Broken Bells - Broken Bells
The quality tracks are plentiful here, and although at times hidden, it’s worth every effort to find the moments of inspiration in each.
Every so often a release initially sounds weaker than the sum of its parts. Then you find yourself slapping it on every morning and, after the umpteenth time of hearing it, realise how wrong first impressions can be.
‘Broken Bells’ is the toil of James Mercer (The Shins) and ‘the biggest producer in the world’ Danger Mouse. It’s an album full of psychedelic undertones that will surprise few familiar with the band’s oeuvre or the producer’s projects such as the Jay Z / Beatles mash-up ‘The Grey Album’. The quality tracks are plentiful here, and although at times hidden, it’s worth every effort to find the moments of inspiration in each.
Take for instance the very Velvet Underground chorus of ‘Your Head Is On Fire’. Distorted vocals befitting any opium squat ride easily over pianos and fine down-tempo beats, before the genius is truly realised when said drums switch to an analogue filter, nodding to vinyl and the nostalgia it often brings.
Then there’s electro-groover ‘The Ghost Inside’, which blends chugging guitar licks, strained vocals and disco stabs from DFA loving dancefloors. In contrast ‘October’ runs solely on pianos- so reminiscent of The Cure’s key combinations- and the perfect pace for a swagger.
But mentioning these tracks simply undersells other aspects of the album like ‘The Mall & Misery’. A closing track combining garagey riffs and stepping snares, it belies both its subject matter and epic orchestral introduction.
As an album it’s neither as cynical or throwaway as some of its counterparts, and while rarely pushing the real boundaries for the artists involved or the collaborative concept thing in this case it doesn’t really matter too much. Each track is as finely formed as the last, giving most musicians another example of why much more effort is needed to keep up.
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