New Broken Bells Video Stars Hall & Oates (Sort Of)
The Broken Bells have just released a second video for their latest single “Ghost Inside”. Instead of featuring band members Danger Mouse and Shins frontman James Mercer, the group decided to turn to a certain 80′s pop duo to star in the video.
The band took the splendor that is the Hall and Oates “Private Eyes” video and simply lip synced their lyrics, swapping out mouths along the way. You gotta love technology…..
Free Download: The Shins cover Squeeze “Goodbye Girl”
The latest installment in the really cool Levi’s Pioneer Session features the Shins covering Squeeze’s 1978 single “Goodbye Girl”. The series features contemporary bands covering artists that influenced their songwriting, and comes complete with a free MP3 download.
This is the first we have heard from the Shins in a while, as frontman James Mercer has been busy with his latest project - The Broken Bells. This is a pretty cool song, and is certainly worth every cent of the $0 price tag.
Listen to the streams of both the new song and the original below, and click here to download the free MP3.
New Broken Bells Video – “The Ghost Inside”
The Broken Bells have just release the second video from their self titled album for the song “The Ghost Inside”. Neither band member Danger Mouse or James Mercer appear in the video, instead opting for Mad Men star Christina Hendricks who plays a rather stressed out robot in outer space. While the video might be a little “ehhh”, at least it’s a cool song. Check out the video below:
Broken Bells Album Review & Free Stream
The first album from Broken Bells, a collaboration of Shins frontman, James Mercer and producer/multi-instrumentalist Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton, is a fun and groovy record sure to satisfy most fans of either artist’s past works. I liken it to a Shins 2.0, as Mercer’s pop-folk vocals and guitar are reborn with surrounding layers of synthesizer and digital beats. However I find these songs a little more enjoyable than the uppity whining you occasionally come across on Shins records. I wouldn’t call it “darker” but there is a subtle feeling of doom hiding beneath several tracks. The duo is careful not to take it too “Postal Service” and go all beep-bop on ya, instead choosing to create well-crafted songs with tight beats and quirky rhythms that get stuck in your head. Throw in a strings arrangement and some trumpets every now and then and call it a day. Each of the 10 songs fit nicely and the album has great replay value. This is the funky, synth-heavy, indie electronica-inspired “but not-a-pop album” MGMT’s Congratulations should have been.
Below is the video for “The High Road”, the first single off the album.
The High Road
