In the realm of most-desired musical collaborations, pairing together the Shins' indie-rocking lead singer James Mercer and rodent-loving producer Danger Mouse never ranked that high, probably because no one really thought to put the two in the same room. But that's exactly what happened back in 2004 when the guys met at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. It took another four years before they headed into Danger Mouse's L.A. studio and emerged with their debut record as Broken Bells.
The self-titled album drops Tuesday (March 9) on Columbia Records, and you can hear the new album in its entirety here.
The record is a fantastic blend of Mercer's surprisingly soulful vocals and Danger Mouse, under his real name Brian Burton, providing instrumentation that sounds like an R&B-influenced Pet Sounds. Yes, it's definitely an intriguing mix.
Über-fans may want to swing by the band's website where they can pre-order a deluxe "music box" edition of the album, complete with 44-page book, stickers, postcards a poster and exclusive track, "The Overture," that plays when the box is opened.
There's no word on any Canadian tour dates as of yet, but Broken Bells have shows scheduled on both coasts in the U.S., as well as a stop in Austin for SXSW in March. For a full list of dates, click here.
Broken Bells is streaming at Exclaim.ca until March 15.
Stay tuned for these future full album streams on Exclaim.ca:
The Weakerthans Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre March 16 to March 22
She & Him Volume 2 March 23 to March 29
GBH Perfume and Piss on March 30 to April 5
The self-titled album drops Tuesday (March 9) on Columbia Records, and you can hear the new album in its entirety here.
The record is a fantastic blend of Mercer's surprisingly soulful vocals and Danger Mouse, under his real name Brian Burton, providing instrumentation that sounds like an R&B-influenced Pet Sounds. Yes, it's definitely an intriguing mix.
Über-fans may want to swing by the band's website where they can pre-order a deluxe "music box" edition of the album, complete with 44-page book, stickers, postcards a poster and exclusive track, "The Overture," that plays when the box is opened.
There's no word on any Canadian tour dates as of yet, but Broken Bells have shows scheduled on both coasts in the U.S., as well as a stop in Austin for SXSW in March. For a full list of dates, click here.
Broken Bells is streaming at Exclaim.ca until March 15.
Stay tuned for these future full album streams on Exclaim.ca:
The Weakerthans Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre March 16 to March 22
She & Him Volume 2 March 23 to March 29
GBH Perfume and Piss on March 30 to April 5
