Gnarls Barkley Isn't Terrible!
Let’s face it: most of current pop music has all the allure of dried bird manure. It’s overproduced, formulaic noise, with the rhythm tracks played by machines, and the inspiration provided by corporate market trend watchers.
A label puts it out, promotes it with an elephant budget, then after 72 hours of hype the song is shipped off to the Gap’s programming department, their to enhance the shopping experience of youthful credit card holders.
I wish I didn’t feel that way – it makes me feel old and crotchety. I worry that maybe I’m just like those old fogies who heard the Beatles for the first time and thought, “Oh, what noise these young people listen to!” But I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. I mean, The Pussycat Dolls have about 1.5 billion times less talent than Lennon and McCartney. And that’s not a matter of opinion.
(Minor tangent: can you imagine hearing the Beatles for the first time and going “Oh, what a racket!” I mean, what was wrong with that generation?)
Given my antipathy for curent pop, I’m always relieved when I hear something that isn’t foul dredge. And Gnarls Barkley passes the test. He was the biggest breakout act of 2006, and his tune “Crazy” – stuck in heavy rotation for weeks – was one of the year’s top ten biggest hits.
It’s got a hypnotic little groove and the vocals are pretty cool, aided by a topping of light whipped cream soul singers. The tune isn’t particularly significant – like much of current pop, if you’ve heard the first 30 seconds, you’ve heard the whole song. No surprises, no real build. But in a weak field it stands out clearly. In a nod to ultimate retro hipness, there’s a very light record scratch over the whole thing, as if we’re listening to an old-fashioned vinyl record.
Here’s a clip: