Who is Gnarls Barkley, and how did he ascend to the top of the British charts with a song that brings an eerie clarity to the cloud of mental illness? (Hint: It wasn't just the fact that Britain began factoring download data into its chart equations.) If St. Elsewhere sounds like one of the best ap-based pop productions since the second Gorillaz album, then look no further than the common link, producer Danger Mouse. And if the vocal performances are twisted with the type of unbalanced wisdom not seen in pop music since Sly Stone (or at least OutKast), credit Cee-Lo Green, the former Goodie Mob seer/sage/freak. A pop album straight through, St. Elsewhere is as good as Danger Mouse's two earlier landmarks (Gorillaz's Demon Days and Danger Doom's The Mouse and the Mask), but not because of any inherent similarities in the three records. The reasons for greatness here include DM's uncommon facility for writing (or sampling) simple hooks that stick, his creation of productions that entertain but don't detract from the main action, and his ability to coax a parade of enticing vocal performances from Green. The hit "Crazy" and the title track are perfect examples. Over detached backings, Green croons, growls, scats, and generally delivers fine /p>
eo-soul vocals while Danger Mouse blankets the tracks with choruses of disembodied harmonies and a well-placed string section or crackling organ to conjure an appropriately minor chord atmosphere. The focus on instability doesn't end there -- paranoia, suicidal tendencies, and multiple personalities are all in the cards, and there's also "Necromancer": "She was cool when I met her, but I think I like her better dead." Then, just to make sure listeners understand this is a concept album and not a message from a mind playing tricks on itself, they drop "The Boogie Monster" (although even the lyrics here can give pause: "I used to wonder why he looked familiar, and then I realized it was a mirror"). With the help of Danger Mouse's platinum ear and intricate vocal productions, Green is revealed as a top-notch post-millennial soul singer. Even when he's floating another mass of wise, serene gibberish, DM simply drops another production trick to keep things tight. Much like DJ Shadow's Private Press, Danger Mouse relies on samples from the downcast end of obscure '60s pop -- prog, psych, and Italian soundtrack music (his most valuable lieutenant here, Daniele Luppi, has the requisite Italian connection). Although Gnarls Barkley topping the charts was a slight fluke, the excellence of St. Elsewhere could have been seen coming a mile away.
Isn't it funny how you have a CD for a while and never really listen to it....I was picking some company up from LAX and was looking thru my musical selection in my ride, realizing not everyone gets my musical tastes. So, I saw that Gnarls CD that a friend of a friend who works for a big music company in Hollywood, burned for me before it came out. I thru it in....and kept rewinding......It i...
More >
Collage songs and chimerical music; I've always loved 'em (which is why I also make 'em.) Like poetry, it is a powerful way of combining a multitude of things; emotions, eras, information, cultures, even architectural spaces (because different songs were recorded in different 'rooms') in a very, very condensed way.I remember hearing "The Wheels of Steel" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Fiv...
More >
So I have been browsing around reading a lot of hip hop posts tonight. A lot of them have to deal with old school hip hop, so needless to say I am in a state of bliss. I went out looking for something to add to the jam, and found this. Its a mash up, and one of which I find rather good. Take Gnarls Barkley, add a little Beastie Boys and you have a song that you can listen to again. Enjoy.
More >
So, I've been working since 3 a.m. this morning on the redevelopment of www.taximag.co.uk, which is 12 hours and 45 minutes. I'm very tired. As well as the redesign of the site, I've also had shed loads of reviews to catch up on. I somehow lost my work ethic over the last few weeks, but, like a piece of over-stretched elastic, it pinged back with a vengeance this morning. And so, on to the revi...
More >
It's the weirdest thing...I first heard of Gnarls Barkely months ago when they did that performance dressed up in Star Wars costumes. "Ok," I thought, "geeky is cool." But I listened to a few tracks, and wasn't blown away. So I just forgot about them and just politely nodded whenever somebody started talking excitedly about them to me.Today, I randomly clicked on "Gone Daddy Gone":http://www...
More >
Bill Maher's new movie is about to hit theaters with a pretty fab soundtrack, featuring Gnarls Barkley, CCR, Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, Ben Folds and more. 1. Travelin' Band (Creedence Clearwater Revival)2. The Birds And The Bees (Jewel Akens)3. I Ain't Superstitious (The Jeff Beck Group)4. Wooly Bully (Sam The Sham & The Parohs)5. Almaredemptoris Mater (Voices Of Ascension)6. Jesusland (Ben Fo...
