Broken Bells, the collaborative project between The Shins' James Mercer and remix DJ-turned-everyman producer Danger Mouse, was a hell of an exciting prospect when the group announced their formation more than four years ago. The twosome's 2010 self-titled debut surpassed the hype in all of its dark, meandering glory, hopping from hazy indie to sunshine-y psychedelia, weird dance, and various sonic territory in between for an effort that was probably just as enjoyable to make as it was to listen to.
Four years later, and both these guys have a little more life under their belts. Mercer dropped some of his best music yet with The Shins' Port of Morrow. Danger Mouse collaborated, produced, and won a few Grammys with a well-rounded palate of talent ranging from The Black Keys (again) to Italian composer Daniel Lupi and modern songstress Norah Jones. Sometime after the dust settled, they found the time to join forces again to produce a follow-up album, which feels more like if-you-insist-encore at times than an inspired second act.
After the Disco (Columbia Records) starts strong with the shimmery, quick ride of "Perfect World" before moving into the title track, easily the most engaging three minutes of the album. "After the Disco," for all its overt-disco-ness, still feels like it inhabits a weird shadowy world of its own. "Holding on for Life" unabashedly channels the Bee Gees in a clever narrative about a time-traveling hooker, while "Leave it Alone" is a soulful, repetitious track bound to get stuck in the folds of your brain, whether you want it there or not.
Unfortunately, the album loses steam about halfway through, a front-loaded-ness that becomes more apparent after a few listens. Aside from a few moments like the stuttering falsetto-sampled verse of "No Matter What You're Told" and the haunting chorus of "Lazy Wonderland," After the Disco's second half feels like a hollowed-out undertaking filled with a mass of similar tones and snails-pace melodies that spark little interest.
All told, After the Disco has some shine but suffers from taking itself too seriously, kind of a drag in light of how interesting these guys have proven to be in the past.
Critics' Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
