Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
GRADE: B+
As the “pop” world reaches out its arms to Cee Lo Green and Danger Mouse, they instinctively pull back. If St. Elsewhere was their Frankenstein’s monster, then The Odd Couple is it’s terrifying killing spree.
St. Elsewhere was an album of twisted paranoia and doom disguised in the Trojan horse of an experimental party album. The Odd Couple, on the other hand, is dark, gloomy and intentionally against the grain. Green sums it up best when he professes “It’s probably plain to see/ I got a whole lot of pain in me” on the the somber closing track “A Little Better.”
As always, Danger’s production is layered, dense, outside the box and downright brilliant. Meanwhile, Green’s infectious falsetto is stellar (and just a little bit scary). “Would Be Killer” and “Neighbors” are perfect examples of the eerie soundscapes that have made these guys the most talked about genre busters since Run DMC.
Unfortunately, Gnarls Barkley’s greatest attribute is also their biggest detriment. That anti-pop, this-ain’t-for-everyone, free flying style is a double edged sword. Sometimes triumphant and sometimes confusing, The Odd Couple will likely go down in history as a classic for die hard fans and as a memorable experiment to everyone else.
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Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 at 8:32 pm under
