The Odd Couple - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk
With its cinematic origins The Odd Couple is the natural title for the second album by a pair who seem to spend as much time in wardrobe as the studio and whose recordings are often compared to film scores. Their greatest hit, 2006's "Crazy" was even built around a chunk of a spaghetti western soundtrack. Yet after the success of 2006's excellent St Elsewhere, the collaboration of singer Thomas "Cee-Lo Green" Callaway and producer Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton has become a permanent institution. The Odd Couple certainly lives up to expectations, and though there is no obvious smash to match "Crazy", it's a smoother affair than their often hyperactive debut, the unsettling "Open Book" aside. Highlights include the excellent, agitated lead-off single "Run", a smart slice of off kilter pop-soul, and its most obvious successor, the instant classic "Surprise". "Going On" manages to weld an eighties pomp-pop introduction to a surprisingly vulnerable Cee-Lo performance while the plaintive, bluesy "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" catches him at his most soulful. "Whatever" is a cute, rather bratty sixties pastiche halfway to Britpop (though no Englishman ever used the expression "y'all") while the warped bubblegum pop of "Blind Mary" and the more traditionally ominous "Would Be Killer" are opposite sides of the same twisted coin. Informed by rap and dance, but occupying their own unique genre, Gnarls Barkley continue to soundtrack the movie that, so far, exists only in their heads. --Steve Jelbert

Amazon.com
Following the worldwide, unparalleled critical acclaim for 2006's St. Elsewhere and their record breaking hit "Crazy," Gnarls Barkley is set to release their sophomore album this April. Titled, The Odd Couple, the album features 13 tracks of new material from Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green. The first single, "Run" has been met with rave reviews, and The Odd Couple is without question one of the most anticipated releases of 2008.

Album Description
Japanese pressing of the dynamic duo's 2008 album including three bonus tracks plus an enhanced video for 'Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)'. The Odd Couple explores the forbidden underworld of popular music and human psychology, starting at the intersection of pulsating hooks and pure emotion. This album takes the playful creativity that distinguished the duo's debut , St. Elsewhere and expands the energy, the soul and the psychological complexity. It establishes Gnarls as a pivotal act of the 21st Century. 17 tracks. Warner.

Customer Reviews: Read 59 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Even Better Than St. Elsewhere March 19, 2008
26 out of 28 found this review helpful

"I got some bad news this morning
Which in turn made my day..."

If you've seen the video for "Run (I'm A Natural Disaster)," the first single from Atlanta based Gnarls Barkley's second LP, The Odd Couple, you'll get a sense of the juxapositions that run through the rest of the densely layered, emotionally complex album: 60's and 70's pop and soul bumping up against modern hip-hip and electronica; breezy, upbeat sounding music over dark, even menacing sounding lyrics and vocals. If the result is occasionally disorienting, it's also almost unfailingly intoxicating and just plain fun to hear. Even though the strongest material is weighted towards the first half, The Odd Couple is head and shoulders a better album than St. Elsewhere, and that album wasn't too shabby. Here's hoping that Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse, the two talented musicians behind Gnarls Barkley, are just beginning to build a body of work for their band. Standout cuts: "Charity Case," "Going On," "Run [I'm A Natural Disaster]" and "Surprise."

5 out of 5 stars

No sophomore slump here March 20, 2008
25 out of 28 found this review helpful

If you didn't like the last album, there isn't much here that will change your mind. If you *did* like it -- The Odd Couple is even better. The first five tracks, in fact, are so good that the middle suffers, but only by comparison. For any other artist of this kind, even the weakest material on The Odd Couple would be a welcome addition.

And that's the other thing -- these guys don't really sound like anybody else. If you pinned me down, I'd say it's like Beck, The Gorillaz, and DJ Shadow got together in their prime to make an album. But instead of needing three bands to catalyze that sound, Gnarls Barkley only needs two people. These are some extremely talented guys.

