New (Leaked) Music: Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

Hey, look what leaked all over the internets, the new album from Gnarls Barkley. You remember them, they're the super-producer/mega-singer duo who got the highest score ever on that Hit Formula thing in the New Yorker? Well, they're back, and while their new album is, you know, enjoyable enough, with songs and notes and everything, I'm not sure they'd want to run it through the hit detector again: the score might be pretty disappointing.

The album's touchstone seems to be OutKast's breakthrough 2003 hit "Hey Ya!" whose jungle-like double-time beat propels six of Odd Couple's 13 tracks, including current single "Run," whose strobey video (see below) was apparently sent back for recuts by MTV Europe for being a little too seizure-y. This double-time beat fascinates Danger Mouse, and gave us some of the more awkward tracks on 2006's St. Elsewhere (see "Go Go Gadget Gospel"). It's kind of too bad, because they seem to be much more comfortable when they chill out a little. While the leaked version seems to have some titles wrong, track two, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul," with its shuffly beat and acoustic guitar, has a lush, late-night sound and gives Cee-Lo a little room to breathe, and track 12, "Neighbors," has a cinematic sweep. This may be a more traditional hip-hop sound, but they just do it better.

It's understandable that nothing on here would have the impact of "Crazy," a once-in-a-lifetime song whose wistful strangeness still sounds as hauntingly beautiful as the first day I heard it. But there's also nothing on Odd Couple as hypnotic as "Who Cares" or as compelling as "Simley Faces," St. Elsewhere's next-best tracks, both clever and melancholy reimaginings of classic soul. It's as if they reacted to the success of "Crazy" by refusing to write a song you could even sing along to, and that's too bad.

Gnarls Barkley's The Odd Couple is out for real on Downtown/Atlantic on April 8th.

Gnarls Barkley - "Run" (the epileptics-beware part is towards the end)

Comments

Oh come on! It's not nearly as bad as you make it out to sound. I mean, of course, like you said, they'll never be able to come up with a smash hit like Crazy, but Run is great fun, Blind Mary/Serious Moonlight (whichever it's called) is fun and upbeat, and Going On is probably my current favorite song to listen to right now. And I haven't even had time to sit down and listen to the whole CD too many times.

Posted by: ChrisDavis on 03/06/08 at 2:46 PM Respond

Right, it's not bad, and I could have focused more on the positive, but my point was more that there's no pop flair. Even "Run," fun as it is, isn't sing-along-able. Of course, this was just a first listen, and songs like, er, Tracks 6 and 9 (they both have the wrong titles), with their odd Aphex Twin-like beats, may offer up more sonic pleasures after a few more listens. But I'm pretty sure they won't reveal hidden hit potential.

Posted by: Party Ben on 03/06/08 at 3:05 PM Respond

Agreed. Won't necessarily pull in more fans via airplay like Crazy did, but old fans will probably enjoy the album.

Posted by: ChrisDavis on 03/06/08 at 3:29 PM Respond

What's killing me is the failure to materialize of the rumored confab between Danger Mouse and Black Thought. Makes me drool. This will slake my hunger in the mean time...

Posted by: Tim J. on 03/07/08 at 6:02 PM Respond

First of all I don't mean to hate on anyones opinion but I will anyway. You must be some of the same people who want Andre 3000 to go back to rappin'. Both St. Elsewhere and The Odd Couple are refreshing albums that let us know truley talented artists still exist in this commercial fed industry that loves to put out crap like, Lil Wayne and Pretty Ricky while awsome albums like Bilal Olivers Love for Sale go to the shelf. Every song on the Odd Couple album has meaning and heart unlike most of the self obsorbed ultra lustful genre called R&b. I am so proud of Mr. Cee-Lo Green for saying what he feels rather than give the masses easy pop songs to sell records to thoes who don't have a clue what real music is all about. As far as Danger Mouse goes keep on keepin on love that prodution.

Posted by: Thirsty on 06/30/08 at 2:45 PM Respond