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When it comes right down to it, Gnarls Barkley has no right to be so popular. Do not let the toe-tapping melodies fool you - Cee-Lo (Thomas Callaway) and Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) set their compositions in the darkest corners of the human psyche. Both artists exhibit a rich understanding of music history, which they seamlessly incorporate into their music rather than overtly flaunt.

Eerie and well educated are not exactly recurrent qualities of commercially viable pop. And yet, Gnarls Barkley proves a band still can write something beautiful and edgy and manage to sell albums or, more likely in this case, downloads.

The duo's smash hit, "Crazy," ranks close behind The Sonics' "Psycho" on the list of great singles written about a confession of psychosis. The song soared based on download sales alone and propelled the debut Gnarls album, 2006's St. Elsewhere, to the Billboard Top 5. But it is the duo's latest album, The Odd Couple, that is without a doubt the better, more mature, funkier and more rewarding collection of songs.

Stylistically, nothing on The Odd Couple is a far cry from St. Elsewhere. Cee-Lo's banshee howl still cuts straight to the heart. His midnight hallucinations are the perfect palette for his partner in crime to work with.

At first listen, the level of torment expressed in Cee-Lo's narrative voice almost gets lost under Danger Mouse's pop-perfect coatings. The duo opens strong on "Charity Case," grooving like 21st century "Riders on the Storm." Past the priceless bass line, Ennio Morricone guitars and "oohs and ahs," Cee-Lo expresses worlds of desire and pain, hinted at in the simplest phrases.

"Even my shadow leaves me all alone at night/ Guess I need to start and take my own advice," he sings. The Atlanta rapper has never quite gotten his due as a writer, and The Odd Couple really shows Cee-Lo in full stride. Rather than bring the party down, though, the weight bearing on the singer's shoulders becomes the occasion itself. Salvation and loneliness loom heavily, often in the foreground.

"Going On" and several other album tracks give "Crazy" a run for its money as the catchiest hooks cooked up by Gnarls. However, the album's first single, "Run," a dizzying whirl of laptop-acid rock, feels a little more akin to the previous album. Lyrically, the song makes a natural progression from the self-aware schizoid of "Crazy" to a narrator completely consumed by his fears. The paranoia and fever dreams drip straight into "Would-Be Killer," a much less subtle slice of intoxicating pop.

Occasionally, The Odd Couple pays the price for the risks taken by its two masterminds. The abrasive, crushing "Open Book" feels a bit out of place but refreshingly challenging. Followed by the one complete throwaway item on the album, the altogether obnoxious "Whatever," the songs come dangerously close to a halfway slump.

Great risks yield the best returns, though, and even if Gnarls gets a bit sidetracked, the duo rebounds magnificently. The sequencing is remarkably evenly distributed, perhaps thanks to the incredible variety and imagination on the artists' part. Gnarls started as an iTunes sensation, but its work displays a distinct care for the album as an art form rather than a collection of singles.

Late-round bloomers "Neighbors" and "A Little Better" glimmer with the gusto of the hip-shaking sound of Stax Records. Danger Mouse's delicate application of the faux-vinyl snap crackle pop on both songs is delightfully anachronistic rather than nostalgic. But Danger Mouse is not into a gimmick for gimmick's sake. He recognizes the instant classics for what they are and has framed them as such. On "A Little Better," the grand finale, Cee-Lo spins off one cryptic couplet after another.

With a slight acknowledgment to the previous 12 songs, Cee-Lo sings, "It's probably plain to see/ That I've got a whole lot of pain in me/ And it will always remain in me." But he feels better, just a little better.

It is precisely this tonal mix of darkness and optimism, confession and freak-out that makes Gnarls such an increasingly odd and intriguing outfit. The fact that Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse have managed to achieve stardom without sacrificing artistry is just the icing on the cake. The Odd Couple thrives in its imperfection, revels in contradictions and bathes in the shadowy side of human nature. Demons be damned, this record has got soul.

zherrm@umd.edu

RATING: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

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