Broken Bells - Broken Bells

For a summation of the pairing of The Shins’ James Mercer, and one half of Gnarls Barkley and uber producer Dangermouse, you need look no further than the latter’s sophomore effort “The Odd Couple”.

Since lead single “The High Road” was made available online just before Christmas, I’ve been itching to wrap my lugholes around this, the duo’s eponymous debut.“The High Road”, much like Mercer’s work with The Shins’ has a late 60’s/early 70’s Californian feel to it, this, mixed with Dangermouse languid beats opens the album in a suitably captivating manner, and the last minute or so, as Mercer laments “it’s too late to change your mind” over and over is one of the most life affirming moments of music I’ve heard this year.

Both “The Ghost Inside” replete with Mercer’s (much unexpected) falsetto, and the robot-waltz of “Sailing to Nowhere” are equally brilliant, as is, for that matter, every song before, between, and after.It’s an incredibly laid-back affair, and a record that would be very easy to fall asleep to (which I have, and mean that in the nicest possible way!).

Dangermouse’s production is sparse, yet warm, and at no point does this start to sound like an album by The Shins that happens to be produced by Dangermouse, or a Dangermouse record with vocals by some indie kid-man, it really is a true collaboration, and all the better for it. The only criticism I can level at “Broken Bells” is that when “The Mall & Misery” fades out, I was left wanting more, at 37 minutes, it’s a good 10 minutes short. But when that’s the worst you can say about an album, it must be a bit special.