Artist:Broken Bells
Song:Holding on for Life
Album:After the Disco
Broken Bells is a side project from producer Brian Burton AKA Danger Mouse featuring The Shins lead singer James Mercer. They have done well on the Alternative Rock chart and the 2013 single Holding on for Life is their biggest hit to date. Burton is so busy I am surprised he has time for this. Burton and Mercer met when both appeared at the 2004 Roskilde Festival in Denmark. Burton expressed his admiration for Mercer's vocals and suggested they record together. And that's what they did in 2008 at Burton's recording studio in Los Angeles. When they announced the project in 2009, they described the music as melodic but experimental. Broken Bells signed with Columbia and released their self titled debut album in 2010. It's just Burton and Mercer in the studio but they hire musicians for tours. The album was certified Gold and the tour went well. So they released a second album After the Disco in 2013. As with the first album, Burton and Mercer wrote all the songs and played all the instruments. Again they hired musicians for touring. The single Holding on for Life reached #2 on the Adult Alternative chart. It's their biggest hit to date. The song has a Bee Gees vibe. This album didn't sell as well as the first album. The album is available as a budget CD. By the time Broken Bells returned with the 2022 album Into the Blue, Sony moved Broken Bells from Columbia to the much smaller AWAL label. It's probably a smaller promotion budget and I don't think they toured either. With diminishing returns and Burton and Mercer's busy schedules, this could be the end for Broken Bells. It lasted longer then most side projects. Here's the video for Holding on for Life by Broken Bells. The couple in the video is played by actors Kate Mara and Anton Yelchin.
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