Danger Mouse has a pretty eclectic resume. He gained worldwide recognition with 2004's mash-up of the Beatles' White Album and Jay Z's Black Album, coining the clever mix of now and then as the Grey Album. Though totally illegal to sell as his own work, the freely distributed album did make the rounds around the world. While most of the world might've thought it a clever party trick, he wowed the world once again in 2006 with Gnarls Barkley's St. Nowhere, the clever collaboration of hip hop soul singer Cee-Lo that produced the epic track "Crazy" and cemented him in the public as wunderkind instead of one-hit wonder. Broken Bells is his latest collaboration project, this time with James Mercer of The Shins. The self-titled debut album from Broken Bells is a pleasant mix of old and new, with hints of both performers' previous works: the two work in synchronicity while blending fat beats, infectious melodies, glitch pop and bare acoustic often within the same song. Broken Bells' Debut Album is Glitch-Pop Goodness
Danger Mouse has a pretty eclectic resume. He gained worldwide recognition with 2004′s mash-up of the Beatles’ White Album and Jay Z’s Black Album, coining the clever mix of now and then as the Grey Album. Though totally illegal to sell as his own work, the freely distributed album did make the rounds around the world. While most of the world might’ve thought it a clever party trick, he wowed the world once again in 2006 with Gnarls Barkley’s St. Nowhere, the clever collaboration of hip hop soul singer Cee-Lo that produced the epic track “Crazy” and cemented him in the public as wunderkind instead of one-hit wonder. Broken Bells is his latest collaboration project, this time with James Mercer of The Shins. The self-titled debut album from Broken Bells is a pleasant mix of old and new, with hints of both performers’ previous works: the two work in synchronicity while blending fat beats, infectious melodies, glitch pop and bare acoustic often within the same song.
Broken Bells, the love child of James Mercer of the Shins and Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) soars with catchy choruses and innovative beats. The first single from Broken Bells also happens to be the first song, and it sets the tone for the rest of the album. What begins as disorganized synth tones slowly turns into a beautiful verse. “The High Road” has a chorus that goes
The high road is hard to find/ A detour to your new life/Tell all of your friends goodbye/It’s too late to change your mind/You let loss be your guide.
These lyrics resonate with Mercer’s feelings on the current situation with The Shins.
In an interview with NME, Mercer claimed that “As things started to wind down for me I wanted to try something totally different. It’d had started to feel heavy [in The Shins]. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, maybe a solo thing or a new band. And Brian happened to be having the same kind of ideas.”
While it might take some time for a new Shins album, this “detour” project will more than satisfy fans of both Danger Mouse and the Shins alike. Standout tracks include “The Ghost Inside,” “Vaporize,” “The Mall & Misery,” and “The High Road.”
Fans can listen to a live concert by Broken Bells recorded at SXSW by NPR here.
Broken Bells debut album is in stores now.
