Free Song By New Danger Mouse & James Mercer Project

In September, super-producer Danger Mouse and Shins’ frontman James Mercer announced a new side project. The duo was thus christened “Broken Bells.”

About a week ago, the band started some oddball viral campaign, where they set up websites with domain names that are anagrams of Broken Bells. Each site had a specific splice of music played on a constant loop.

Less than 24 hours ago, the mystery of the cut-up sounds was revealed with a free download from the Broken Bells website. The download is of a song off the duo’s upcoming album, and the tune is called “The High Road.” You can still grab it by going to the website and entering your email.

The song is something you may come to expect from either artist, but in one single stream. If you like dependability, that’s a plus, but if you feel that both of these artists may have gone stale, you might want to stay away. In any case, “The High Road” stumbles at the start, with an odd smattering of bit-rate keys before Danger Mouse’s signature groove kicks in. Add Mercer’s familiar, indie-defining cooing and you’ve got a solid gold song. Perhaps not a hit by any measure, but a solid song through and through.

Broken Bells – “The High Road”: