 | | |
| The Odd Couple | 
 enlarge | Artist: Gnarls Barkley
Label: Atlantic
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $6.74
You Save: $12.24 (64%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $6.52
Avg. Customer Rating:  (61 reviews)
Sales Rank: 209
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 460236
UPC: 075678994692
EAN: 0075678994692
ASIN: B0013H8QEG
Release Date: March 21, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Love it April 10, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Love the new album. I was a fan of a few of the singles from the first album. On their sophomore effort, Gnarls Barkley has fully accomplished consistency. The entire project sounds like it was meant to go together. The tracks just flow together so fluidly, and they all feel like part of the same family.
Would recommend highly if you like that mid-tempo, funk infused vibe.
 Dissapointed After High Expectations April 9, 2008
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
Amidst a few standouts (neighbor, run), this album really let me down. I was hoping for too much i guess. It just doesn't seem to go anywhere. The down-tempo ones are boring and the up-tempo stuff isn't catchy enough. You can't understand Gnarls on most songs, there's no lyrics inside the booklet, the hi-hat sounds lifeless in most loops, and where are the melodies? St. Elsewhere felt like he was on the brink of a dramatic shifting of the musical landscape, The Odd Couple feels like he forgot what he had going for him...
Shockingly Good! April 8, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Their first LP seemed half baked, but this is an entirely different and better affair. Picking up where "Crazy" and "The Boogie Monster" left off, but moving boldly forward, Danger Mouse has fully blossomed into a really dope producer and Cee-lo's pipes have matured, resulting in a funky urban diary latered with grimy retro influenced hooks and samples. This record truly surprised me and is a masterpiece of sorts. Check out the 60's shag of "whatever" and the awesome futu-retro soul of "A little Better" with Cee-Lo's awesome vocal stylings.
Best of 2008 So Far, But Less Than I Expected April 6, 2008
From their collaboration on the song "Benzi Box" from the Danger Doom album, it was easy to see that Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo had incredible potential. In their first album, "St. Elsewhere", they took the world by storm with "Crazy", winning Best Song of the Year in 2006, and the world has been eagerly awaiting their second album.
Well, it's here now, and it's as amazing as could be expected. It doesn't blow "St. Elsewhere" out of the water by any means; it's easily apparent it wasn't meant to. "The Odd Couple" is a step in a different direction, with a more relaxed approach. Instead of the constant, break-neck tempo of their first album (although it's certainly still present in the single "Run") they've opted to go with a more natural sound. This could prove to be a wise move, as it makes it harder to think of Gnarls Barkley as part of a single genre. Despite the varied styles of their debut, it had an indisputable high-gloss polish that would lead some to label them as 'pop'.
The new sound is composed mainly of bass, hand clapping, and backup vocals, giving it a sound that many would describe as nostalgic. The good news is that it's still fresh, and I guarantee you haven't heard anything even remotely like it in years.
Unfortunately, although this is a great album and probably will prove to be the best of 2008, there doesn't seem to be a candidate for Best Song on "Odd Couple". However, the songs "Going On", "Run", and "Surprise" should be enough to satisfy fans. I also enjoy "Blind Mary", "Charity Case", and "Who's Gonna Save My Soul".
Overall, I would give this album a well deserved 5 stars, although no song stands out like "Crazy", the whole provides more than enough to go around. Watch and see as this album proves to be the best of 2008!
Barls Gnarkley April 5, 2008
4 out of 10 found this review helpful
I don't like the term "sophomore slump." I feel like a lot of bands that experience this either only have one good album in `em or are victims of unwarranted high expectations. We won't call Gnarls Barkley's new record "The Odd Couple" a sophomore slump, then, in the hopes that they can again reach the greatness of "St. Elsewhere." Their new album, "The Odd Couple," suffers from the black plague of pop music: mediocrity.
Gnarls Barkley was (is?) by no means a mediocre band. Their explosive pop single "Crazy" is the best song of the post-millenium decade, and will likely remain so. Their debut album is a wild romp through psychedelic soul, hip hop, punk, electronica, you name it. They are pioneers of this strange new breed of pop music that is seeping out of the ashes of the digital wreckage like a post-apocalyptic super-species. But this is not why their first record was good. It may be why the band appeals to such a broad audience, but it is not why the album is good. "St. Elsewhere" is good because it has good songs. The title track and others were like nothing you'd ever heard before. They were crafty, catchy, and fun, yet could be heavy and heartfelt. Pop music with substance was a breath of fresh air. Cee-Lo is a great singer and lyricist, and Danger Mouse's personality is equally present in beat form.
"The Odd Couple" continues the tradition of the first album, showcasing the band's melting pot of style. It just doesn't have as good songs. Not bad, either. Just kind of insignificant and, what was that word?... mediocre. There are no alarms or surprises on this record. It's too heavy on preach and too low on sweets. It lacks the craftiness and hooks and instead spotlights Cee-Lo's lessons on how much more spiritually enlightened he is than you.
Even the title of the album was kind of disappointing. Gnarls Barkley is known for their appropriation of other duos in pop culture, dressing up like "Doc" and "Marty McFly" from the "Back to the Future" series, or like characters from "Napoleon Dynamite" or "Star Wars." It's certainly fun, but for the title of their second and much-anticipated album, it's just too obvious, too easy. It's as if not much thought was put into it, and the lackluster hooks support this. Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo are certainly an odd couple, but come on, tell me something I don't know.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| | |