Broken Bells - 'Broken Bells' (Columbia) 08/03/10

Like Them Crooked Vultures before them come Broken Bells.  Another ‘super group’, or rather a ‘super duo’, from the US made up of James Mercer of Shins fame and Brian Burton, otherwise known as Danger Mouse.  Quite a pedigree of achievement between them, an unavoidable and excitable buzz has hung around this band since their late 2009 announcement.

The self titled debut is both groovy and acoustically rooted at times, whilst drawing in arcade game sound bites and sonic beats.  Their first single and first track from the LP 'The High Road' is bold, wonderful and familiar enough to draw you into a considerable air of delighted intrigue.  Mercer’s vocals are draped and wound into the chilled atmosphere, rising and stepping back in balanced harmony.  Similarly 'Vaporize' is a happy balance of soft indie with Burton’s touch cooing the thoroughly enjoyable almost velvety beat throughout.  At no point will these two tracks burst your eardrums, but their reserved Shins-like approach is nothing short of great.

Burton’s previous credentials are tied to the likes of Gorillaz, Beck and Gnarls Barkley, and this is apparent in this latest project.  Mercer and Danger Mouse clearly appreciate each other’s music.  The Shin’s sound echoes throughout, with Mercer’s voice touchingly floating in the musical hemisphere twinkling in both 'Trap Doors' and 'Citizen'.  Their early 00s like indie sound warmly embraces your ears, etching its names into your head with a soft feathery quill.  Whilst Burton’s electronic almost-upbeat influence is pushed forward in 'The Mall & Misery', crawling towards a darker sound with near post-punk aplomb.  The track proving that with more work, Broken Bells could be superb.

Where the album misses a trick is its failure to take off.  So comfortable in each other’s influence are Mercer and Burton that they sit on the cosy sofa of friendship, sipping a freshly made cup of mutual appreciation; failing to really push either to the level that this band could reach.  The elements are all there.  Their sound is distinctive, the songs are eclectic and it’s difficult not to like the album.  It just doesn’t clamber into your brain, refusing to move like a stubborn child in a supermarket, as all brilliant albums can.

This being said 'Broken Bells' is an impressive debut.  It is a joy to have James Mercer’s voice back on the scene, and Brian Burton continues to produce interesting and at times brilliant music.  Care, love and attention have all been thrown into the mix, and although short in length at 37 minutes, the LP joins 2010’s exciting and promising new acts on the scene.  Buy this, enjoy it, and look into the ether hoping that Mercer Mouse’s next album lives up to everything it can be.