Broken Bells played The Troubadour in Los Angeles on March 14th and we were fortunate to score tix. I had only been exposed to The High Road and was instantly into it as previously posted (and the video is certainly a strong companion to the wonderful composition). I only had time to check out the album the day of the show and I think unconsciously I went into it with the preconceived notion that Danger Mouse had his production fingers all over this.
What I saw and heard next blew me away. James Mercer made his name with The Shins…I honestly was in awe over his vocals…and completely with how great the band sounded. Yea The Troubadour was packed and the kitchen was pumping out fries and hummus plates but I hadn’t been to a show in a long time where the sound out performed the quality on the record. These guys sounded good and the instruments sounded better than the recording.
What? That is exactly what I thought. I mean, didn’t Danger Mouse have his magic touch on this. He may of but these guys rocked. They jammed and song after song James delivered with a tone that is both angelic and soulful.
