Broken Bells (album)

Broken Bells
Studio album by Broken Bells
Released	March 9, 2010 (2010-03-09)
Recorded	2009–2010
Studio	Mondo Studio, Los Angeles, California Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, California (strings)
Genre	Indie rock alternative rock space pop folk rock baroque pop
Length	37:30
Label	Columbia
Producer	Danger Mouse
Broken Bells chronology
Broken Bells (2010) Meyrin Fields (2011)
Singles from Broken Bells
"The High Road" Released: December 21, 2009 "The Ghost Inside" Released: June 28, 2010 "October" Released: August 16, 2010 "The Ghost Inside/Meyrin Fields" Released: October 25, 2010 "Vaporize (US)" Released: January 25, 2011 [1]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.1/10 [2]
Metacritic	71/100 [3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
The A.V. Club	B− [5]
Chicago Tribune	[6]
Entertainment Weekly	B+ [7]
The Guardian	[8]
The Independent	[9]
Los Angeles Times	[10]
Pitchfork	7.2/10 [11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
Spin	6/10 [13]

Broken Bells is the debut album from Broken Bells, consisting of James Mercer of indie rock band The Shins with producer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse), and was released on March 9, 2010.

In 2011 Broken Bells was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards.

Background

After forming in 2009, Broken Bells released their eponymous debut studio album, Broken Bells, in March 2010. Released to positive critical reception, Broken Bells was a success critically and commercially, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Billboard album chart, ^[14] and appearing in the top 20 in Australia, Canada and Denmark. The album also appeared at #126 on the Billboard Hot 100 End-year chart for 2010. Two singles were released during the album's cycle. "The High Road", released in 2009 and featuring the Broken Bells track of the same name, peaked at #10 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, which is the highest peak by the band on the chart so far, and was certified Gold in Canada by Music Canada. ^[15] "The Ghost Inside", also featuring the eponymous Broken Bells track and "Meyrin Fields", was released in 2010. The band also released an extended play during the album's cycle in 2011, entitled Meyrin Fields .

Composition

Alongside space pop, ^[16] Broken Bells leans into "sparkling [and] dense" folk rock. ^[10] Baroque pop flourishes feature highly, from "Mongrel Heart"'s mariachi trumpet to the Beach Boys-recalling vocals of "Your Head Is On Fire". ^[9]

Release

In addition to the standard edition of the album, a deluxe version was released, designed as a music box. When opened, it played a track titled "The Overture," which wasn't included on the album. The box also contained stickers, posters, lobby cards and a leather book. ^[17]

Promotion

The first single from the album, "The High Road", was offered as a free download from the band's website on December 21, 2009, before being officially released on December 22, 2009. ^[18]

The music video for "The Ghost Inside" featured actress Christina Hendricks and was inspired by 1970s science fiction and the "Golden Age of Hollywood". ^[19]

Track listing

All songs written by James Mercer and Brian Burton.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The High Road"	3:52
2.	"Vaporize"	3:30
3.	"Your Head Is on Fire"	3:04
4.	"The Ghost Inside"	3:19
5.	"Sailing to Nowhere"	3:46
6.	"Trap Doors"	3:19
7.	"Citizen"	4:29
8.	"October"	3:40
9.	"Mongrel Heart"	4:24
10.	"The Mall & Misery"	4:07

Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Length
11.	"An Easy Life"	2:44

• Instrumental version appeared as a B-side of "The High Road" single.
• Vocal version found through iTunes LP version.
• Extra track "Meyrin Fields" appeared as a B-side of "The Ghost Inside" single.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2010) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [20] 20 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [21] 46 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [22] 72 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [23] 57 Canadian Albums (Billboard) [24] 16 Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [25] 14 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [26] 35 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [27] 41 French Albums (SNEP) [28] 88 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [29] 67 Greek Albums (IFPI) [30] 25 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [31] 36 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [32] 40 UK Albums (OCC) [33] 47 US Billboard 200 [34] 7 US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [35] 2 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [36] 3

Year-end charts Chart (2010) Position US Billboard 200 [37] 126 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [38] 34

