{"id":39767,"date":"2006-05-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-05-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/st-elsewhere\/"},"modified":"2006-05-22T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-05-22T00:00:00","slug":"st-elsewhere","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/st-elsewhere\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Elsewhere"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Hey, watch out for that hype! Careful, man! You damn
\nnear knocked it over!<\/p>\n

I’ve kept a close watch on and fed the hype
\nsurrounding one of urban music’s most dynamic duos, Gnarls Barkley,
\nfor some time now; protecting it from the ignorant naysayers and
\nnurturing its promise for close to 30 days now (that’s a long time
\non the rock clock).<\/p>\n

Gnarls Barkley shattered records for single sales in
\nthe UK\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6before it was even available in hard copy at the
\nstores. That’s enough hype to make anyone curious.<\/p>\n

Too bad Danger Mouse of Grey Album and Gorillaz fame
\nand soul mate Cee-Lo of Goodie Mob quasi-fame kind of screwed it up
\nthemselves. Following much ballyhoo, mystery and one of the best
\nsingles of the decade, St. Elsewhere<\/i> is not a terrible
\nrecord, but it isn’t great either. That sucks.<\/p>\n

The super-collaboration of forward-thinking
\nbeat-maker Danger Mouse and retro-reveler Cee-Lo became an
\novernight sensation overseas with the blindside of simple genius
\ncalled “Crazy.”<\/p>\n

It’s never really happened before that an A+ producer
\nchooses to work with an exceptional performer for the long haul of
\n40 minutes. It’s even rarer that a single like “Crazy” plops itself
\ninto the lap of pop consciousness. Seriously, it’s a great
\nsong.<\/p>\n

That’s the pitfall of high anticipation, though. It
\npromises something new, something fresh or progressive, something
\nthat will last forever either in the annals of pop history or the
\nmind of the listener. Then it’s packaged with 10 other tracks that
\nsuck or quasi-suck.<\/p>\n

To be fair, St. Elsewhere<\/i> is a one-off deal
\nfrom its very foundation; there are no aspirations to make Gnarls a
\nlegacy. But, the press attention and proven abilities of the
\nperformers at least mandated a legendary fling that doesn’t expose
\nitself here.<\/p>\n

Energizing opener “Go-Go Gadget Gospel” sticks with
\nthe adept retrological adaptation of “Crazy,” but few other cuts
\ndo. “Smiley Faces” revives the Motown style of R&B that’s been
\nmissing for about 40 years. But, there is a blatant lack of upbeat
\nnumbers like “The Last Time” to buoy snoozers like “The Boogie
\nMonster,” “Feng Shui,” and “Who Cares.”<\/p>\n

I’m all for the darkness, sincerity and beauty in the
\ndepression explorations of “St. Elsewhere” and “Just A Thought,”
\nbut the funky promise of said hit single is lacking elsewhere (pun
\nintended, I guess).<\/p>\n

At its core, it’s a summer record meant to be
\nabsorbed specifically in the summer of 2006, when Gnarls Barkley
\nwill presumably be touring incessantly and closing with “Crazy.”
\nThe Violent Femmes cover “Gone Daddy Gone” adds to the fun and
\nshows these two artists’ affection for eclecticism.<\/p>\n

“Necromancing” is just a disturbing foray into
\ncadaver loving. It may be some kind of statement against date
\ndrugging and raping, but that would be too sociological for this
\nrather introspective record. Quite frankly, beyond its bewildering
\ncontent, it steals from the project as a whole.<\/p>\n

St. Elsewhere<\/i> proves to fall short of greater
\nexpectations, but its freak flag-waving spirit gives it enough
\nappeal to be one of the most interesting (read: different) things
\nyou’ll hear all year. I just expect two geniuses to have a little
\nmore cohesion, and fun, than this.<\/p>\n

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