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Underground > Radio & Music >

Gnarls Barkley

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foolish fat finger

20:10 / 22.04.06

I am very interested in this song. it is a curious mixture. the backing music is like a strict 4/4 time, almost a military two-step, whereas the vocal is in a funky soul style, with a lot of swing. this seems to create the 'crazy' feeling of the title- the vocal and backing almost seem like they are trying to get away from each other. also the vocal has a lot of colour, whereas the backing track (at least in the verse) is very repetitive- no drum fills for instance, or musical flourishes.

the other odd thing is that the first chord in the sequence changes from major in the verse, to minor in the chorus. this gives each new verse a warm lift, but makes the chorus, which is the heart of the song, with the lyric 'I think yr crazy' a darker feel. this in itself is unusual in pop music, which often has a 'down' verse followed by an uplifting chorus, off the top of my head, a good example might be "the air that I breathe"

well, those are my thoughts... I haven't really studied the lyrics yet. is anyone else captivated by this song? or maybe u think it is complete cobblers? I am interested...

07:46 / 24.04.06

i guess danger mouse knows what he's doing.

did u have an opportunity to listen to the other tracks on the album? what do you think of the violent femmes cover version?

foolish fat finger

11:31 / 24.04.06

I haven't got the album- actually I didn't know it was out yet. Violent Femmes cover version, that sounds very interesting!
thanks for replyin werwolf, I thought my first ever post was gonna sink like a concrete submarine...

do u think the rest of the album, for u, stands up alongside 'crazy', or is that track a flash in the pan?

07:28 / 25.04.06

album isn't out yet, but there are streams on some websites - and i've heard the album because GB is signed to a label of the rec company i work for. *g*

honestly, i think that 'crazy' stands out from the rest of the album. it is definitely the most... let's call it "commercial" (for lack of a better word). as far as my ears are concerned danger mouse is more experimental (in comparison) with the rest. then again, compared to what he did for GORILLAZ or his 'grey album' some might say that the album is a bit shallow. my personal opinion is that the album, 'st. elsewhere', is one soulful piece of temporary quality hip hop and as such probably one of the most interesting things in that genre to have been released in quite some time. it's not too heady and not too deep, but it definitely isn't run-of-the-mill stuff either.

yeah, they cover "gone daddy gone".
album is going to be released may 19th in my parts (austria) and is going to be released in uk this week if i'm not mistaken.

[ah, don't worry. posts will often be forgotten around here. don't think it's personal, just the way things work around here. sometimes even happens in the middle of a discussion... but all good blokes and blokettes and blox round here.]

16:05 / 25.04.06

I quite like Crazy- I also like the Rorschach inspired video (there are two i believe and the other one is meant to be a bit shit, but i've not seen it?).

I'm currently downloading the album- which came out yesterday in the UK- has it been released in America yet? i'm curious as to how it will go down?

09:06 / 26.04.06

I heard this on heavy repeat on radio 2 and liked it, went to recommend it to people only to discover it's number one in the UK. I'm glad I didn't put it on my compilation now, but I am going to buy the album today- Copey, let's compare notes tomorrow (PS the mix CD is in the post at last!)
I love the bassline especially.

09:44 / 26.04.06

The video is here...

foolish fat finger

22:25 / 26.04.06

thankyou Copey! and thanks for everyone's comments. it certainly is on heavy rotation on R2...

Copey, is that a reference to Saint Julian, the arch-drude, the Copemeister?

damn this site is annoying, cos u can't scroll down to view comments to reply to. am i supposed to remember what I read 60 seconds ago?! gimme a break!

foolish fat finger

22:35 / 26.04.06

wow, that is a good video!

I would post a link to 'girl anachronism' by the Dresden Dolls as a thankyou, but it's not the right thread... it's my ADD playin up again... my favourite Julian Cope quote is from Smash Hits circa 1984- 'I once thought I was a city centre. I could feel the blood flowing around my veins. I thought it was the traffic...'

12:17 / 27.04.06

Bought it, listened, liked it, crazy is the standout tune but the rest is good too. Gnarls Barkly is two guys, Dangermouse and Cee-Lo;
Barkley, a made-up character, is actually a collaboration between US hip-hop producer Brian Burton and singer Thomas Calloway.
...
Crazy by Gnarls Barkely made British pop chart history on Sunday when it became the first song to reach number one based solely on sales of computer downloads, the Official UK Charts Company said.

12:33 / 27.04.06

I'm enjoying it too- not got round to buying it- but on the strength of what i've downloaded, i will.

It reminds me of somekind of middle ground between Outkast and The Go! Team- with a 60's Motown vibe- I agree that Crazy is the stand out track buuut there is a lot more great music on it- it'll almost certainly be one of the soundtracks to the summer this year.

I really like the track Smiley Faces- which has a real northern soul dance club vibe. Good stuff and almost certainly not a one trick pony.

Regrettable Juvenilia

12:39 / 27.04.06

Is that really Cee-Lo singing the vocals on 'Crazy', then? Maybe I can hear it, but I wouldn't have known unless someone had told me... Does he rap on the album at all?

13:00 / 27.04.06

Look at their clockwork orange naughtiness. I'll check the case, but I'm sure it's him.

Haus of Mystery

13:20 / 27.04.06

I'm liking it, but it's all about Cee-Lo's voice IMO. Dude is a one man sonic arsenal. DM's production is nice, but as is so often the case a little too slick. Nice to have a genuine modern soul record to listen to.

But if anyone likes this, and hasn't listened to Cee-Lo's last record then do so immediately.

Regrettable Juvenilia

13:42 / 27.04.06

[God the Music forum needs Moderators. Please go and volunteer, people! I asked to have the following question added to my post above and it still hasn't happened as of the time of this one.]

Does Cee-Lo rap on this album?

14:03 / 27.04.06

He's mostly crooning - but (given i've not heard the whole album yet) the track Transformer (get downloading its pretty good!) has a mish mash of raps and singing.

To hear Smiley Faces go to their myspace page, its the track that i keep going back to- feels kindof holland and dozier meets geno washington.

I'm downloading some Cee-Lo stuff and liking what i'm hearing- but the Gnarles Barkley stuff is certainly a different feel.

16:38 / 27.04.06

I'm being given Dangermouse and Cee-Los previous stuff tomorrow, w00t! and I quite like track 12 Necromancer (if only for the title).

Keith, like a scientist

17:10 / 27.04.06

DM's Ghetto Pop Life is criminally slept on, and it's not slick at all (at least not slick like Danger Doom and Gorillaz). Highly recommended.

17:15 / 27.04.06

I've been trying to find out more about the sample (by the Reverberi brothers Gianfranco and Gianpaulo) but there's not much I can find- it's from 'Last Man Standing' apparently, which is a film by them. Anyone know any more?

(PS Fly, I've requested to mod here, as I'll be here more often)

17:21 / 27.04.06

I've been trying to find out more about the sample (by the Reverberi brothers Gianfranco and Gianpaulo) but there's not much I can find- it's from 'Last Man Standing' apparently, which is a film by them. Anyone know any more?

(PS Fly, I've requested to mod here, as I'll be here more often)

08:06 / 28.04.06

@ Flyboy For Mayor
i can't remember cee-lo ever rapping at all, whether on GOODIE MOB recordings or on the DUNGEON FAMILY record and certainly not on his 2 solo cds. he was always the crooner. maybe sometimes a bit spoken-wordey, but never rap.

'transformer' is one wicked track, true!
what do you guys think of the VIOLENT FEMMES cover? i had very strong and mixed responses so far from media about that track.

Haus of Mystery

09:10 / 28.04.06

Eh? Have you listened to ..The Soul Machine? There's rapping all over it. 'Glockapella' for example is a primo battle rap.

09:34 / 28.04.06

I'm listening to some downloads from 'Cee-Lo Green... is the Soul Machine' right now - it's very, very good, thanks for the recommendation.

Now which one to buy when my wages go into my account tommorrow? Gnarls or Cee-lo or both?

