“Smiley Faces” – Gnarls Barkley
(Words/music: Brian Burton & Thomas Callaway, available on St. Elsewhere, Atlantic 2006)

In 1976, David Bowie affectionately referred to his Young Americans album as “plastic soul.”  It seems that Bowie used the term (originally used as a critique of Mick Jagger singing soul music) somewhat tongue-in-cheek, yet it seems an apt description.  If soul often centers itself on the groove, Bowie took it as something pliable.  His take stretches parts and bends other to his liking, creating a weirder version of the genre.

Regardless, I wouldn’t call Gnarls Barkley “plastic soul,” but rather “cartoon soul.”  It seems almost too obvious of a label with Danger Mouse getting his name from a cartoon, the series of costumes the band wore during promo appearances, and the general Technicolor quality to the band’s albums and videos.  Rather, I’m drawn to the larger-than-life qualities of cartoons and the abundance of wonder and imagination.  Even “Smiley Faces,” one of the tracks on St. Elsewhere that isn’t crammed to the brim musically, feels elastic.  Where some songs use a “walking” bassline, this one feels like the way a cartoon character struts down the street with long, bouncing strides.  Cee-Lo’s voice fits this type of track perfectly, as he’s able to manipulate his voice without sacrificing its power or soul.  For example, he can hold a note and bend it to his liking.  It’s not that these notes feel unnatural nor is Cee-Lo the only vocalist with this skill.  In this setting, it feels like a cartoon character fluidly shifting forms.  His voice has the same freedom to move unconventionally rather than stay tied down to genre conventions.  Even if the end result sounds like a snappy, soul-inspired piece of rock music, parts of it make it feel like it’s hand drawn, inked-over, and colored in to achieve something brighter and snappier than average.

More on Gnarls Barkley: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm