I’m late to the party for The Broken West, but I am damn sure glad I’ve finally arrived. An early pick for best album of the year, “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On” is muscular, minimalist Americana with incredible range. Compare the dark and sinister opening chords of . “Down in the Valley,” to the bouncy, almost-pop (and eerily similar to the Alan Parsons Project) tune, “Hale Sunrise,†which in a feat of delicious irony, begins with the words, “Cold is the heart that breaks out in song.†Able to walk the line of sensitivity without going all emo-twee, this is an album you can’t go wrong with. It’s up on emusic, by the way. They also put on a stellar show.
I think I’lll prove that you all, right here right now. This is a brief set they did opening for The Walkmen in March of this year. Check it out.