Regrettable Juvenilia

09:47 / 28.04.06

Um, Cee-Lo raps on lots of Goodie Mobb tracks, he's the guy with the really distinctive purring voice. For example, he's the guy who starts his bit on 'Decisions, Decisions' (off the first Soul Assassins album) with "My relentless realism regards represents" (roughly). He also drops a verse as well as singing on Trick Daddy's 'Dro In The Wind'. I heard him and have always liked him as an MC first and foremost.

09:55 / 28.04.06

So what do you think of Gnarles Barkley Flyboy?

Have you heard anything other than Crazy? There isn't much rapping, but its certainly been cheering up my week- its the perfect record to remind you that summer is coming.

Haus of Mystery

10:35 / 28.04.06

I'm a fan for the most part, not sure about the Violent Femmes cover though. It doesn't add anything to the original, which is my major beef with a lot of cover versions. That said it's a nice quirky album, very summery indeed, and joyfully brief. It comes on, does it's thing, and slinks off again with wink.

10:43 / 28.04.06

i'm loving it.
it's such a summer record!
i love his voice especially, but the beats are better than i expected as well.
he does rap a wee bit, but i dont feel any more would have added to this record.

09:10 / 02.05.06

Having owned this album for a weekend- i can say it's pretty good- although It does seem very short and a few songs start blending into one another on repeated listens.

At its best it heads into Sly Stone meets classic Motown territory- There are tracks with rapping on them Feng Shui, Transformer and Necromancer being the three 'rap' based tracks- although to define it as a rap record/ soul record kind of limits it a bit.

I can see a few more hit singles on it- and my insider knowledge has hinted at Smiley Faces being the next single- which IMHO is a good thing.

Its definitely one thats going to play and play through the summer, and will probably be one of the 5 records that everyone owns this year- and thus by the end of the year will be grating and annoying- but for now stick it on the weathers just right for it!

Haus of Mystery

12:39 / 02.05.06

You know what i like? On Just a thought, when he says
"and so i tried, everything but suicide,
and yes its crossed my mind

and then drops in

but I'm fine"

It's just such a nice moment. Really poignant.

17:26 / 02.05.06

Love that track especially, but it would be nice if there were more rap on the album- there's none really. The whole album has great lyrics, great delivery, pity 'Crazy' has been overplayed already, but there you go. My Cee-Lo supplier has gone to the states for a fortnight, bastard, so I await those and dangermouse.

18:10 / 06.05.06

I have to say, I'm surprised Copey's been the only person inthread to compare Gnarls Barkley to Outkast.

I know it's an obvious, reductive comparison, but, hey, they do sound a lot like some of Outkast's output.

Haus of Mystery

20:24 / 06.05.06

Cee-lo was in the Goodie Mob you dunce.

20:47 / 06.05.06

I know you are.

11:26 / 08.05.06

Macready - that's also my favourite moment on the album, Cee-lo really being a soul man, not pretending to be anything he's not. Personally, I don't think there are enough modern soul album's with the inventiveness and energy of St Elswhere, 'Crazy' and 'Smiley Faces' are going to be the anthems of the summer without a doubt. When I went to a rave the other week there was already a drum'n'bass remix of 'Crazy' being dropped again and again, whereas 'Smiley Faces' is so upbeat it doesn't even need a remix to have everyone dancing like their night depended on it. For those three songs at least I can love this album, and its just great summer listening otherwise.

07:08 / 09.05.06

GNARLS BARKLEY <-> OUTKAST - dungeoun family ties.
not surorising they sound (partially) alike.

well, i've got all of CEE-LO's solo stuff and all GOODIE MOB records, but i still wouldn't say that he's rapping anywhere on these. but i guess it depends how one defines 'rap'. nevermind. i guess we all agree that cee-lo's got a very memorable voice and that he knows how to use it in a good way. anybody seen the totp performance of 'crazy'? very nice.

well, i sure hope so that many, many, many people buy the album in austria. #1 in uk is a good start. #1 in austria - now that would make my day.

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