Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton), the amazing artist-producer behind Gnarls Barkley and The Grey Album (the delicious fusion between Jay-Z's Black Album and The Beatles' White Album) has teamed up with James Mercer, the singer/frontman of The Shins. Pitchfork announced their collaboration under the name Broken Bells last September but finally next Tuesday (March 9th) they will release their self-titled debut album.
I listened to the album several times over the past two days (it is available this week as part of NPR's Exclusive First Listen series), and I really, really like it. It's actually a fantastic piece of collaboration because you can clearly hear each of their personal musical styles and yet the product is distinctly new. The melodies are fantastic, catchy, and extremely poppy. At times it seems like just a more dance-oriented version of the Shins, but then it will merge into something a little bit Beach Boys, a little Flaming Lips, and a little Blur. Basically, it's fun and it's pretty hard to dislike. That may be my only criticism with the record--I don't necessarily feel challenged by it because the music is just so unbelievably accessible. Then again, maybe that's just more a complaint with pop music... and this certainly does still have an edge. Check it out for yourself this week on NPR or next week when it is available for real. Be prepared to dance.
