As a long-time fan of The Shins, as well as Danger Mouse’s Grey Album (a mash-up of The Beatles’ White Album and Jay-Z’s Black Album) I was bound to love Broken Bells. The project is that of James Mercer, lead singer and guitarist for The Shins, and producer/musician Danger Mouse (Brian Burton.) The two met in 2004 at the Roskilde Festival, found that they loved each other’s work, and decided to make an album together. It wasn’t until 2008 that they were finally able to start collaborating, meeting secretly in Burton’s L.A. studio.
In reading about Broken Bells, you will find that “experimental” is consistently used to describe it. Although I think that labeling the album as “experimental” has two faults.
First, both Burton and Mercer, though they do seem to be experimenting to some extent, offer listeners a slightly evolved pop album, rather than anything experimental, at least in the way we’ve come to understand “experimental” as a genre in and of itself. The lyrics are within grasp – titles like “The High Road” and “October” aren’t too far gone to leave listeners wondering what the hell they’re getting themselves into. Though, titles like “Your Head Is On Fire” and “The Mall and Misery” might prompt us for some discovery and personal meaning. As for Broken Bells‘ instrumentation, it contains what you would expect for an album of its kind: drum machines, synths, guitars, bass, all peppered with Mercer’s fantastic vocals that Shins fans have come to know and love. The album’s use of melody and vocal harmonies is, in my opinion, the album’s most prominent triumph.
With all that being said, the second major fault of labeling the project as “experimental” is that…it’s just not really that experimental. With bands like Animal Collective, Black Dice, and Akron/Family (just to name a very small few) Broken Bells has nothing on the experimental front. Listening to Broken Bells simply does not call for the same mindset as, say, listening to Sung Tongs does. However, I don’t think that’s a criticism on Broken Bells as a project as much as it is a criticism of the ways in which record labels, fans, and even bands themselves label music.
By approaching Broken Bells as a pop album (or whatever term has probably been invented since I started writing this review), you are able to appreciate what both Mercer and Burton respectively have to offer. Mercer is a very talented songwriter and vocalist, and throughout the album, you can hear Shins-ish chord progressions that correlate perfectly with the vocal melody. As for Burton, many may think that using electronic equipment to create music is in any way easier – they would be wrong. Sure, we can all sit down with an old Casio keyboard manufactured in the early 80′s and screw around with what inevitabely ends up sounding like old MIDI files. But, especially with today’s technology, it takes a lot of skill (which can be learned) and an ear for tone (which can’t) to create something special. Broken Bells showcases Burton’s abilities in both the skill and tone arenas.
Broken Bells is, using the genre I think most appropriate, a strong pop album. It puts Mercer and Burton in a new environment, allowing them to spread their musical reach in a good direction. Whether you happen to call it experimental or not, Broken Bells is an album worth both listening to and labeling as you see fit.
