Creating a complete and engaging live musical experience is a tough feat. Having only about forty minutes of material to draw from greatly complicates the situation. “Would it be wrong?” Not for Broken Bells.  For Broken Bells, also known as Brian Burton (typically known by his alias Danger Mouse) and James Mercer (lead singer of The Shins), this was effortless.  Broken Bells have built upon their musical efforts on their self-titled Broken Bells at the Troubadour in Los Angeles this past Sunday 3/14 with a lively, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable performance.  As their final show on their mini-tour which included London, Paris, and New York (next they’re headed to SXSW), Broken Bells have put on a moving and memorable performance that highlights the creative possibilities of this so-called supergroup formed during the collaborative work by Burton and David Lynch (which featured Mercer’s vocals on the track “Lullaby”) from Dark Night of the Soul.

Stage right before Broken Bells took the stage

I have been acquainted with Danger Mouse’s work pre-Y2K with his work as the downtempo/hip-hop-esque Pelican City on The Chilling Effect and Rhode Island, both of which forward a creative, multilayered and nuanced instrumental knowledgeable hip-hop sense.  Being a hip-hop head, I have been interested in his work from the beginning.  It seemed that anything he touched became canon, with the infamous The Grey Album the height of his informal popularity.  With his triumphant yet little-known work with Jemini the Gifted One, Brian Burton’s work has continually grown, ever adaptive to his new and genre defining interests such as the work with the always-innovative Gorillaz, The Black Keys, MF Doom and Beck on 2008’s Modern Guilt.  With his infectious project with Cee-Lo on Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere and The Odd Couple, Danger Mouse’s productions have achieved a celebrity of their own, as a varied, abstract yet specific and nuanced, fluid aesthetic.  Burton’s style has evolved; contributing greatly to the many projects he has worked noted on the unfortunately overlooked Dark Night of the Soul album with David Lynch and the late Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse.  Brian Burton’s work reflects the intersecting influences of hip-hop, rock, funk, soul, punk, tropicalia and everything in-between. Danger Mouse’s sounds have always forwarded a surprising blend of subtle and precise liveliness.

James Mercer of The Shins, as one-half of Broken Bells, provides his harrowing and melancholic vocals to express a postmodern ambivalence on living and experience.  The subject matter, in many ways typical, is crafted and performed in a very innovative and unanticipated manner.  At the sold-out Troubadour show last Sunday, anticipation was palpable as the band members slowly trickled out from backstage, with Brian Burton second-to-last, humbly gesturing at the crowd, taking his seat at the drum set. Undoubtedly an atypical scene, especially for me who primarily views Burton as a DJ and producer, his sitting at the drum set from the get-go made this show something special.  Mercer’s arrival was met with claps and whistles, the crowd awaiting the heaviness of his gray and passionate voice. Making his way through the stage, James Mercer awkwardly walks over to the right-most part of the stage; he smirks at the crowd and sets off the performance by opening with Broken Bells’ first single, the essential and finely tuned “The High Road.”

Pulsating visuals envelop the crowd

With the high level of energy after the single track, Broken Bells and friends proceeded to play their entire album from start to finish.  The album, which clocks in at about a little over 35 minutes, felt like a pleasantly winding journey through the imaginary world created by the music’s evocative imagery.  In-between the tracks, Mercer would address the crowd and thank them for their support and the energy.  During these brief interludes, Burton would switch to another instrument—from the drums to the guitar to the keyboard—a treat from the dangerous multi-instrumentalist mouse.  Burton’s multiple talents speaks volumes to the amount of thought and labor put into Broken Bells as well as his degree of involvement in the compositions.  As for James Mercer, who moved the crowd with the power of his voice, is first and foremost, a great vocalist (in addition to being a talented and well-rounded musician).  Mercer’s on-stage dynamism, while not possessing a very dominating physical presence, is rather defined by his enveloping aural presentation.  His voice has the same kind of quality I attribute to early cinema—a soft-spoken yet powerful and eye-opening demonstration of what many would attribute to the realm of “magic.”  Matched with the beautifully rendered artwork projected onto a rear screen, Danger Mouse and James Mercer complemented the abstract image of their album of what can only be described as a stylized Chinese lantern.  A high point in the performance was Mercer’s singing of the chorus to “Trap Doors,” which beckons the listener to close their eyes, to locate where endless wisdom lies.  Continuing with “Citizen,” Broken Bells’ set list, much like their album, is really mindful of the vibe that the tracks produce, always being cognizant of the development of the album’s overall emotion—creating a unified and meaningful whole.

A good-natured performance overall, the Troubadour was filled from end-to-end.  The crowd was well behaved, swinging with the motions of the music—a dream-like trance overtaking the crowd with every note.  This effect was heightened with the lack of light, which demanded focus on the performers and the backdrop reminiscent of their album art; the spectator’s attention was focused on the music itself.  This created an illusory quality to the music, punctuated by James Mercer as the guiding voice to the journey.  As the last leg of their first mini-tour, Broken Bells finished off on a positive and fulfilling note.  The entire show was a cohesive and thoroughly inspired experience that in more ways than one highlighted the salient qualities of Burton, Mercer and their performing guests.  They put on an entertaining and expressive hour long set that greatly contributes to their recorded LP effort.  Danger Mouse and James Mercer are a collaboration that couldn’t have been preconceived by anyone (unless you were tipped off early on of their existence). However, because of such a circumstance, their creations are that more profound, unexpected, and well received.  James Mercer, with his commanding voice, and Brian Burton with his various talents, have crafted an innovative and contemporaneous project that speaks to the condition many of us find ourselves in.  Broken Bells’ sound is tuned into the wavelengths of society, and as such, Mercer and Burton prove their relevance and stake their claim as champions to the quality lacking in the stagnant music scene of today.

Unadulterated image of James Mercer with Danger Mouse on keys

Through their discreet social networking presence and pleasurable sonic concoctions, Broken Bells have garnered a following of devout levelheaded individuals that appreciate quality music.  Their music appeals to the immediate and the timeless, they are a collaborative project that has surfaced at a most opportune time. Broken Bells capture the essence of the current state of affairs—their talents harmonize with each other flawlessly and never for one second leave out the importance of the listener.  They try to include the various mindsets people approach live music with, and because of it, are successful in reaching their audience on every, however complicated, level.  If you ever get a chance to catch these guys together again, do yourself a favor and please do so. They are a thoroughly enjoying live act that, due to the care and love they put into their music, effectively transmit this very feeling to those who listen.

Special thanks to fellow URB contributor Avalon Jeffrey for the company and inspiration.

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