came together in 2009, during a point of seeking in both members’ careers. The Shins’ frontman James Mercer was finding the indie rock band and craved another creative outlet. Brian Burton, capable producer and one-half of Gnarls Barkley, wanted to work on something for himself rather than produce for another group.
The resulting album, 2010’s self-titled “Broken Bells,” was scarcely more than the sum of its parts: Mercer’s distinctive voice cooing over a batch of plunking rhythms, child-like choruses and other Danger Mouse hallmarks. It earned the duo a Grammy nomination, but outside that ever-out-of-touch institution, the consensus was lukewarm. On a slow news day, the headline would’ve read: “Two Respectable Musicians Make Solid Album.”
Broken Bells’ follow-up, “After The Disco,” is as quirky as its predecessor, and a little funkier. The album’s title is as good of a description of its tunes as any. It’s both retro and post-disco, granting equal time to classic four-on-the-floor beats and odd digital effects. As is Danger Mouse’s (and disco’s) prerogative, strong bass lines and driving drums dominate.
Lead single “After The Disco” sounds like a basic mission statement in this sense, presenting the album’s zonked tone and requisite tools for fulfilling it. “Medicine” takes the low end from the Danger Mouse-produced Beck song out for a spin to a less interesting end.
Mercer’s shrill timbre is present on “After The Disco” to the point it sometimes sounds like a permutation of the Shins. His voice works well in the confines of indie and that band, but even his variable melodies—always shooting up to C5 out of nowhere, as in the chorus of “Holding On To Life” —become predictable. Disco and falsetto have a , but as a texture, Mercer’s doesn’t blend well here.
“After The Disco” never reaches the peaks that or “Vaporize” hit on the duo’s debut. It glides along steadier than its predecessor, solid down the middle with a grip of good-not-great songs. Consequently, it’s another O.K. work from two competent musicians—no more, no less. The headline: “Decent Band Does It Again.”
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Dylan Owens is Reverb’s all-purpose news blogger and album reviewer. You can read more from him in Relix magazine and the comment sections of WORLDSTARHIPHOP.
