The Danny Elfman-fronted band managed to lift its profile by placing 4 songs from Dead Man's Party on soundtracks, including the quirky title song****. Actually the whole first half of the album works together pretty well as a production-heavy pop album, including the slightly frantic "Just Another Day", dance-y "Heard Somebody Cry", and straightforwardly earnest "Stay"****. The cartoon menace of "No One Lives Forever" makes it too silly to fit in the side, but probably helped it to be placed in a couple movie soundtracks. Drums are sometimes ridiculously layered-on, such as on Dead Man's Party" and "Heard Somebody Cry", and by the end of the album the heavy production finally reaches its illogical conclusion with the comically percussive "Same Man I Was Before" (it resembles an extra-chaotic Talking Heads "Road To Nowhere") and the kitchen sink-inclusive mix of "Weird Science". Lyrically it's hokey, complete nonsense, and even the band was never happy with it, but I'll bet you remember it.
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