I don't think Gnarls Barkley's "mocking" anyone. It has a real messy punk vibe to it, and is expressing the fierceness, loneliness, and feeling of displacement that many angry young men experience. Green's voice is nasally and raw, and the rhythm and arrangement is, for lack of a better word, "stomp-y." This epitomizes the whole punk genre.
Also, emo tends to be much more weepy: emo says "pity me," as opposed to punk: "life sucks, go f*ck yourself" (as this song pretty much literally says). It's true the protagonist is wallowing in self-pity, but he still reacts fiercely to his perceived wrongs (admittedly, he IS a bit passive-aggressive).
Gnarls Barkley has shown an appreciation for this before, with covering "Gone Daddy Gone" by The Violent Femmes, and this song has a "Blister in the Sun" vibe of jealousy, remorse, anger, and angst. I think they are actively trying to reconcile different genres of music (in this case, and with "Gone," punk, soul, and hip-hop) and I would be surprised if something like this didn't show up in the future from either Cee Lo or Danger Mouse (hopefully from Gnarls!)
I don't think Gnarls Barkley's "mocking" anyone. It has a real messy punk vibe to it, and is expressing the fierceness, loneliness, and feeling of displacement that many angry young men experience. Green's voice is nasally and raw, and the rhythm and arrangement is, for lack of a better word, "stomp-y." This epitomizes the whole punk genre.
Also, emo tends to be much more weepy: emo says "pity me," as opposed to punk: "life sucks, go f*ck yourself" (as this song pretty much literally says). It's true the protagonist is wallowing in self-pity, but he still reacts fiercely to his perceived wrongs (admittedly, he IS a bit passive-aggressive).
Gnarls Barkley has shown an appreciation for this before, with covering "Gone Daddy Gone" by The Violent Femmes, and this song has a "Blister in the Sun" vibe of jealousy, remorse, anger, and angst. I think they are actively trying to reconcile different genres of music (in this case, and with "Gone," punk, soul, and hip-hop) and I would be surprised if something like this didn't show up in the future from either Cee Lo or Danger Mouse (hopefully from Gnarls!)