At first I had some trouble deciding whether Broken West’s new album, Now or Heaven, has a distinct sound, or if it gets lost among the countless mediocre indie-rock bands emerging onto the national scene right now. The song that made them the most distinguishable was track 8, Got it Bad. You could make the argument that it gets repetitive, but it creates an entrancing atmosphere–the heavy beat layered carefully with electronics, whispers, and vocal effects. I also enjoy the final 20 seconds of the song a great deal. The ending sputters off into the distance with fading whooshing and booming sounds (clever descriptive words, I know). I think this small, perhaps overlooked part of the song, and the album, is significant in that it breaks the coherency, if only for 20 seconds. “Now or Heaven” is catchy song after catchy song, but “catchy” can get stale. That’s why small things, such as abstract conclusions, become important. It’s this microcosmic blip that makes Broken West distinct in my mind: perhaps not only the blip itself, but that it is exemplary of the craftiness they show throughout their new album.

Purchase the band’s new album HERE

MP3: The Broken West – Got It Bad