Where do we start here? How about: Who thought this was a good idea? Who decided that we couldn't leave Gnarls Barkley in 2006, where they belong? Gnarls Barkley, the duo of CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse, were an incredibly successful, critically lauded enterprise back then, and I'm sure plenty of people have warm feelings about "Crazy," their huge surprise hit. Since then, though, Green has been accused of some horrific crimes, and he doesn't have anywhere near the intense, widespread goodwill that he once did. But apparently that doesn't matter, and we're about to get a new Gnarls Barkley album.
The context, if you need it: In 2006, CeeLo Green was already widely beloved in rap circles for his time in the great, pioneering Atlanta group Goodie Mob and in the wider Dungeon Family collective. He'd already started to branch out from rap, singing eclectic disco-funk and spouting starchild platitudes on his solo records. Suburban Atlanta native Danger Mouse, meanwhile, was an early internet figure because he made 2004's The Grey Album, a gimmicky and widely praised mash-up of Jay-Z and Beatles records. He parlayed that into producing Gorillaz' Demon Days and into teaming with MF DOOM on the collab The Mouse And The Mask. It made sense for CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse to team up. It might've been exciting, even.
Green and Danger Mouse came together as Gnarls Barkley, a goofy and friendly alt-soul-pop situation. They wore colorful costumes and made approachably psychedelic post-genre music. Critics loved them, and their song "Crazy" became a surprise viral smash, topping charts around the world and reaching #2 in the US. The single went platinum eight times, and the album St. Elsewhere went double platinum. "Crazy" won the 2006 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll in a landslide, and St. Elsewhere came in at #5 on the albums list, between LPs by the Hold Steady and the Arctic Monkeys. Rolling Stone later named "Crazy" the #1 single of the decade.
Gnarls Barkley's 2008 sophomore album The Odd Couple was way less successful, and CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse went onto other things. Green had another #2 hit with his Bruno Mars-written 2010 solo song "Fuck You" and served as one of the first coaches on The Voice. Danger Mouse worked with artists like the Black Keys, U2, Norah Jones, Karen O, Portugal. The Man, and Broken Bells, his duo with the Shins' James Mercer.
CeeLo Green first teased a third Gnarls Barkley album in 2013, a month after being charged with secretly slipping ecstasy into the drink of a woman who later said that she woke up naked in his hotel room with no memory of how she got there. Prosecutors elected not to file sexual assault chages. In 2014, Green pleaded no contest to a felony count of furnishing a controlled substance, and he was sentenced to three years of probation, 360 hours of community service, and 52 AA or NA meetings. Two days after his sentencing, Green tweeted, "People who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!” and “If someone is passed out they’re not even WITH you consciously! so WITH implies consent.” He later apologized, calling the comments “idiotic” and “untrue.” He was almost immediately gone from The Voice, and TBS canceled his reality show The Good Life.
CeeLo Green continued to work after that, recording with artists like Tyler, The Creator, Mac Miller, and Eminem, as well as old Dungeon Family comrades like Big Boi and Killer Mike. Now, he's back with Danger Mouse as Gnarls Barkley, and their third album Atlanta is out next week. According to a press release, Atlanta is also their "final" album. CeeLo Green describes it as "a full circle moment." There's no single or anything, and they haven't announced any live shows.
This is the part of the blog post where I'd normally include more details about the album, some art, the tracklist, a pre-order link, something. I don't feel like doing any of that this time. That information is there for you if you want it. You are free to Google around. You are also free to consider the process that went into this album, the number of people who had to work actively to allow CeeLo his comeback. Atlanta is out 3/6 on 10k Projects/Atlantic.
