I Can't Go On, I'll Go On

I Can't Go On, I'll Go On is a true power pop gem - shimmering and cool, with sharp edges and soaring melodies - recorded over the course of a year under the watchful eye and patient, insightful ears of engineer Raymond Richards at his Red Rockets Glare studio in Rancho Park, CA. The process was truly a labor of love, wherein the band grew by leaps and bounds as songwriters and musicians. The results are captured on a record that ranks with the best of debuts, a mature and cohesive album. Like any great pop record, I Can't Go On, I'll Go On deals with eternal themes of isolation, distance and the longing for a center - a sense of place - in this topsy-turvy world. The Kinks, Big Star, and The Byrds are obvious touchstones, as well as more contemporary favorites like Spoon and Teenage Fanclub, but The Broken West's triumphant songs stand strongly on their own.