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After the Disco, the follow up recording to Broken Bells’ self-titled release in 2010, could be as much a reference to a state beyond happiness as one of a state beyond loneliness. Using that as a thematic base for songwriting has yielded, again, a great unison of brilliant melody and dark infused lyricism. One of the more interesting qualities that can be uncovered in the music of Brian Burton (songwriter/producer/musician professionally known as Danger Mouse) and James Mercer (singer/guitarist for The Shins) is that you will hear beautiful melodies upfront, and then further delve into the lyrics and realize that the meaning behind it is more depressing, though in a productive musical way, than originally thought. “What a lovely day to be lonely,” sings Mercer in “Holding On for Life,” the leading song for the record that features a distinct piercing synthesizer melody; the opening of it compared by Burton to a west-coast early 1990s gangsta rap-era riff, though quite the opposite as the song unfolds.
“Nothing’s permanent in life, so it’s useless to hold on so tight,” sings Mercer midway through the record on the song “Control.” Burton has described his personal life as something lacking permanence with respect to relationships and other personal areas, possibly due to his endless demand and tight working schedule, and that line is certainly derivative of the darkness that Mercer refers to in speaking of Burton’s muse when writing. On “Lazy Wonderland,” the chorus break in the song takes the record deeper into an imaginative and mysterious trip-induced scene, which exits with the strength of horns. In the climaxing chorus of “The Changing Lights,” Mercer sings, “My cards are on the table, I’m here tonight, but I don’t need anything from you” with high-pitched harmonies. The shift at this point into the song injects such an emotional energy to the piece and gives an exhaustive effect of having no more to give. “The Remains of Rock and Roll” seals the record and features a string section reminiscent of those found blanketed across Burton and Italian composer Daniele Luppi’s 2011 recording Rome.
After the Disco, like many of Burton’s records, is a scene-based record with undertones of a complete story that only several can decipher the meaning to. The record adds onto the sound that came out of the band’s previous record, and the songwriting only strengthened as the songwriting relationship between Mercer and Burton grew. It’s an album that features elements of each of their efforts aside from Broken Bells and the blend of those sounds produces a layered recording with a detailed focus on connecting melody with human feeling.
