The collaboration of The Shins’ James Mercer and Brian Burton AKA Danger Mouse is like an indie stoner circle “Dude! What if…” idea. It’s like Oreos and peanut butter, an idea sparked by the polarity of two incredible things and the curiosity as to what would happen if you put them in combination with one another. Much like Oreos and peanut butter, this association that makes up the band Broken Bells has some strangely delicious results. The origins of the group can be traced back to when Mercer gave his vocals to the swirling track “Insane Lullaby” off of the Burton and Mark Linkous project Dark Night of the Soul. While Burton has always been a collaborative producer, working with the likes of MF Doom, Gorillaz, Cee Lo Green, Beck and The Black Keys, Mercer’s road to this partnership is a little harder to pin down. After major success with The Shins early in the 2000’s, there was a shift into some more sullen and distorted terrain with their album Wincing the Night Away. Though the album has aged well, it marked a change for the group and accentuated the dwindling possibility of a follow-up album.
On the heels of these declining prospects, Broken Bells self-titled album came out in 2010, giving Mercer and The Shins fans a feeling of reassurance. The debut was a beaming haze of outer-space indie rock. It exuded the experience and well-composed musical talent expected from these two but seemed unsure as to which path it wanted to take in the end, as if they got into the studio with a major-label budget and just saw what happened.
The new follow-up entitled After the Disco seems to have a more solid footing for the duo. Incorporating a 70’s feel as purported in the title, the album embraces an era that is very in vogue at the moment following Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories and even the Oscar nominated hit film American Hustle. Through Danger Mouse’s production ability, they achieve a subtly funky flavor with hints of retro legends throughout. Mercer’s iconically indie vocals are surprisingly versatile and do justice to the concept.
The single “Holding On for Life” gives a lightly veiled nod to The Bee Gees with Mercer kicking in the Barry Gibbs falsetto for the chorus about “holding on for life,” or, in other words, staying alive. As the album title suggests, the duo has turned their attention towards the dance floor as well, evidenced by the bumping rhythm and bass heavy groove of title track “After the Disco.” Mercer’s melodic songwriting ability balances out the bouncing instrumentation of the track and instantly induces head bobbing into the verse section. Other tracks, such as the more somber “Lazy Wonderland,” give a glance back to Mercer’s roots and more specifically to The Shin’s 2012 album Port of Morrow. Its acoustic reverie warms up the album for the more retro fashion of the rest of the tracks.
This album is incredibly fun to listen to, especially if you have any historic musings of either James Mercer or Danger Mouse. With this new album, the duo took the unique experimentation of their first release to the next level. They brought in nostalgic motifs while staying unique and original — a combination we know to be very successful if we’ve learned anything from Daft Punk. While they might not be as adaptable as the electronic robots, they’re both incredible at what they do, and this album displays that through and through.