5 out of 5 stars

Best of 2008: Soul Meets Beats With Gnarls Barkley Again March 23, 2008
22 out of 27 found this review helpful

After their amazing St. Elsewhere back in 06, Gnarls Barkley came back with an AMAZING album that consolidates them within a space where Cee-Lo's soulful voice blends in perfectly with the loops and beats of DJ Danger Mouse.

Demanding fans who learned to love the unbelievable work in songs such as the now-classic "Crazy" will not be disappointed: the appropriately titled "The Odd Couple" has a slight emphasis on the power of Cee Lo's vocal floating in a space full of 60's nostalgia with the unmistakable touch of Danger Mouse's work crafting the perfect balance with a sound that has earned them a permanent spot among the most creative acts around these days.

This album is my first choice to the list of Best Music of 2008.

5 out of 5 stars

A perfect couple! March 25, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

Gnarls Barkley return with their aptly titled sophomore album "The odd couple", delivering more of the same stuff that was on their smash hit Grammy winning platinum debut.

It is filled with the same kooky, psychedelic funk/pop, with lyrics touching on paranoia, mental anguish, and other dark aspects of human nature. While it may not contain another "Crazy", all 13 tracks are brilliant, from opening, sunny "Charity case" (with brief bursts of lovely harmonies), to the morose piano tinkled lament "Who's gonna save my soul".

"Going on" starts off deceptively almost country-ish, before morphing into an uptempo clap-fest with eerie harmonies against an organ back drop. Lead-off single "Run" is a sunny retro sounding song (a bit like Outkast's "Hey ya") featuring Cee-Lo wailing "Run children, run for your life" with chilling urgency.

Returning to sombre is the atmospheric "Would be killer". Starting with bird sounds is "Open book" before disjointed drums and swirling strings sweep in. Next is the psychedelic Beatles-esque "Whatever", the surf rock/dub feel of "Surprise", the atmospheric "No time soon" with skittery beats, the lo-fi sounding "She knows", and the Motown sounding "blind Mary".

The chilled trip hop "Neighbour" deals with an envious neighbour, while closing cut "A little better" is a brooding Blues-ey song dealing with mental anguish, but with a hopeful outlook (I love the echoing ending).

Each of the 13 tracks averages at about 3 minutes, and so cut right to the chase. For those who loved "St. Elsewhere" (and not just the "Crazy" single), you will love this. A fitting follow up.

5 out of 5 stars

Better than "St. Elsewhere"? April 18, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I've been living with this CD for about a fortnight now and while I absolutely love it, while I strongly believe that Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green are one of the most innovative and exciting duos in music right now, and while this album offers much of what I was hoping for - fresh, modern music, soulful vocals set to solid beats, and deep, introspective lyrics - I found that it took a little longer than St. Elsewhere to get into. Nothing jumped out and grabbing me by the b**s like a handful of the tunes on "St. Elsewhere" did and I initially struggled to see how some reviewers could consider this the better album.

But, slowly and eventually it came to me, much like a celestial revelation. The more I listened, the more I got it. This album is absolutely incredible. Take songs like "Charity Case" (love the backing vocals by Sierra Simone) and "Who's Gonna Save My Soul", (rumoured to be the second single; Cee-Lo definitely has one of the most soulful voices around at the moment and just check out the opening lyrics: "I got some bad news this mornin'/ Which in turn made my day/ When this someone spoke, I listened/ All of a sudden had less and less to say"). Once I REALLY started to listen, both made me think, ah, yes, this is just like old times! This is what Gnarls Barkley are all about!

Then there's the incredibly danceable "Going On", the manic lead single, "Run (I'm A Natural Disaster)" and to be honest, so it goes right up to the final track, "A Little Better". I do have favourites though: All of the aforementioned, "Whatever", the western-styled "Surprise", "Blind Mary" (another strong contender for a single, methinks) and "Neighbors". That's more or less every song on the CD.

So the answer is yes. In my opinion, and without any doubt, this IS a much better product than "St Elsewhere". What I'm not so sure about is whether it will have the same mass appeal. This one requires a bit more thought and most people just don't have the patience these days.

I'm just saying.

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