# Broken Bells
**Broken Bells** is an American indie rock duo formed in Los Angeles by [James Mercer](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-mercer-musician), singer and guitarist of [The Shins](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-shins), and Brian Burton, the producer known as [Danger Mouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/danger-mouse-musician). The pair met at Denmark's Roskilde Festival in 2004, began writing together in 2008, and have since released three albums: *Broken Bells* (2010), *After the Disco* (2014), and *Into the Blue* (2022).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Members | James Mercer (vocals, guitar; frontman of The Shins, born 1970 in Honolulu) and Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton (multiple instruments, production; born 1978 in New York)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) • [2](https://laut.de/broken-bells) |
| Origin | Met at the 2004 Roskilde Festival in Denmark; began writing and recording in March 2008 in Burton's Los Angeles home studio[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) |
| Debut | Single "The High Road" late 2009; self-titled album March 9, 2010 (37:25), which reached number seven on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) 200[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/album/broken-bells-mw0001959449) |
| Grammy nomination | Best Alternative Album nomination at the 2011 Grammy Awards for the debut[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) |
| Albums | *Broken Bells* (2010), *After the Disco* (2014), *Into the Blue* (2022), plus the *Meyrin Fields* EP (2011)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) • [4](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/807-broken-bells/) |
| Third album sound | *Into the Blue* was their first album to incorporate samples, adding psych-rock, trip-hop, and '70s rock to the duo's sound[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) |
## Formation and first album
Mercer and Burton discovered at Roskilde in 2004 that they were fans of each other's work, but four years passed before they entered a studio together. In March 2008 Mercer holed up in Burton's home studio in Los Angeles, and the writing moved quickly: Burton recalled that after half an hour they already had one song, and four or five finished tracks by the end of the week.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) • [5](https://thequietus.com/interviews/broken-bells-danger-mouse-the-shins-interview/)
The working method differed from either man's other projects. Burton, who had built his reputation on the sample-heavy Jay-Z and Beatles mash-up *The Grey Album*, played only live instruments for Broken Bells, while Mercer broadened his vocal style to include falsettos and deeper registers.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) From more than 20 pieces of new music written and recorded, the debut album was assembled from the 10 songs that coalesced most seamlessly.[6](https://www.waxploitation.com/broken-bells) The duo made their official debut in 2009 with the single "The High Road," and the self-titled album followed on Columbia in March 2010.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967)
Critical response was mixed but generally positive. AllMusic's review framed the pair as intending to be heard as an honest-to-goodness band rather than a side-project dalliance.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/album/broken-bells-mw0001959449) Rolling Stone gave the record four stars, calling it "The years coolest left field pop disc" in 2010.[7](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/61800/Broken-Bells-Broken-Bells/) Others were more skeptical: one review described the mellow, laid-back vibe as dissolving into "mere ambient wallpaper,"[8](https://www.metacritic.com/music/broken-bells/broken-bells/critic-reviews) and the Tufts Daily criticized the production and instrumentation for leaving the listener's ears little room to breathe.[9](https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2010/03/broken-bells-album-starts-out-innovative-becomes-repetitive) The debut was later nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 2011 [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967)