More >
I love my local library. Yea, I said it, what? I have been able to hear so much music & seen movies through them it's RIDICULOUS! I've been so surprised at what I've been able to find.So yesterday when I was there returning dvds I decided to check out the cds & much to my surprise, I found Gnarls Barkley's "St. Elsewhere" in the stacks so I brought it home. I started listening to it late this a...
More >
So I have been browsing around reading a lot of hip hop posts tonight. A lot of them have to deal with old school hip hop, so needless to say I am in a state of bliss. I went out looking for something to add to the jam, and found this. Its a mash up, and one of which I find rather good. Take Gnarls Barkley, add a little Beastie Boys and you have a song that you can listen to again. Enjoy.
More >
I just had to post this! Brilliant!Here is a blurb about the video:__"This video is an experiment to see how rapidly the theremin can be injected into the world's collective consciousness. It's amazing that not everyone knows what a theremin is. It was the first electronic musical instrument and it was invented in 1919. Are Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse from Gnarls Barkley really theremin players? Th...
More >
I now have 3 different covers of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. The Kooks, Ray Lamontagne, and Nelly Furtado. You can blame this on Kami right here on mog. I downloaded one of her podcasts (#18) and found two of those there. I didn't like the original until I heard the covers. The covers stripped it down a bit and I realized what a beautiful song it was so I went back and bought the original.Thi...
More >
http://www.rollingstone.com/listenJust sharing. FYI.
More >
http://www.rollingstone.com/listenJust sharing. FYI.
More >
Last week I thought Muse's "Knights of Cydonia" was the best music video in the history of ever. Now it's at #2 behind this thing, the "Zelig" of 20th Century Pop:God bless Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse for putting Dennis Hopper and Dean Stockwell together for the first time since, what, "Blue Velvet" 20 years ago? I'd say that's worth a round of Pabst Blue Ribbon and some Candy-Colored Clown action!
More >
"View here":http://clip.break.com/dnet/media/content/gnarlskid.wmvAs seen on Break.comNow, the people who watch this fall squarely into two camps:The first freak out over how dorky the kid looks.The second quietly thanks God that no one's caught them doing the same thing.(And it probably looks ten times worse when I'm groovin' with the headphones on.)
More >
I think the world is coming to an end. Weather's fucked up and schizo here. Jailbait Vanessa Hudgens is showin the Mickey Mouse Club her goodies. Amy Winehouse says yes, yes, yes to rehab.And now, Gnarls Barkley think they can release an album this year. With a single bigger than "Crazy"??? Call me, uh, nuts, but I don't see it. These guys have mad skills in front of and behind the boards, but ...
More >
Collage songs and chimerical music; I've always loved 'em (which is why I also make 'em.) Like poetry, it is a powerful way of combining a multitude of things; emotions, eras, information, cultures, even architectural spaces (because different songs were recorded in different 'rooms') in a very, very condensed way.I remember hearing "The Wheels of Steel" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Fiv...
More >
Best song to listen to while driving to meet your friends for a night of drinking and general loudness:Yes, we were the loud table. In several different bars on Beale. Thank god one of my friends chose to stuff some money in my cleavage, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get my car out of the garage at the end of the evening.
More >
Given that the live-action Transformers movie is now out (and that I plan to see it this afternoon), I think it's the perfect time to share this video.It's one (of many) fan-made videos which pairs Gnarls Barkley's "Transformer" with clips from the original Transofmers cartoon. I picked this one because of the funny text effects. This seemed like a no-brainer to put on the soundtrack to the n...
More >
Isn't it funny how you have a CD for a while and never really listen to it....I was picking some company up from LAX and was looking thru my musical selection in my ride, realizing not everyone gets my musical tastes. So, I saw that Gnarls CD that a friend of a friend who works for a big music company in Hollywood, burned for me before it came out. I thru it in....and kept rewinding......It i...
More >
so when i first heard the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy" i LOVED it. then i heard it few more hundred, thousand times because everyonce else was listening it too. now i can't listen to that song, at all. what i have been able to enjoy though, is the attention the song has had from other artists. the covers of this song have ended up being far more enjoyable and interesting than the original, i...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Go-Go Gadget Gospel |
|
|
| 2 Crazy |
|
|
| 3 St. Elsewhere |
|
|
| 4 Gone Daddy Gone |
|
|
| 5 Smiley Faces |
|
|
| 6 The Boogie Monster |
|
|
| 7 Feng Shui |
|
|
| 8 Just a Thought |
|
|
| 9 Transformer |
|
|
| 10 Who Cares? |
|
|
| 11 Online |
|
|
| 12 Necromancer |
|
|
| 13 Storm Coming |
|
|
| 14 The Last Time |
|
|
Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "St. Elsewhere")
