Broken Bells, Broken Bells
Broken Bells , Broken Bells [Columbia]
» It was only a matter of time before Danger Mouse chose his next target for collaborative genius. Lucky for James Mercer (the man behind the Shins), this relationship looks like a lasting one. The new super duo is Broken Bells and its self-titled debut dropped March 9 on Colombia - that is if you hadn’t already been jamming to it for months thanks to an über-leak on the interwebs and some intriguing emails encrypted with the binary code message “The high road is hard to find.” Hmmm.
Broken Bells is a departure for both artists. Mercer’s signature voice is stretched to the limits with high falsetto and some warbly FX that differ heavily from past Shins albums. Danger Mouse a.k.a. Brian Burton drops his mad sampling skills in favor of handling his instruments live in the studio. And it totally works.
The album leads with its first single, “The High Road.” Tripping out with jazzy space sounds, the track swoons into a mellow jam with Mercer’s voice smoothing things over. “Vaporize” is a lost Shins track topped with some heavy organ chords to spice things up, while “Citizen” reps Burton’s affinity for electro-grit.
“The Mall and the Misery” ties the album together, with twanging guitar and a full string orchestra, before busting out a blend of Burton’s boxed beats, woozy synths and Mercer’s tastefully layered harmonies.
Collaborate away, gentlemen. Overall, digging this tasty mish-mash.
Posted on March 31, 2010
More on: broken bells, columbia, james mercer, danger mouse
Browse all Reviews
