The combination of James Mercer of the Shins and Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley) into their new project, Broken Bells, is a bit of a coup for lovers of indie rock and roll. Mercer says that the new band has saved him from serious burn out. His band, the Shins, hit the mainstream after a Grammy nod for their album “Wincing the Night Away.” Success came with a price for Mercer – after all the touring and publicity that comes with the mainstream spotlight, he was too exhausted to put together a new album. As he puts it: “I wanted something that was a little less based on me.” So he got together and formed Broken Bells, enjoying having someone to share creative responsibilities with. Currently, Broken Bells is rehearsing for an upcoming tour through select European cities before hitting the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.
But their self-titled debut faced harsh criticism from a panel of expert judges who have no idea how exciting it is to see these two men working together. In fact, they didn’t even know that the people running their focus group were Mercer and Barkley themselves. Asked to listen to the album and decide if each track gets a “pass” or a “fail” these judges were nothing if not ruthless, as you’ll see above. Of course, none of these “experts” are over 4 feet tall either.
