I’ve always admired bands that can comfortably wear suits on stage without losing an ounce of energy. Such is the case with Broken Bells. In the new video for “Holding on for Life,” performed live at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, James Mercer and Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) play a sort of melancholy, even spooky disco, replete with a haunting intro and a falsetto chorus worthy of Barry Gibbs. Like many Broken Bell tracks, this one carries all its energy in its understatement, which is not to say the song falls flat, but rather the concert footage is testament not only a band with a sense of style, but one with a strong sense of subtlety, and in complete control of a crowd.
