When an album gets its title from ultrableak playwright Samuel Beckett, you expect to suffer through the plaints of a suicidal folkie or a bunch of pathetic art rockers. Instead, Los Angeles quintet the Broken West (formerly the Brokedown) craft good ol’ unironic pop on their debut full-length, proudly echoing everyone from the Beatles to Big Star to Matthew Sweet. Drunk on ringing guitars, crashing drums, and swooning harmonies, singer Ross Flournoy and crew try to compensate for their shortage of fresh ideas with boundless enthusiasm — and almost pull it off.
Now Hear This: The Broken West – “Down in the Valley” DOWNLOAD MP3
