A more perfect album title could not have been created for Gnarls Barkley?s The Odd Couple ? or the duo, for that matter. Even in my personal wasteland of creativity, it?s difficult to describe the strange combination of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo.
Yet this oddball twosome has created a record that is easily one of this year?s best, despite the fact that 2008 is still young. Not only is there no sophomore slump here, but The Odd Couple is ? dare I say it? ? better than its predecessor, 2006?s St. Elsewhere. It seems quite hard to believe that an album as concise and as close to perfect as this one could be topped, but they accomplish this with The Odd Couple.
Danger Mouse continues his godlike ability to craft pop tunes with a seemingly infinite number of layers. Gnarls is truly one of the few artists left who should be ? no, needs to be ? heard on headphones. Speakers just don?t do these beautiful soundscapes justice.
And, of course, the music is where Gnarls really shines. The bass lines here, the drums there and flourishes of this and that right in the middle make Couple an endlessly engaging listen. Much like St. Elsewhere, a dozen spins won?t fully reveal the complexity of this record, but they do reveal the sheer genius of Danger Mouse. It should come as no surprise to anyone who has heard 2004?s The Grey Album that Mouse has been, is and will be light years ahead of his contemporaries.
But let?s not forget Cee-Lo. His ability to contort his voice to fit both the tempo and style of whatever concoction Mouse creates has only gotten better since St. Elsewhere. On ?Would Be Killer,? his voice slinks in the shadows, clinging to the sludgy bass line, jumping out only to accent a word or phrase here or there.
Also of note are Cee-Lo?s lyrics ? they?re still simplistic, and they?re still brilliant. Take a line from the nihilistic ?Whatever,? for instance: ?I don?t know what else to do/ Said ?fuck me,? well fuck you, too/ I know it sounds real sad but true/ Being alone is nothing new/ But it?s cool.? Cee-Lo speaks like an everyman and has a blast doing it.
?Run? ? and its seizure-inducing, MTV-banned music video ? may be the most fun this duo has ever had. The song is as frantic as the title would suggest: Cee-Lo sounds like he?s about to have a heart attack, and Mouse?s music sprints along a dancing bass line and a keyboard riff that wouldn?t be out of place in a Dirty South rap single.
If you?re looking for progression in their sound, look no further than ?Open Book.? The in-your-face drums and jungle sounds hold your attention, and Cee-Lo, who sounds like he?s trying to shout down a tornado during the chorus, demands it. Gnarls has made one hell of a stepping stone to future records.
Certainly, if anyone were to top Gnarls Barkley in either originality or songwriting, it could only be Gnarls themselves. No other group could possibly best ?Crazy? but the group that created it. It?s hard to even imagine what these guys will do next, but it?ll be exciting. If The Odd Couple proves anything, it?s this: These two guys are the true Dynamic Duo.
4 1/2 stars out of 5
