Gnarls Barkley - ‘St. Elsewhere’
General Description
Artist/Band: Gnarls Barkley
Album Title: St. Elsewhere
Year: 2006
Weird: cause or effect?
How I Got Into This Music
Caught a whiff of the buzz and hype around this band and it’s hit single ‘Crazy’, saw their performance on TV and liked the approach to it all..
Album credits at artistdirect.com || Google Search: Lyrics of St. Elsewhere || Gnarls Barkley at Myspace
Tracks that got my attention:
Go-Go Gadget Gospel
This song is getting better the more I listened to it, but the first coupla times it really got on my nerves. Still not sure if I like it, reminds me a bit of Outkast’s Big Boi beat programming on some ‘Speakerboxxx’ tracks like ‘Church’
Crazy
Tricky one, I really do understand what’s so catchy about the song: the vocals are great (Classic Detroit House style), the lyrics hit the right spot and the mood is excellent. But.. I get a serious Moby vibe from listening to this song
St. Elsewhere
Now this is more like it, wow! There’s this spooky mood with the haunting vocals. And the chorus.. sweet!
Gone Daddy Gone and Smiley Faces
Way too easy.. These tracks are so predictable.. Too bad.
The Boogie Monster
Love the fun factor, it’s the alternative Scooby-Doo TV tune, great stuff! And funny lyrics too..
Feng Shui
This is a very interesting track: a mixup of familiar and trendy rap styles and beats that kinda feels different. Again with the weird lyrics, nice!
Just A Thought
The drum beats can get annoying on this track but the lyrics and the vocals are very good.
Transformer
Waaaaay too much Outkast
Who Cares
I know for sure I’ll be humming this song for a coupla months, love it!
The Last Time
Another great track, the guitar loops are catchy
Conclusion
Tough call.. I disliked it a lot in the beginning but after ten to fifteen times of listening to this album, I’m liking it a bit better. There’re just too many references to stuff by other people to really get a clear idea of what’s been produced here. It’s like they’re trying to be different but are using other people’s tricks to achieve that goal. It sure as hell gets me to play some more Outkast albums.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good album, there’s a lot of heart and Soul put into it. Some tracks are just too mediocre or resemble other people’s work too much (EDIT: read the review at Artistdirect.com - Gorillaz producer Danger Mouse has quite some input on this album). Still, I know I don’t mind listening to it for a short while, it’s very confusing, sorry..
Rating: 
(and I’m being charitable..)
November 5th, 2006 at 8:43 pm
[...] PJ And RoosterThis is truely Outkast: weird, funny, sharp and witty - that’s what Gnarls Barkley tried to copy and still haven’t mastered.. [...]