Danny Elfman writes a solo album with ‘venom’ pouring out

“When I opened my mouth to sing more venom than I ever knew that I had in me came pouring out,” he said recently. “I didn’t really know what I had to work with other than a lot of frustration and anger. And I think that’s what needed to express itself.”

The result is a sonic howl — part glam rock, part orchestral, part punk, with driving, industrial songs that are liable to disintegrate or tear off into a different direction. The title for the ambitious 18-track double album is perfect: “Big Mess.” It’s his first solo collection in more than 30 years.

“I was either writing really heavy or like really hyper energized, fast and kind of crazy,” Elfman said. “I found myself writing personally in a way that I haven’t before. And that was also surprising to me.”

Grammy- and Emmy-winning Elfman, a former leader of new wave band Oingo Boingo, has for so long turned his talent to fueling film scores like “Batman,” “Beetlejuice,” “Big Fish,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Milk,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Men In Black” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” as well as the opening theme for “The Simpsons.”

He says he had found a balance for his racing mind by alternating film projects and classical music — until lockdown. Then emerged rock. “I think a lot of us kind of found parts of ourselves that we weren’t expecting.”