"I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind • There was something so pleasant about that place •• Even your emotions have an echo in so much space..."

Those words (and many others) have been floating around in my head for the past two days ever since I picked up Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere. I have to say, I'm digging the album, and the first single "Crazy" which I quoted above is definitely my jam right now.

Gnarls Barkley is, interestingly enough, a collaboration between DJ/producer Danger Mouse and rapper/singer Cee-Lo. Danger Mouse, as I referenced in yesterday's post, made a name for himself by mixing an acapella version of Jay-Z's The Black Album with beats he crafted from samples of The Beatles' White Album to create The Grey Album. He also produced The Gorillaz 2005 Demon Days, an album which I also enjoyed. Cee-Lo was an original member of the Atlanta-based rap group Goodie Mobb but has been solo since leaving the group in 2002.

The album definitely has an good vibe to it. Danger Mouse's production is top notch, providing complicated and interesting rhythms on each track. Surprisingly enough (at least to me), Cee-Lo mostly sings on St. Elsewhere, rapping only once or twice on the disc. A little peek into his bio reveals that he has actually appeared numerous times in other collaborations as a featured singing vocalist (you learn something new every day, I guess). The album might best be described as neo-soul, harkening back in a way to the glory days of motown in the sound of some of the tracks. It's a relatively short album as well, with only one of the 14 tracks weighing in over 3:30 and most under three minutes (which is an observation, not a criticism). For me, it represents one of the best things about hip-hop: the freedom to try new and different things (while at the same time echoing its roots).

If you're curious I'm sure you can find some samples on iTunes or whatever the kids are using these days to sate their need to consume music. I would be remiss, however, if I didn't point you toward their performance on the MTV Movie awards (as introduced by Sacha Baron Cohen as "Borat") where Danger Mouse, Cee-Lo, and a live band appear dressed as characters from Star Wars (Cee-Lo fittingly as Darth Vader). Seeing Stormtroopers on guitar, Boba Fett at keyboard, Imperial officers on strings, and Chewbacca on drums, together playing a hip-hop track, was almost too much for me. I'm not ashamed to admit I may have experienced a nerdgasm.