Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

So I have some time on my hands at the moment, so this review is coming a day early...with the possibility of another review, tomorrow. You think you can handle it? Yeah...I thought so.
So, apparently, Charles Barkley has quite a singing voice. I did not know this about him.
(Har har har)
I was excited about this album for months and months before it was actually released, before the lead single "Crazy" broke all sorts of records in Britain. Why was I excited? It was partly due to the pictures that were popping up on the internet (one with the duo dressed like characters from The Big Lebowski, another of them dressed like Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro, etc.), but it was mostly for the parties involved. Production from Danger Mouse (the underground hero who famously mashed together Jay-Z's Black Album and The Beatles' White Album, then was nominated for a Grammy for producing the Gorillaz brilliant second album, Demon Days, then working with MF Doom on the hugely overlooked Danger Doom project, The Mouse and The Mask...basically one of the best producers on the market) and vocals from Cee-Lo Green (neo-soul revivalist who was a member of the infamous Goodie Mobb, worked with Outkast, and launched a solo career comprised of 2 off-the-wall soul albums). Really, how could that go wrong?
Well...there was no chance of it going wrong. Not only did their single and their album rip through Britain like a tornado, it's doing about the same thing here (only on a slightly smaller scale). They tour with a full band (string section and all) and dress up differently for every show (Star Wars characters, military outfits, Wizard of Oz, etc.), making their live shows even more entertaining than the album itself (check out some live clips over at www.youtube.com. Type "Gnarls Barkley Live", and you'll find some cool stuff).
But is that really all they're going for? Visual stimulation?
Thankfully, that's not the case. The album itself makes a strong case for Album of the Year. It's as entertaining and creative as just about anything else currently on the market. The music is amazing: an eclectic mix of old-soul sound meets new-school samples...but still, there's a darkness to it. Some songs sound like a soundtrack to your nightmare: "Just a Thought", with its distorted drum loop, backwards cymbals and eerie Spanish guitar is definitely a frontrunner in that category, as is "Necromancer", a song about murder and sex that would be disturbing if it wasn't so stinkin' catchy.
Then there's Cee-Lo's voice, always at the forefront. He definitely has a throwback voice, like Al Green or Marvin Gaye. You can't help but think he'd have been better appreciated if he was singing in the 60s and 70s...but then, if he were, who'd be carrying the torch now? Who'd be at the forefront of this groundbreaking (yet still retro) album? I can't think of anyone at the moment who could do half of what Cee-Lo can do with it.
This album has a bit of everything: toe-tappin' schizo-gospel ("Go-Go Gadget Gospel"), old school Motown ("Smiley Faces"), short, catchy hip-hop songs about furniture arrangements ("Feng Shui"), a quasi-obscure 80s cover ("Gone Daddy Gone"), swamp-soul monster-rock ("The Boogie Monster"), and, last but not least, dancefloor funk ("The Last Time"). There's more, but I've run out of descriptive terms.
All in all, there's not a single down moment on this album, not a single track that should be skipped (unless, of course, the subject matter on a song or two disturbs you, then, by all means, skip). It's upbeat, catchy, and utterly original...a combination that doesn't normally translate into mass publicity, but these guys somehow managed to do it, anyway.
It's the perfect summer album. I can't imagine a better CD to have on while driving with the windows down on a sunny day.
I can't say enough good things about this album, so I suppose I'll end with this: buy buy buy!

Essential Tracks: "Go-Go Gadget Gospel", "Crazy", "Just a Thought"

Favorite Tracks: "Storm Coming", "The Last Time"

Final Rating: 9.2/10

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's amazing how knowledgeable you are when it comes to music! I didn't know 80% of the stuff you wrote in here and I've been listening to this CD for months now! haha! I do enjoy this album, mostly because it's different than anything else I have in my collection. :) And you're right, it's very catchy.

Anonymous said...

Could you review something from Steve Green, please?

Anonymous said...

I wish Cee Lo would hang out with Skee-lo.

He wishes he was a little bit taller. If not a baller.

Unknown said...

He also wishes that he had a girl that looked good...he would call her.

Will said...

Gone Daddy Gone! I'm listening to it right now. Wasn't that the Violent Femmes? I haven't heard that in many moons...