Danger Mouse man Brian Burton again teams up with Shin man James Mercer for round two of Broken Bells. The title track is very relaxed dance music. So much so it is akin to counting BPM’s as an excessive amount of anaesthetics takes effect. It is like they are toiling doggedly to overcome some unknown lethargy. Holding On For Life is ominous until the Hall & Oates chorus. Maybe they are expanding their energies? But this Eighties schtick carries on to Leave It Alone. It is wistful MOR by some cooler than thou hipsters.
The Changing Lights with the programmed drumming is like New Order on the cusp of breaking out of the indie zone. Then the very next song is Control. This too, is like New Order, but an earlier version. Not as primitive as Joy Division, but say, Power Corruption And Lies. It sounds like the Broken Bells are unsettled by the current state of indie music and have joined the retro brigade. Once in these ranks, diversity is reined in, because an eclectic farrago is not on the agenda.
Medicine hints at the same map as After The Disco. Then, bizarrely, they give the listener a good shake by the scruff of the neck. No Matter What You’re Told, The Angel And The Fool and finally The Remains Of Rock And Roll. Are they intending to write the obituary for rock? Hardly. Broken Bells are more conciliatory then Jesus And Mary Chains’ I Hate Rock & Roll and they do not oversell their concerns for want of alienating their audience. Ultimately, this is not the peak of human accomplishment, but is suitably likeable.
BY BRONIUS ZUMERIS
Best Track: The Remains Of Rock And Roll
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: THE XX, BON IVER, THE SHINS
In A Word: Buoyant
