The Broken West Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
The Broken West's debut album I Can't Go On, I'll Go On was full of sunshine. The big, bright guitars, lush and sweet vocal harmonies, and huge, friendly hooks called to mind bands like Teenage Fanclub or Beachwood Sparks; bands who sound Californian through and through, in other words. On the follow-up, Now or Heaven, they strip almost all of the sunshine out of their sound. The big chiming guitars are replaced with thinner, almost Spartan tones, the drums are often provided by machines, and the optimistic feel of the record has vanished. The template for the group's sound has shifted from sunny indie rock to more dramatic and precise indie rock. More Spoon or Walkmen than TFC, more New York than California. Luckily though the quality of the songcraft remains mostly undiminished, and if you can weather the sea change in sound, Now or Heaven is worth a listen. The best songs, like the jumpy opener "Gwen, Now and Then," the quietly urgent "Embassy Row," or the energetic "Perfect Games" could have, with a few more guitars added, fit in fine on the debut. Most of the rest are good, no-thrills indie rock with only a couple of tracks that really fall flat. "Elm City"'s icy synths and hushed tones are less dramatic than they are clichéd, and "House of Lies" comes off way too much like Spoon Lite. Along with these stumbles, the main problem with the album is that it doesn't sound like I Can't Go On, I'll Go On II. Sure, bands should progress and change things up so they don't keep making the same record over and over but, really, another record that sounded as good as I Can't Go On would have been OK. It would have been welcomed with smiles and sunshine even. As it is, Now or Heaven is good enough but too derivative and uneven to be seen as anything other than a mild disappointment. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
'I Can't Go On, I'll Go On'
Release Date 1/23/2007
Tracks 12
Label Merge
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Broken West may hail from Los Angeles but they reside at the crossroads where indie rock, power pop and country-rock meet and mix together into something quite wonderful. Unfailingly tuneful and sweetly melodic, the group's debut is a rollicking gem of a record that may remind you of lots of bands but it also vaults them on an equal footing. Not too many bands can equal their influences on their first try, but the Broken West do it. There are a couple keys to their success, the first of which is some judicious borrowing of classic techniques and sounds. From power pop they borrow tight vocal harmonies, walls of chiming guitars and classic song structures, from country-rock they take barroom pianos and a general looseness, and indie rock provides the atmospheric, reverb-y production. Other bands have attempted a similar thing and done fairly well (Beachwood Sparks, the Bigger Lovers) but the Broken West are one of the few that put all the pieces together perfectly. The second way they succeed is by giving their warmer-than-the-California-sun sound a jolt of East Coast toughness and energy. So many bands confuse being laid-back with being comatose, so it's good to hear a band who give their richly layered tunes some heart and soul. Of course, all of this would add up to something nice but forgettable if the band had no good tunes; luckily, they do. Just about every song sounds like a radio-ready single on the best station around. The best songs (like "On the Bubble," "Hale Sunrise" and "So It Goes") are the kind you put near the front of a "please fall in love with me because I love great music" mixtape. That may not get anyone to love you but it's certain that anyone who loves this kind of classic indie rock will definitely fall in love with the Broken West and their near-perfect debut. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
