Your California Privacy Rights. The previous live band included Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band sidemen … The retail version includes differences that do not materially change the reviewer's opinion of the record. Somewhat surprisingly, Broken Bells is an honest-to-goodness debut album -- there are as many promising flashes as frustrating moments here. It's been a while since Danger Mouse or the Shins did anything to change your listening habits, let alone your life. All rights reserved. But this much is certain: Something has ended. Broken Bells Articles and Media. It's a little tricky to do that when first listening to their self-titled debut album, since they're such well-known and distinctive talents: Mercer crafted singularly bittersweet indie pop with the Shins, while Burton brought the Beatles and Jay-Z together on The Grey Album and went on to shape sounds for equally omnivorous artists like Beck and Gorillaz. Mercer and Burton have obvious chemistry, but they need to blend more for true alchemy. In one of the record's more cheerful moments, amid the shambling acoustic guitar and slithering keyboard of "October", he shares some helpful advice: "Don't run, don't rush, just float." An early version of the record included a nicely gloomy song with Knife-like vocal effects that's been replaced by the sumptuous psych-pop balladry of "Citizen". Note: This piece as originally published was based on an earlier version of the album. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/20) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/20). At times, Broken Bells' self-titled debut was so hazy that it felt like it was about to dissipate in a cloud of wry West Coast melancholy, but on After the Disco, James Mercer and Brian Burton give that atmosphere a little more form. It's unclear whether we're supposed to trace Mercer's lyrical malaise to a shattered relationship with his band (Mercer split with Shins mates Marty Crandall and Jesse Sandoval in 2008), a lover, or both. CN Entertainment. They work hard -- maybe too hard -- at avoiding their previous sounds. Coachella 2014 went down over the weekend, featuring acts such as OutKast, Arcade Fire, the Knife, Beck, the Replacements, and many more. James Mercer and Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) want their project Broken Bells to be seen, and heard, as an honest-to-goodness band, not a side-project dalliance. Photographer Chris Tuite was there to take shots of the performances as well as some portraits of the artists backstage. "Trap Doors", already one of the album's catchiest songs, benefits from some extra synths and backing vocals, and "October" has a few new lyrics. The Shins' James Mercer teams with producer and Gnarls Barkley member Danger Mouse for a melancholy pop record. Nor does it feel like a new direction or outlet for either artist-- it's more of a nice detour. Broken Bells is an American indie rock band composed of artist-producer Brian Burton (better known as Danger Mouse) and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins.Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, but are joined by Dan Elkan and Jon Sortland when performing live. “The Ghost Inside” is especially exciting, pushing Mercer outside of his comfort zone by pairing his falsetto with wobbly keyboards and strings. Broken Bells is the self-titled debut album from Broken Bells, consisting of James Mercer of indie rock band The Shins with producer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse), and was released on March 9, 2010. Still, unlike its creators' best prior accomplishments, Broken Bells doesn't seem prepared, or even attempting, to cross over. James Mercer and Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) want their project Broken Bells to be seen, and heard, as an honest-to-goodness band, not a side-project dalliance. It's what he and Danger Mouse do here, and while that's hardly a recipe for breaking new ground, the results are rarely less than pleasant. That the pair's paths might eventually cross was more inevitable than unexpected. Toward the end, Broken Bells break out of their meandering with “Mongrel Heart” and “The Mall & the Misery,” which, after a lengthy expanse of strings and horns, closes the album with some crisp chamber pop. Mercer's songwriting skills and Danger Mouse's production mastery sound like a potent combo, and they are, when the pair balances its ambitions and respective strengths. The pair first worked together on the David Lynch/Sparklehorse project Dark Night of the Soul, and Broken Bells picks up the sadsack spirit of that record-- it's a deceptively catchy album centered on personal loss. Too often, though, Broken Bells’ songs aren’t as compelling as the trappings around them, though touches like “October”’s wah-wah piano and “Your Head Is on Fire”’s zero-gravity synths are enjoyable in their own right. Pitchfork is the most trusted voice in music. They are now accounted for above. We apologize for the oversight. Mercer's vocals and melodies will almost certainly evoke the Shins to some degree or another, but he and Burton steer clear of the bright pop that countered that band's gloomier moments in favor of winding melodies and mellow atmospheres. Besides, the singer is clearly attempting to move on here, taking advantage of this fresh setting to try on new looks: film-score orchestration and acid flange meet a Pet Sounds-like vocal odyssey on "Your Head Is on Fire"; "The Mall & the Misery" opens with Springsteen-ian Americana and then veers off into post-punk guitar stabs; "Sailing to Nowhere" is a horror-show waltz; and Mercer's nearly unrecognizable falsetto on album standout "The Ghost Inside" recalls the high, cracked croon of another Danger Mouse collaborator, Blur/Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn. At times, this makes for intriguing contrasts: “Citizen” presents its small melody in lavish surroundings -- it’s hazy bedroom pop, if that bedroom were in a five-star hotel with 1000-thread-count sheets. A couple of years earlier, James Mercer paved the way for future indie crossover success stories with the Shins' Garden State contribution and controversial Olympics-aired McDonald's commercial. 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