I Can't Go on I'll Go on

The Broken West, Apex Manor | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 23, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B000LP6KOO
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,459 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the silence you don't know, you must go on..., January 23, 2007

By 

Guy "Rock Fan" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Can't Go on I'll Go on (Audio CD)

If you read any of the music blogs out there, you'll know that I'm not the first to say the following: This is a record that will likely stand as one of the great musical statements of its generation.

Not since the Strokes' debut has a band appeared with so cohesive and persuasive a document of the feelings of people their age. Superficially, there is very little to recommend a comparison to the Strokes. The Broken West feature harmonies, handclaps, keyboards and an expansive production palette. Yet, both are the standout bands of their relative cities and scenes (in case of the Broken West, the Silver Lake/Echo Park power pop scene), elevated above the rest of the pack due to the excellence of songs, production, lyrics, musicianship and no small amount of charisma.

Just as the Strokes have their own clear influences, it is not difficult to tell that the Broken West adore their Brian Wilson, ELO, George Harrison and Alex Chilton LPs. "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On" isn't an exercise in replication, however. Instead, the band reforms these sounds of innocence and lost love. It weaves them into a blanket that it drapes over a dystopic vision of youth and young manhood in which we are guilty by association with the world into which we are born and we question if we'll ever find love enough to lose. For all its sunshine and "ooh-ooh-ooh"s, there's a tension to this music, a feeling that at any moment the curtain might be pulled back and we'll be forced to reckon with the fears we keep hidden from others and, mostly, ourselves.

The Broken West embrace and repurpose decades of power pop music, mix in their own ideas and outlook and emerge with a stunning and coruscating record of a life that is helpless but not without hope. I've been listening to this record in pieces since various songs began leaking onto the internet months ago. Today I was finally able to hear the album several times and, as catchy as the individual songs are, it really should be listened to as a complete thought.

This is a truly special album.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great sound, February 11, 2007

By 

Christine G. Neikirk "portergrace" (norfolk, va USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Can't Go on I'll Go on (Audio CD)

The Broken West is the first band in some time that provided a double-take moment when "panning for gold" on XMU. You have to sift through a lot of junk, but once in a while, you come across a real nugget like The Broken West's Brass Ring. Keep up the good work.

4.0 out of 5 stars They Can Go On, July 3, 2008

By 

R. Mahieu "Seattled Rick" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Can't Go on I'll Go on (Audio CD)

I saw the Broken West open up for The National, summer 2007... what a show. One of the few opening acts that could've headlined. I'm sure they will be shortly, based on this album. They have some upbeat pop elements but stay true to the 'indie' title... are we all getting sick of calling REAL GOOD MUSIC indie, or is it just me? Anyway, on with the review...

The album starts with what most say is a great song, although I don't like it. Nothing too catchy. Track 2, "So It Goes", starts with pounding drums, and I think this was how they opened the concert. Instantly drew me in. Kind of like Brian Wilson crooning over one of Spoon's happier songs. "Down in the Valley" starts with some grungy (another one of those terms that needs replacing) guitars, then brings in some semi-effected/filtered vocals, ala The Bigger Lovers/Electric Soft Parade, but finds more of a melody than most of eithers' catalogues. "Shiftee" is downbeat and forgettable. "Brass Ring" picks things up again, in the same vein as "So It Goes". Hopefully this will be Broken West's bread and butter. What a song. "Big City" contains some synths and funky piano riffs, reminding me again of Spoon, but also a bit of Beatles in there, and some other influences I can't pin down yet. "You Can Build an Island" has simplistic melody, soothing vocals, solid guitars, and is a true gem. Brings to mind Julian Lennon's song "I Don't Wanna Know".

This leads into the album's standout, in my opinion. "Hale Sunrise" has it all. Great vocal arrangements, pounding beats, grooving piano. This one will be in heavy rotation for me for quite some time. Really digging this track. Very uplifting. "Abigail" follows and is a nice addition to the ever growing list of songs with first names of women. Nice backing vocals, Beatle/Beach Boy-esque, with some spacially separated drums plodding nicely in the background, until an electric piano solo leads into the 3rd verse. Great 1-2 punch here.

"Slow" is definitely fast, but drags. Nothing exceptional, actually the only song that I consider filler. Next up is the haunting "Baby on My Arm", with vocals swirling and blending into a nice sweeping pad. Good guitar strumming on this one. Check out the version of this song on the Woxy.com lounge act. Truly amazing. "Like a Light" closes off the album, and has a real 'bookend' feel. Slow build up to a nice end to a great album.

All in all, I regret selling this disc back to the record shop after I ripped it. I have a feeling I'll be wanting more than the mp3's on my PC in the years to come. Oh yeah, just a note... if you can find their cover of Tegan and Sara's "Back in Your Head" online, don't miss it. They take the annoying out of it and turn it into a beautiful song. They Can Go On, They Will Go On.