Album Review: Gnarls Barkley The Odd Couple
8.5
Remember that fan-boy review that I told you wasn’t coming? Well, here it is. Let’s just get this out in the open first; I never expected another “Crazy.” Anyone who did…is crazy. You will not find that in the paragraphs that follow as a reason not to like Gnarls Barkley’s long awaited second disc/iTunes download. Not that I have any reasons not to like this, but you see where this is going.
The odd couple themselves have created yet another collection of sonically enriched and breathtakingly original tracks; all of which are painfully not skippable. Perhaps some of the high-speed energy of St. Elsewhere has gone missing, but the quality and intensity of the songwriting, production, lyrics, and vocals have not.
If the video for “Run” doesn’t give you epileptic seizures, the song alone may do the trick. The album’s first single (and early leak) was a good first glimpse at the record, but is arguably the most energetic (and possibly, the only energetic) track on The Odd Couple. To say that it’s misleading would be a bit of a stretch, but the fast beat, wacky effects, and dark comedic lyrics are more St. Elsewhere-ish than any track that was actually on that record. “You can’t win child/We’ve all tried to/You’ve been lied to/It’s already inside you/Either you run right now or you best get ready to die.” Singer Cee-Lo Green delivers these lines in a way that very few other pop singers could match. Through-out the record, whether he’s bringing the soul on vintage tracks like “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” or belting at the top of his lungs on “Open Book,” Cee-Lo continues to shine with his extraordinary vocal ability.
Musically, the boundaries between hip hop and electronica, rock and soul, the past and the present, and pop and underground are erased as they were on the duo’s debut. The movie reel starts up again, but this time with a very different opening track to follow (much unlike St. Elsewhere’s “Go Go Gadget Gospel”). The low-key percussion, synths, and mellow harmonies of “Charity Case” introduce a whole new animal, one that shouldn’t and couldn’t be compared to the first. “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” goes even lower; a soul track so innovative, it sounds like a 40 year old song from 40 years in the future. Yes. Dig that shit. (Yes, I read that somewhere else. Sue me.)
The next track, “Going On,” mixes reverb-ed, Brit-pop styled guitars with upbeat hip hop drums. The result is a track that only Danger Mouse could have created. Meaning, it makes no sense…unless it’s on a Gnarls Barkley record. “Open Book’s” jumpy electronic beat and hesitating strings are purposely not on time, and are, coincidently, purposely awesome.
The only track I do not love unconditionally is the filler-like “She Knows,” which still has some pretty cool moments. Though this is towards the end, the album doesn’t lose your interest – the catchy (and *lovable) “Blind Mary” (*”She has never seen the sunshine, yet she’s getting along just fine…/I love Mary/blind Mary, marry me…/She’s my friend, she doesn’t judge me/She has no idea I’m ugly”) honestly sounds nothing like a Gnarls Barkley track, but I guess the point is that you can’t really say that…ever.
I don’t even really know how I would peg any of this if I had to, but that’s my favorite part about The Odd Couple. You can’t peg it, and you shouldn’t bother.
I love this. Fan-boy review, out.
Posted: March 20th, 2008 under Reviews.
Tags: Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple
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Time April 17, 2008 at 2:14 pm
[...] When Maladroit first came out, I remember really loving it, occasionally referring to it as “the best Weezer album.” This was mostly to rebel against the late praise of Pinkerton, which really just helped the popularity of the mediocre ‘Green album’ (who has Pinkterton to thank for almost every ticket sold for its tour). One of the first album reviews I ever wrote was for Maladroit. In fact, it might have been the first (I gave it a 9 out of 10? Damn, that’s even more fanboy then my 9.0 for Odd Couple). [...]