Psychedelic ‘60s soul on speed would be a decent way of describing some the sounds created on ‘The Odd Couple.’

More and more these days, it seems as though the album release date has lost its credibility. Albums are pushed back weeks, months, and sometimes years (“Chinese Democracy”) from their scheduled release dates, for reasons known only to the artists and their labels.

Rarely, if ever, do we see the release of an album prior to the intended date, as is the case of Gnarls Barkley’s latest effort, “The Odd Couple.”

Originally scheduled for release on April 8, the group defied record industry logic, issuing a press release on St. Paddy’s Day announcing the early release of “The Odd Couple,” which would be available on iTunes the following day. The press release stated, “With the shifting seasons, furtive romantic entanglements and fierce college basketball rivalries, the latter half of March can be confusing. People need to be soothed and inspired now.”

It would appear on the surface that the Gnarls were attempting to duplicate the recent successes of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails with their unorthodox album releases. The reality is, however, that the record company was doing damage control by releasing the album early. It was a way of salvaging any potential sales that haven’t been lost to internet leaks.

It seems as though it may have been too little too late for “The Odd Couple,” which was already available online in its entirety as early as late February. Piracy is likely to be the main culprit behind the albums weak #18 debut of on the Billboard charts, selling a meager 30,009 copies in its first week.

Hardly the same level of success achieved by their platinum selling 2006 debut “St. Elsewhere,” with its tidal wave of a single “Crazy,” that took the world by storm and catapulted the genre-bending duo into superstardom. “The Odd Couple” doesn’t attempt to recreate the same sound, or live up to the hype of their first outing, nor is it a sophomore slump as record sales would lead you to believe.

Schizophrenic may be the best adjective to describe the identity of this album, as two separate personalities seem to clash throughout. Danger Mouse incorporates his funky ‘60s soul grooves with poppy hip-hop beats to create an “American Bandstand” on acid vibe, while the tortured soul that is Cee-Lo Green croons away his sorrows and insecurities over darker more haunting melodies.

Psychedelic ‘60s soul on speed would be a decent way of describing some the sounds created on “The Odd Couple.” This couldn’t be more apparent than on the video for their first single “Run.”

Featuring a jheri-curled Justin Timberlake as the host of the ‘80s themed dance show called “City Vibin,’” the video had to be sent back to the editing room just days before its release because it contained possible seizure inducing strobe effects. This video shouldn’t be watched without a wooden spoon as you can imagine it’s basically a super intense three-minute “freak out” session.

Aside from “Run,” the rest of the album stands tall. There are several candidates for future singles, including “Neighbors,” which offers a vicarious look into other people’s lives, and “Charity Case” the albums first track containing an infectious bass line with a healthy dose of handclaps setting the tone into that ‘60s groove.

“The Odd Couple” is a piece of music coated in several layers of understanding, and isn’t fully appreciated until a number of listens reveal its true colors. Overall, it’s a better record than “St. Elsewhere,” and will stand the test of time as an album, instead being remembered for a single in the way “Crazy” was.

Unfortunately “The Odd Couple” doubles as a great piece of music as well as an example of the negative effects of illegal downloading. Hopefully loss of record sale profits will persuade the duo into taking their costume show on the road this summer.

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