Winner of 2 Grammy Awards (‘Best Alternative Music Album’ & ‘Best Urban/ Alternative Performance’), Gnarls Barkley are heading to our shores for the V Festival in March & April.

So who is Gnarls Barkley?

Danger Mouse, a/k/a Brian Burton, produced the infamous Grey Album, a full-length blend of the Beatles’ music and Jay-Z’s raps that became a cult classic after it was suppressed by EMI. He recently garnered a Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year for his work with the “virtual band” Gorillaz. Having recorded with enigmatic rapper MF DOOM, not to mention a cast of voices from “Adult Swim”, Danger Mouse is no stranger to outsized characters. He admits that he helped out with St. Elsewhere, the first album credited to Gnarls Barkley..

Cee-Lo Green, a/k/a Thomas Calloway, once-and-future member of Goodie Mob and a wildly eclectic solo artist. His music is steeped in the gospel and blues traditions of the Southeast, merging timeless soul with experimental funk and hip-hop. He confirms reports that his dramatic voice and soul-rummaging lyrics appear on portions of St. Elsewhere.

It’s a complex record, to be sure. It employs the full spectra of pop music and human emotion. They are responsible for Crazy, the first single ever to make it to number one in Britain on the strength of download sales alone. Other tracks, spry finger-snapper “Smiley Faces” recall "Songs In The Key Of Life" and “Good Vibrations” in equal measure. “On Line,” a lament for the lonely and ambitious, could be a tricked-out G-funk holdover. Often dark and unpredictable, St. Elsewhere nevertheless retains its sense of joy throughout. Even Cee-Lo’s darker moments, his introspection on “Necromancer”, and the chilling “Just A Thought,” on which our hero fights off suicidal ideation, flourish in their lush, funky surroundings.

Perhaps Gnarls Barkley will never fully reveal himself. But if 'St. Elsewhere' is any indication, his music bears Marvin Gaye's depth of feeling, Jeff Buckley's emotive theatrics, and wild courage not seen since Prince's prime. Behold the most exciting debut of 2006. A psychedelic soul masterpiece. Gnarls Barkley may not be easily located, but he won't be a stranger.