Broken Bells - Self-titled

Melodic indie rock meets beat heavy trip-hop on the self-titled debut from the two-man supergroup Broken Bells. A collaboration between Shins frontman James Mercer and producer Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse, Broken Bells finds the duo once again combining Mercer's falsetto vocals with Burton's synth driven beats. The two artists decided to work together after meeting at a Danish music festival in 2004 and finding they were both fans of each others work. They began recording together at Burton's Los Angeles-based studio in 2008 describing their project as "melodic, but experimental, too." The duo went on to produced the track "Insane Lullaby" for David Lynch's book/album project, Dark Night of the Soul, back in 2009.

Burton is no stranger to collaboration having worked with such notable artists as The Black Keys, Beck and Gorillaz, as well as his work with rapper Cee-Lo Green in Gnarles Barkley. Mercer however has been relatively inactive since the 2008 meltdown during which he fired most of his band mates and switched from Sub Pop Records to his own label. I get the impression Mercer is still haunted by those events as most of the lyrics on the new album focus on disappointment, betrayal and pessimism. Emotional lyrics such as "You'll never know how low an angry heart can go" found on "Your Head Is On Fire" say it all.





The best track on the album has to be the synth driven "The High Road," pairing Mercer's heartfelt vocals with an addictive backbeat and some nice guitar riffs. "Cause they know and so do I, The high road is hard to find," Mercer sings, "A detour to your new life, Tell all of your friends goodbye." This track pretty much fulfills my expectations of what a Shins/Dangermouse love-child would sound like. Mercer nudges Burton toward a more relaxed song progression and in turn Burton pulls Mercer towards a little more experimentation and fuzz. The two musicians compliment each other nicely, emphasizing each artists strengths and creating a great mix of genres and influences.

The second track, "Vaporize," does a great job of showcasing the wonderful writing Broken Bells are capable of. "If you want to follow me you should know," Mercer sings, "I was lost then, and I'm lost now, and I doubt I'll ever know which way to go." Mercer delivers emotion in his vocals seldom seen in his work with the Shins. Another personal favorite is the upbeat "The Ghost Inside," a irresistibly catchy beat paired with some funky keyboard and some random hand claps. Throw in an almost pitch perfect Damon Albarn impression from Mercer and this track could easily be a long lost Gorillaz B-side.

Other album highlights include the feedback drenched "Sailing To Nowhere," some post punk guitar on "The Mall & Misery," and the soft synth of "Trap Door." Broken Bells has built a great foundation with their first album, and with the duo already working on a follow up I can't wait to see where this partnership takes them. I'm heading off to SXSW next week and with any luck I'll be able to catch Broken Bells at one of their many show.