## After the Disco and the intervening years
Following the *Meyrin Fields* EP in 2011, both men returned to other work: Burton produced music for artists including [Norah Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/norah-jones) and [Portugal. The Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/portugal-the-man), while Mercer rebooted the Shins with 2012's *Port of Morrow*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) Broken Bells returned in February 2014 with *After the Disco*, a more structured set of songs touching on synth pop, new wave, and disco influences.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) The Independent's reviewer heard the opener "Perfect World" as effectively re-creating the sound of [Factory Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/factory-records) circa 1981, with sequencers and synth lines recalling OMD and early New Order.[10](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-reviews-broken-bells-bombay-bicycle-club-robin-mckelle-the-flytones-sarah-jarosz-maximo-park-seth-lakeman-9098926.html) Pitchfork judged it more cohesive than the debut but found the result flattened, describing the album's space-themed music as weightless and inert.[11](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18914-broken-bells-after-the-disco/) An outtake, "It's That Talk Again," was issued as a stand-alone track in 2015.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) • [4](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/807-broken-bells/)
## Into the Blue
After further detours, including the 2018 single "Shelter" and the 2019 single "Good Luck," the duo released their third album, *Into the Blue*, in October 2022.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) It was their first album to incorporate samples, and it folded psych-rock, trip-hop, and '70s rock into the sound.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967) The Guardian's review called it an absorbing journey on which Burton's "stellar beats" suited Mercer's uneasy vocals better than ever, singling out the seven-minute prog-rock psychedelic soul epic "Love on the Run" and "The Chase" as the closest thing to a definitive Broken Bells mission statement since "The High Road."[12](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/09/broken-bells-into-the-blue-review-james-mercer-danger-mouse)
## The collaboration in context
Both members have been emphatic that Broken Bells is not a casual side project. Burton told NME the duo regard it as their primary creative outlet, and in a 2014 Time interview he said there were many more Broken Bells albums in the pipeline while remaining noncommittal about [Gnarls Barkley](https://www.edgepedia.org/gnarls-barkley), his other project with Cee-Lo.[13](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-broken-bells-15054-315990) • [14](https://time.com/1569/danger-zone/) Mercer, for his part, described wanting to collaborate on an equal footing after carrying the responsibility for his own records in the Shins.[5](https://thequietus.com/interviews/broken-bells-danger-mouse-the-shins-interview/) On stage the duo is rounded out by multi-instrumentalists Jon Sortland (drums, keys, bass) and Dan Elkan (guitars, keys, bass), with all players routinely switching instruments across four keyboard rigs.[15](https://www.prosoundweb.com/simplicity-rules-a-well-considered-sonic-approach-for-broken-bells/)
## References
1. [Broken Bells – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/broken-bells-p1186967)
2. [Broken Bells – laut.de – Band](https://laut.de/broken-bells)
3. [Broken Bells: Broken Bells Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/broken-bells-mw0001959449)
4. [Broken Bells Albums, Songs – Discography, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/807-broken-bells/)
5. [The Odd Couple: Broken Bells Interviewed, The Quietus](https://thequietus.com/interviews/broken-bells-danger-mouse-the-shins-interview/)
6. [BROKEN BELLS, Waxploitation](https://www.waxploitation.com/broken-bells)
7. [Broken Bells – Broken Bells (album review), Sputnikmusic](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/61800/Broken-Bells-Broken-Bells/)
8. [Critic Reviews for Broken Bells, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/broken-bells/broken-bells/critic-reviews)
9. [Broken Bells' album starts out innovative, becomes repetitive, The Tufts Daily](https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2010/03/broken-bells-album-starts-out-innovative-becomes-repetitive)
10. [Album reviews: Broken Bells, Bombay Bicycle Club..., The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-reviews-broken-bells-bombay-bicycle-club-robin-mckelle-the-flytones-sarah-jarosz-maximo-park-seth-lakeman-9098926.html)
11. [Broken Bells: After the Disco Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18914-broken-bells-after-the-disco/)
12. [Broken Bells: Into the Blue review – an absorbing journey, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/09/broken-bells-into-the-blue-review-james-mercer-danger-mouse)
13. [Broken Bells – 'After The Disco', NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-broken-bells-15054-315990)
14. [Danger Zone, TIME](https://time.com/1569/danger-zone/)
15. [Simplicity Rules: A Well-Considered Sonic Approach For Broken Bells, ProSoundWeb](https://www.prosoundweb.com/simplicity-rules-a-well-considered-sonic-approach-for-broken-bells/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Musical duos, supergroups, and collaborative projects › Pop and rock duos › Rock and indie duos*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license