Danger Mouse, the beat maker/wizard behind the Gorillaz’s sonic adventure Feel Good, Inc. (that’s a full resume in and of itself), is less a producer and more a conductor.
He’s got the skills to summon a 60-piece orchestra – or something that sounds damn close to it – with a flick of his wrist and the turn of a dial. His command over said electronica symphony features such precision it would make Riccardo Muti (he’s a famous conductor – I Googled it) green with envy.
In short, other one-trick producers (cough – Lil Jon) sound like Bar Mitzvah DJs next to Danger Mouse.
So what’s the best way to follow up a Grammy nomination and the frat boy-friendly Grey Album (a flawless, flashy fusion of The Beatles and Jay-Z, for those of you 1,000 miles outside the loop)? How ’bout with the best album of his career.
Don’t be fooled by the name – Gnarls Barkley is simply a killer collaboration between Danger Mouse (real name: Brian Burton) and Cee-Lo, trumpet-voiced crooner/rapper and Goodie Mob alum.
St. Elsewhere, the pair’s debut album, is a genre-bending marriage of at least four different musical styles. Put it this way: If it were a Facebook relationship, it would read, “It’s complicated with: Frenetic techno, ’80s synthesizer rock, beefy soul and the funkiest of funky hip-hop.”
The album’s standout track (and current chart-topping single in the U.K.), “Crazy,” features a rather restrained but unbelievably catchy Danger Mouse beat coupled with Cee-Lo’s showcase soul pipes and trippy lyrics – “Even your emotions have an echo, and so much space.” It’s the kind of radio-friendly toe-tapper that’ll no doubt get lodged in your cerebellum, but unlike the Pussycat Dolls’ “Don’t Cha” or the Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps,” you won’t hate yourself for it in the morning.
“Crazy” serves as the album’s middle ground. From here we go north, into the land of frantic carnival ride concoctions such as “Storm Coming” and “Go-Go Gadget Gospel.” The names say it all, don’t they?
And then it’s south into the groovy, introspective jams – “Necromancing” and the title track, “St. Elsewhere.” Here we find vintage Cee-Lo and his ability to tweak his voice in a manner reminiscent of a cat burglar concealing his fingerprints.
Extra praise goes to “Just a Thought” and “Smiley Faces.” The former is the album’s most ambitious song, Danger’s busiest-sounding production. The latter is a nifty little pop/rock ditty and presumably the disc’s second single.
Even the duo’s cover of Violent Femmes track “Gone Daddy Gone” impresses. It mostly remains true to the original, but the duo finds clever means of inserting its own signature style and swagger.
At just under 40 minutes, St. Elsewhere may be a bit petite, but for an album without an ounce of filler, you needn’t look elsewhere.
– By Patrick Gavin
