Broken Bells, Broken Bells review

Broken Bells, Broken Bells [Sony]

Reviewed By: Christian Hagen

Brian Burton is one of the busiest and most interesting men in the indie, hip-hop, and pop scenes. He’s produced albums for some of the best bands in the world, and even was half of the duo which crafted arguably the biggest and best hit single of the Aughts. So why is it that when you say the name “Brian Burton” people stare at you with an expression akin to that many people would likely feel hearing the term “faux eclecticism” for the first time?

That’s because Brian Burton has never been known by the public consciousness as Brian Burton. At least, not before. Until now, the music world has known him only as Danger Mouse.

Yes, Danger Mouse, one half of the stellar Gnarls Barkley (along with singer/rapper Cee-Lo Green), producer of albums by the likes of Beck, Gorillaz, The Black Keys, and more, the basement DJ who proved that breaking copyright laws could net you a lot more than a massive lawsuit; it could bring you international fame. Now he’s bucking his moniker, risking all his name recognition in favor of the personal touch only his birth name can provide. Surely he would want to venture into a solo effort, shrugging off his past pattern of latching onto other established artists and transforming their image through a careful and creative application of beats and synths. Maybe he’ll even through his own voice into the mix and get out from behind the computers.

Finally word has come down, and Brian Burton’s debut under his birth name is…a collaboration with an indie star. He provides arrangements and beats, synthesizers and production. He does not sing. Should we applaud? Should we be disappointed? Why? After all, look back at that list of accomplishments; as Danger Mouse, he’s had an almost unbroken winning streak. If all he changes is the name in the liner notes, who are we to complain?

Particularly after hearing this new project, I will hold my tongue. The band is called Broken Bells. The collaborator is none other than Shins lead singer James Mercer, that much-beloved soft-rock crooner whose career has been laid on intelligent lyricism and moody music. After transforming Cee-Lo from trippy gangsta rap mystery into soul singing master, one might expect that Burton would radically reshape our image of Mercer, perhaps into the sort of upbeat, consistent mainstream success some blogs predicted The Shins could inevitably become.

However, surprisingly, Broken Bells-Mercer is pretty much the same as Shins-Mercer.

So, Burton is following his classic M.O. while Mercer maintains his image, and vocal style, almost indistinguishably. What makes the project unique, or at least worthwhile, is the beautiful collision of their chosen sounds.

Take, for example, the opening track, the freely released single “The High Road.” In the hands of Cee-Lo Green, the song could have taken a turn for the large, bursting soul ballad, belting the refrain, “It’s too late to change your mind,” into the rafters and shaking the spirit, but maybe over-dramatizing the effort. Conversely, were it to appear on a Shins album, it would probably be a quiet reflection, Mercer alone with his guitar, calling into a hush all but his words, creating powerful meaning but, after a while, drawing yawns from an impatient listener. However, with arguably the strongest songwriting elements of both groups coming together, the song truly reaches its potential. It avoids the kitchen sink approach (as Burton is a very subtle producer, if nothing else), and captures our attention by letting the words not hang but get up and groove. It’s a simple song at its heart, and potentially a complex mess, but in these, the right hands, it’s nigh perfect.

The album only grows from there. Over ten songs, Mercer gets to really showcase his vocal range, as is his wont, without getting caught in the trappings and pitfalls of some Shins records. Any potential self-indulgence on his part is reigned in by Burton’s bright but never flashy, melodic but never overpowering, blended but never lost arrangements. Another potential single lies just beyond the first, one perhaps more immediately satisfying. “Vaporize” is an entertaining collection of acoustic guitar, jazzy beats, and, above all, Mercer’s versatile, if soft, tone.

“Your Head is On Fire” features a vaguely underwater sensation, the swirling plink of the guitar riding like the wind over the cascading waves of synths and strings. “The Ghost Inside” may initially recall Gnarls Barkley’s “The Boogie Monster,” but Mercer’s surprisingly nasal falsetto (computer-enhanced?) is the sharpest possible contrast to Green’s attempt at bass rumbling. The softly beautiful “Sailing To Nowhere” features perhaps the album’s most unusual chorus, what could be an explosion of drums and keys buried in old-timey fuzz, and then, thankfully, a second half that is as much string contemplation as piano and vocal chanting.

The back half of the album features more lush and less groove, and the result is glorious. After hearing “Citizen,” I’ve decided that James Mercer’s voice was made for an orchestra and a choir (built of different registers of his own voice) behind it. “October,” maybe the album’s highlight (if such a thing exists) rumbles out of its humble piano-and-guitar introduction, building slowly, one instrument at a time, before a thundering sing-along chorus. If Mercer’s voice was meant for a grand accompaniment, Burton’s fingers are made for head-bobbing beats and instrumental arrangements that make you take notice and think to yourself simply, “Wow.”

Maybe this is the reason for the name change. Burton, after years behind the mask of Danger Mouse, has found the antithesis of his working partners. Whereas Cee-Lo is loud and bursting with in-your-face talent, whereas artists like Beck and Damon Albarn are practically larger-than-life, James Mercer is the perfect balance to Burton’s quiet sensibilities; soft-hearted, strong-throated, and willing to be in front of the lights while Burton sits behind his well-used computer screen, but only to the point that they are left in shadow together. We wait with bated breath for what’s next.

Rating: 91%

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OMD: 90% (↓ 1%) - While I’m still convinced everything Brian Burton touches is gold, the album reveals some impurities on repeat listens. In some cases, the unusual instrumental arrangements prove even more endearing over time (“The Mall and the Misery”). In others, the quirkiness reveals its love-it-or-hate-it nature more and more over time (“Your Head is On Fire”). Still, overall a great album worthy of purchase.