Though the rock band format is hardly the most relevant thing in popular music these days, there is something to be said for the collaborative spirit that arises from a group of musicians with strong chemistry. The interplay between instruments, in both songwriting and performance, can take music to a whole new level. But still, too many cooks in the kitchen can spoil the meal.
Unfortunately, as Broken Bells proves with its debut album, so can too few. Though James Mercer's songwriting is sharp as ever, and Brian Burton proves to be more than capable of constructing a compelling blend of sounds, the aural landscapes they paint together remind one of Bob Ross paintings: The songs on this album are always pleasant, but they feature a consistently generic composition that diminishes the power of each and detracts from the talent of its creators, especially when taken in as a whole.
Burton, of course, is no stranger to musical collaboration. Better known as Danger Mouse, he has produced albums by Beck, Gorillaz and the Black Keys, in addition to forming Gnarls Barkley and releasing "The Grey Album" (2004), an ingenious remix of classic monochromatic albums by The Beatles and Jay−Z. Mercer, meanwhile, has spent the past decade making immaculate indie pop with The Shins.
On paper, the pairing of these high−profile musicians almost precludes the possibility of anything less than quality, and the debut single and lead track, "The High Road," certainly lives up to their pedigree. Opening with a jaunty and memorable keyboard hook that quickly joins a spacious and relaxed drumbeat, the track falls into an effortless groove. Mercer jumps octaves and flexes his tenor during the verses, while an acoustic guitar hides low in the mix, building tension and releasing it in the extremely satisfying sing−along chorus.
"The High Road" is the high point of the record, but it is not the only innovative track. "Mongrel Heart" also stands out. A slice of dark, mysterious pop, it drives forward to the beat of a drum machine and syncopated bass, leaving Mercer's vocals bare during the verses except for an insidious, grinding organ. Repetitious in its instrumentation, the track almost wears out its welcome, until suddenly piano chords and static crescendos give way to a spaghetti−Western bridge in triple meter, complemented by swelling strings, twangy guitar and a trumpet solo. The combination can only be described as epic.
Most of the tracks on "Broken Bells" share this sort of pop sensibility and electronics−tinged arrangement that feels like a natural evolution of the more adventurous material on The Shins' "Wincing The Night Away" (2007), exactly what one would expect from the pairing of Mercer and Burton. And certainly, none of it can be called bad — it's all well crafted, from the whispered delivery and baroque−flavored melody of "Your Head Is On Fire" to the hook−filled, bouncy "The Ghost Inside."
But five tracks and 15 minutes into the album, an odd sensation begins to set in: aural fatigue. The ear grows tired of sustained periods of constant sound, repetition and loud sounds without soft, and the production and instrumentation on the album leave little room for the listeners' ears to breathe. The blast of vintage organ on "Vaporize" sounds great initially, but its lasting presence with barely a pause between measure−filling notes grates. Danger Mouse, in attempting to create a sonic atmosphere, drenches the album with excessively repetitive sound.
Simple rhythms repeat ad nauseam, tempo rarely fluctuates significantly from track to track and compression squashes out dynamics. Simply put, unimaginative instrumentation and poor production waste the songwriting and kill the listening experience. The Shins might be able to change lives, but Broken Bells can't — at least not yet.
