Why is Broken Bells’ Broken Bells on my best 1,000 albums ever list?
Come on and get the minimum, before you open up your eyes.
What does Broken Bells mean to me? What does it make me feel? Why is it exciting or compelling?
Broken Bells, both album and band, are a pretty fascinating and eclectic collaboration. The collab is in the form of James Mercer from The Shins (see also: The Shins – Oh, Inverted World: #700 of best 1,000 albums ever) and Brian Burton AKA Danger Mouse, hip hop and all around producer wunderkind.
The mixture of their styles and influences fuses exceptionally well: laid back yet exciting, relaxing while never boring. It’s chilled out wide-ranging alternative pop that works as mood music or a pleasing backdrop for cocktail hour.
There’s really not a bad place start on Broken Bells; it’s consistently strong throughout. That said, the opening track, “The High Road,” is well placed and is one of the strongest songs on the album. From the opening intriguing electronic sounds modulating and warping their way into a backbeat that then segues into a chill indie rock beat and great vocals from Mercer, the stage is set for all that’s to come.
“Vaporize” has a great hook and leverages an organ part in a way that works perfectly.
“The Ghost Inside” has just enough of an edge and dance beat that one can imagine some shaking and grooving going on at this point in the album. Nothing too crazy, though: just having a good time.
See also: Danger Mouse-related albums covered by the best 1,000 albums ever project so far!
- Viktor Vaughn – Vaudeville Villain: #991 of best 1,000 albums ever
- The Black Keys – El Camino: #785 of best 1,000 albums ever
- Beck – Modern Guilt: #769 of best 1,000 albums ever
Spoiler alert: there will be more to come!
Some stats & info about Broken Bells
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? SoCal Bands, Alternative Pop, Rock Music, Indie Rock, Lounge Music
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars
- When was Broken Bells released? 2010
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #643 out of 1,000
Broken Bells on Spotify
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.