The Broken West
I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On (Merge)
The Broken West’s debut sports a big, masculine sound strangely lacking in swagger but with a sensitivity that never devolves into emo self-consciousness. If the L.A. quartet’s confident power-pop were to approach you in a bar, it would take the form of the guy every girl wants to take home to mom: earnest, manly, and appropriately attractive. He sidles up with “On the Bubble,” dimples on display, and you’re hooked. He shares his dreams with you in “Big City,” bucking with a rubbery synth that moves the searching tune’s tale forward. He might tell you how much he misses his most recent girlfriend (“Baby on My Arm”), providing you with the perfect opportunity to kiss away his pain. Ultimately, you’ll break his heart, and while his love for you may eventually go out “Like a Light,” you can rest assured he’ll be writing songs about you for a long time. (Wednesday, March 14, Antone’s, 12mid)
All Showcases Subject to Change
This article appears in March 9 • 2007.