James Mercer and Brian Burton a/k/a Danger Mouse have completed work on the first album by their new and ongoing band Broken Bells. Broken Bells features Mercer on vocals, guitars and bass while Burton plays organ, drums, piano, synths and bass. The pair play all the instruments on the album with the exception of a full string section arranged by Daniele Luppi. Broken Bells was recorded by Todd Monfalcone and Kennie Takahashi at Mondo Studio in Los Angeles and produced by Burton. Each a long-time fan of the other's work, Burton and Mercer first met face-to-face backstage at the 2004 Roskilde Festival in Copenhagen. The pair immediately hit it off and kept in touch over the prevailing half decade and in May 2008 seized the opportunity to finally collaborate on original music together. Once in the studio, the musical floodgates opened, an intuitive ease and seemingly ego-less telepathy producing an astonishing flow of new material over the course of a year. From more than 20 pieces of new music written and recorded, Broken Bells was assembled from 10 songs that coalesced together the most seamlessly.

Dot Hacker (also known as .hacker) is Josh Klinghoffer's latest project. I've only heard one song of his (Secret Handshake) but it's enough to keep me intrigued to an extensive degree. In my world, Dot Hacker's music mimics the tranquility of the ocean and manages to linger into my ears at the speed of honey...almost like pulling a rope with a very heavy weight at the end or taking one step backwards and two forwards or watching an earthworm squirm in the sun or a caterpillar squirm up a tree or watching the coi fish swim in slow motion in that man made pond at the mall. That's it! Dot Hacker's music is slow motion music! In a good way, of coarse.