl pressing is stunning, and listening to it on a good sound system is a soul rattling, mind blowing trip. It is very dense, and very, very detailed in its composition and production. It's so great to hear Danny's vocals again, and his dark, mischievous humor and social commentary again after all of these years.
    Awesome guitar work, drumming, and the familiar Steve Bartek string arrangements. Bartek and Elfman have been a team since the Boingo days, and it's a wonderful thread that ties all of their collaborative catalogue together.
    This record seems like the ultimate marriage of the ferocity and wit of Elfman's Oingo Boingo years and the dramatic storytelling compositions of his orchestral pieces.
    It's not an easy listen, but here at my house, we were stunned by this album. I've never heard anything like it.    … Full Review »
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