Personnel

Broken Bells Brian Burton  – organ, synthesizer, bass, piano, drums, programming, production James Mercer  – bass, guitars, vocals Additional personnel Margot Aldcroft – strings Jeff Antebi  – artists and repertoire, artist development Peggy Baldwin – strings Alisha Bauer – strings Ruth Bruegger – strings Ronald Clark – strings Yvette Devereaux  – strings Jacob Escobedo – artwork, design, layout Kirstin Fife – strings Stefanie Fife – strings Vanessa Freebairn-Smith  – strings Ilona Geller – strings Neel Hammond – strings Kennie Takahashi – programming, engineer, mixing

Peter Kent – strings Johana Krejci – strings Daniele Luppi – string conductor Stephen Marcussen  – mastering engineer Miriam Mayer – strings Calabria McChesney – strings Todd Monfalcone – engineer, mixing assistant Michele Nardone – strings Frank W. Ockenfels – photography Carolyn Osborn – strings Anton Riehl – score preparation Christopher J. Tedesco – strings Philip Vaiman – strings Jessica van Velzen – strings Jennifer Walton – strings John Wittenberg – strings Alwyn Wright – strings Adriana Zoppo – strings

References

1. Praxis Media. "Radio1 Rodos Greece ::: USA Forthcoming Singles ::: Charts, DJ Promos, Dance, Lyrics, Free Mp3 Samples Downloads". Radio1.gr. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
2. "Broken Bells by Broken Bells reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
3. "Reviews for Broken Bells by Broken Bells". Metacritic . Retrieved May 3, 2012.
4. Phares, Heather. "Broken Bells – Broken Bells". AllMusic . Retrieved September 22, 2010.
5. Mincher, Chris (March 9, 2010). "Broken Bells: Broken Bells". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on March 11, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
6. Kot, Greg (March 5, 2010). "Album review: Broken Bells, 'Broken Bells'". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on March 8, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
7. Greenblatt, Leah (March 3, 2010). "Broken Bells". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved September 22, 2010.
8. Simpson, Dave (March 4, 2010). "Broken Bells: Broken Bells". The Guardian . London. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
9. Gill, Andy (March 5, 2010). "Album: Broken Bells, Broken Bells (Columbia)". The Independent . London. Archived from the original on March 9, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
10. Wappler, Margaret (March 8, 2010). "Album review: Broken Bells' self-titled debut". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 16, 2018.
11. Hogan, Marc (March 11, 2010). "Broken Bells: Broken Bells". Pitchfork . Retrieved September 22, 2010.
12. Hermes, Will (March 3, 2010). "Broken Bells". Rolling Stone . Retrieved September 22, 2010.
13. Fennessey, Sean (March 4, 2010). "Broken Bells, 'Broken Bells' (Columbia)". Spin . Retrieved September 22, 2010.
14. "Broken Bells Hot 100 History". Billboard . Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
15. "Certifications for Broken Bells". MusicCanada. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
16. Mumbi Moody, Nekesa (September 27, 2010). "Broken Bells finds its unique voice". Boston.com . m
17. Harding, Cortney (February 9, 2010). "Danger Mouse, James Mercer ring in Broken Bells". Reuters . Retrieved February 3, 2014.
18. NME (December 21, 2009). "Danger Mouse/Shins new band Broken Bells give away new song". NME . Retrieved December 29, 2009.
19. "The Making of "The Ghost Inside," Broken Bells, 2010.
20. "Australiancharts.com – Broken Bells – Broken Bells". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
21. "Austriancharts.at – Broken Bells – Broken Bells" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
22. "Ultratop.be – Broken Bells – Broken Bells" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
23. "Ultratop.be – Broken Bells – Broken Bells" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
24. "Broken Bells Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
25. "Danishcharts.dk – Broken Bells – Broken Bells". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
26. "Dutchcharts.nl – Broken Bells – Broken Bells" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
27. "Broken Bells: Broken Bells" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
28. "Lescharts.com – Broken Bells – Broken Bells". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
29. "Offiziellecharts.de – Broken Bells – Broken Bells" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
30. "Greekcharts.com – Broken Bells – Broken Bells". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
31. "Norwegiancharts.com – Broken Bells – Broken Bells". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
32. "Swedishcharts.com – Broken Bells – Broken Bells". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
33. "Broken Bells | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
34. "Broken Bells Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
35. "Broken Bells Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
36. "Broken Bells Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
37. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
38. "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2021.

External links

• Official website
• Artwork