Broken Bells [sound recording].
Material type:
MusicPublisher number: 88697 55865 2 | ColumbiaPublication details: New York, NY : Columbia, p2010.Description: 1 sound disc : digital ; 4 3/4 inSubject(s): | Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult CD
|
Main Library | CD | POP/ROCK Broken Bells | Available | 33111006289637 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
James Mercer and Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) want their project 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 well-known and distinctive talents: Mercer crafted singularly bittersweet indie pop with the Shins, while Burton brought the Beatles and Jay-Z together on The Grey Album and went on to shape sounds for equally omnivorous artists like Beck and Gorillaz. Mercer's songwriting skills and Danger Mouse's production mastery sound like a potent combo, and they are, when the pair balances its ambitions and respective strengths. Mercer's vocals and melodies will almost certainly evoke the Shins to some degree or another, but he and Burton steer clear of the bright pop that countered that band's gloomier moments in favor of winding melodies and mellow atmosphere with lush production and arrangements. “Citizen” presents its small melody in lavish surroundings -- it’s hazy bedroom pop, if that bedroom were in a five-star hotel with 1000-thread-count sheets. “The High Road” melds slick electronic percussion and a searching, minor-key melody into something that echoes the duo’s previous work without rehashing it. “The Ghost Inside” is especially exciting, pushing Mercer outside of his comfort zone by pairing his falsetto with wobbly keyboards and strings. Toward the end, Broken Bells break out of their reflective mood with “Mongrel Heart” and “The Mall & the Misery,” which, after a lengthy expanse of strings and horns, closes the album with some crisp chamber pop. ~ Heather Phares
Compact disc.
The high road (3:52) -- Vaporize (3:29) -- Your head is on fire (3:04) -- The ghost inside (3:18) -- Sailing to nowhere (3:46) -- Trap doors (3:19) -- Citizen (4:29) -- October (3:39) -- Mongrel heart (4:23) -- The mall & misery (4:06).
Performed by Broken Bells (James Mercer, vocals, guitars, bass ; Danger Mouse, drums, organs, synthesizers, bass) ; with additional musicians.
The Shins' James Mercer and Gnarls Barkley's Danger Mouse team up for a new musical venture. Their self-titled debut mashes up hip-hop, electronica, and soft rock, producing an all-new musical genre. Between the two of them, they play every instrument on the album, and Danger Mouse also produces. Features the track The High Road.
"...a concise 10-song set of trippy orchestrated pop."--USA Today.
"...clever, purposeful...ample melody..."--New York Times.
"...pretty good stuff...an enjoyable listen."--Noise Loop.
"...seems a natural fit."--SPIN.
"4 out of 5...a perfect match."--Rolling Stone.
"B+...makes for a subtly savory sonic morsel."--Entertainment Weekly.