The Shins' James Mercer and Danger Mouse have been working on 'Broken Bells' since 2008 but the collaboration was kept quite a secret until it's release in March was announced a few months back. Claiming he had wanted to release a solo album for some time, Mercer and Danger Mouse met a few years ago and got together to record something they both enjoyed and felt was experimental.
It's hard to go wrong when you have Danger Mouse producing your album, and 'Broken Bells' rarely does. Great harmonies that will of course remind you of The Shins are enhanced by some interesting electronic production. 'The High Road' was the lead single and after one listen you can see why, it encapsulates the whole album, whilst songs like 'Vaporize' highlight the Gnarles Barkley feel to old-school keyboards. I'm not sure if the album is as 'experimental' as Broken Bells first made out, but I suppose the combination of the both artists was an eyebrow raiser at first, and in the end, a nice listen; an easy start to 2010.
