The Broken West

Last year, Merge Records released I Can't Go On, I'll Go On, the debut long-player from Los Angeles quintet the Broken West—an excellent introduction to the band's bright blend of power-pop, jangle-rock, and classic late-'60s Cali-pop songwriting. Though hints of Big Star, the Hollies, and the Beatles could be heard in their tunes, the Broken West was relentlessly compared to Summerteeth-era Wilco, and not entirely unfairly. But a sweaty, exuberant performance last spring at the Showbox – opening for the Long Winters – proved the band is confidently heading down its own sonic path, with terrific songs in tow. They've just put the wraps on a new album that's due to drop this fall, so expect to hear a bunch of fresh tunes when they roll back into town. As Kirkland, Wash.-born bassist Brian Whelan told me last year, "The next album will be a different experience, and I'm looking forward to that…it probably won't be that sorta wide-eyed innocence, but that doesn't mean it won't be good." Guess we'll find out on Tuesday. With the Blakes and New Faces. Neumo’s, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m., $10. All ages.
Tue., June 24, 8 p.m., 2008