Broken Bells - Broken Bells - Music & Performance - CD

2010 debut album from this duo featuring James Mercer (The Shins) and Brian Burton (AKA Danger Mouse). The album features 10 melodically seductive and psychologically provocative songs co-written and performed by Mercer and Burton. The album features Mercer on vocals, guitars and bass while Burton plays organ, drums, piano, synthesizers and bass. The pair play all the instruments on the album with the exception of a full string section arranged by Daniele Luppi.

James Mercer and Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) want Broken Bells to be seen, and heard, as an honest-to-goodness band, not a side-project dalliance. It's a little tricky to do that when first listening to their self-titled debut album, since they're such distinctive talents. Mercer's vocals and melodies will almost certainly evoke the Shins to some degree or another, but he and Burton steer clear of bright pop in favor of winding melodies and mellow atmospheres. "The High Road" melds slick electronic percussion and a searching, minor-key melody that echoes the duo's previous work without rehashing it. Toward the end, Broken Bells break out of their reflective mood with "The Mall & the Misery," which closes the album with crisp chamber pop. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi

Performer	Broken Bells
Music genre	Alternative
Music subgenre	Indie/Alternative
Music release type	Album
Media format	CD
Original release date	2010
Number of tracks	10
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Track listing	The High Road, Vaporize, Your Head Is on Fire, The Ghost Inside, Sailing to Nowhere, Trap Doors, Citizen, October, Mongrel Heart, The Mall & Misery
Record label	Sony
Track name	The High Road, Vaporize, Your Head Is On Fire, The Ghost Inside, Sailing to Nowhere, Trap Doors, Citizen, October, Mongrel Heart, The Mall & Misery
Duration	37 min
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N