Broken Bells - Broken Bells
Review by Jack Foley
PRODUCER-musician Danger Mouse continues to be one of the most interesting artists working in the music biz today.
His collaborations are always worth checking out and more often than not contribute to album of the year contenders, whether it’s with The Shortwave Set, Gorillaz, as part of Gnarls Barkley or with Martina Topley-Bird. He repeats the trick with Shins frontman James Mercer, as part of their new collective, Broken Bells.
A mouthwatering prospect from the outset, Broken Bells is everything you could have hoped for from them, successfully pairing Danger Mouse’s sonic brilliance with the winsome vocals of Mercer to create a happy hybrid of Gorillaz meets psychedelia and the West Coast sound of The Shins.
The feelgood nature of the listen is evident from the outset with the brilliant former single The High Road putting you in a blissful state of mind thanks to a rich mix of gentle acoustic strumming, delicate electronic swathes and hypnotic drums… not to mention Mercer’s distinct vocals.
There’s a trippy, borderline psychadelic journey on its follow-up, Vaporize, one of several tracks that could just as easily sit on a Shins album, or make its way to the Scrubs or next Zach Braff movie soundtrack.
But just when you think you might have the measure of the partnership, they drop in a completely trippy offering such as Your Head Is On Fire, which changes tempos midway through, taps into Brian Eno-meets-The Shortwave Set style territory and completely blows your mind in a different kind of good way. Instrumentally, too, it’s one of the busiest records on the album, and nicely self-indulgent.
The Ghost Inside, meanwhile, comes back with the type of laidback, borderline hip-hop beat that would be more in keeping with a Gorillaz record, especially since Mercer adopts a Damon Albarn-style falsetto vocal and, again, catches you off guard.
There’s a lush, wimsical quality surrounding the kooky cinematic sound of Sailing To Nowhere, which again finds Mercer channelling Albarn, before a more indie/Shins vibe returns on the sublime Trap Doors, another favourite – albeit the sound of the album at its most melancholy.
Citizen is an even greater slice of comedown, a distraught observational piece that questions “what’s it all about?” while channelling the style of Sea Change era Beck or Space Odyssey era Bowie… and then coming over all glockenspiel beat laden, and child choir-like backed, for a quietly thrilling second act. It’s a moody daydream of a record and utterly charming to boot.
A disarming piano chord combines sweetly with lush acoustic strokes on the feelgood October, which nicely picks up the sunshine vibe again, while Mongrel Heart adds a funky element that soundchecks Danger Mouse’s Gnarls Barkley vibe. But it works nicely with Mercer’s vocal style.
Final track The Mall & Misery, meanwhile, brilliantly showcases just what a potent force Broken Bells are… allowing you to exit the album with the hope that they’ll work together again someday soon.
A slow building epic that pays lip service to the cinematic sweep of Morricone, the easygoing style of The Shins, the melodic ambition of Danger Mouse and elements of Talking Heads, it’s a brilliant finale to an often breathtaking album.
Like we said, Danger Mouse’s presence has contributed to another album of the year!
Download picks: The High Road, Your Head Is One Fire, Citizen, Trap Doors, The Mall & Misery, October
Track listing: