Gnarls Barkley

The Odd Couple (Downtown/Atlantic)

The Summer of Love chorus ringing in “Surprise” has no bearing on the truth at hand: This Odd Couple is from the future, even if Gnarls Barkley’s second LP comes littered with shades of the past. Evoking Nina Simone’s “Four Women” tremble, Cee-Lo Green haunts the reverb-twinge of “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul,” confessing, “I got some bad news this morning, which in turn made my day.” The Goodie Mob veteran keeps pace with his ganglier counterpart, “Run (I’m a Natural Disaster),” getting his freak on as a “Would Be Killer” over the loaded-up muscle lifted in Danger Mouse’s gym, the site of some innovative work. “She Knows” dances Haight-Ashbury atop modern drum machines. The hollow acoustic strum of “No Time Soon” leads seamlessly into laser shots and timely static. Take note, modern time dwellers: This future looks “A Little Better” than expected. (6:30pm, AT&T stage.)

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This article appears in September 26 • 2008.

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