Alright, 'The High Road' is the absolute highlight, being perhaps one of the most well-written songs released all year, but all over Broken Bells, Mercer's wistful voice and Danger Mouse's divine production and harmonics turn relatively simple music into one of the best records of the year. I find it very refreshing, in a year and in an era where to be off-kilter at times seems more normal than anything else, two of indie's top dawgs create an album, which, speaking of genres, is utterly middle of the road, but is so with such finesse and skill.
It's the arrangement and the layers that lift the record, such as on the schizoid 'Your Head Is On Fire', and the album in its entirety is just such a dynamic, gentle listen. Not in the bland, under-the-radar kind of way, but as 37 minutes of easy euphony. That's what happens when geniuses get together and do their thing. It's got none of the typical debut albums insecure fickle, although its probably also irrelevant to speak of faddy in the case of musicians so battle tested as these two, but I do find it impressive, that their vastly different backgrounds come together so hand-in-glovely. Take the swooning 'Citizen' for example - it sounds like a band that's been around for ages and ages. The album is full of hidden gems, such as the stunning 'Mongrel Heart' and the head-nodding 'October', that I guess ultimately couldn't be the work of anything but one of the most prominent producers on the planet.
