Singer/songwriter James Mercer (the man, the myth, and the legend behind The Shins) and producer-in-demand Danger Mouse (of Grey Album and Gnarls Barkley fame) have teamed up to form the side project Broken Bells. While the result may not be quite as paradigm-shattering as the first time you heard Mercer's band soundtracking the protagonist's self-realizations in that movie about New Jersey that saved your relationship, a few things remain clear: one, dude still knows how to write some great songs; and two, Danger Mouse is getting really good at the producer's balancing act -- coaching the artist he's working with out of their familiar provinces and into new territory, without ever playing an overbearing role.
Case in point: "Mall & Misery," the album's ace closer. Here things start out all spaghetti western -- clearly the influence of a producer-mind like Danger Mouse's -- with cinematic strings and a few sparse twangs plucked from some lonesome-cowboy's guitar. However, as soon as the build-up's gone on long enough to set the mood, in bursts an over-driven Hammond organ and Mercer's opening line, backed by a razor-sharp riff straight outta The Clash's playbook. The upbeat turn of pace is thrilling, but then you realize Mercer is singing about modern dissatisfaction and know that we haven't gotten to far removed from Zach Braff after all. But hey, with Mercer behind the hooks and now Danger Mouse at the helm, this is not such a bad place to be.
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