Merge Records

The Broken West

The Broken West
"A search for something invisible. Something just beneath the surface./
Something hidden in plain sight - the fingerprints on the picture./
Something that has been right there all along./
On a small strip of grass in a backyard in Los Angeles."

It was in a backyard of their L.A. neighborhood that Ross Flournoy, Danny Iead, Rob McCorkindale, Brian Whelan and friend/writing partner Adam Vine developed Now or Heaven, The Broken West's second full-length album. A sense of home, symbolized by that small strip of grass, provided the necessary amount of comfort and inspiration after a long tour in support of their acclaimed debut, I Cant Go On, Ill Go On.

With Now or Heaven, The Broken West captured a pathos that at once sparkles and is simultaneously depraved, altogether L.A. While many bands second albums end up being about the road, Now or Heaven originates from home, the longing to get there and all that comes from being there. The perspective generated from the time spent on the road and the distance traveled led to a new, unnamable development.

Drummer Rob McCorkindale and bassist Brian Whelan tempered and extended the rhythms and the tone of longing first explored on I Cant Go On, Ill Go On. Each song on Now or Heaven contains clever guitars and sublime harmonies, while the drums and bass deliver driving, deliberate rhythms that are more than metronomic; these pulses literally and figuratively power the album. Now or Heaven also marks Brian's songwriting debut with the dynamic romp, "Got It Bad."

The serendipity and the gravity found in the lyrics reflect the ultimatum put forth by the albums title: Now or Heaven. The title itself springs from an alternate lyric suggestion: "now or heaven" instead of "now or never." This inadvertent wordplay stuck, as it reflects the band's sense of humor as well as their weariness from a year spent on the road.

"Got It Bad" begins with "two days and a changing scene," and a weary cynicism is introduced. The immediacy of the music continues to echo in the lyrics until the end, highlighted by the upbeat "Perfect Games" ("We waste our time/When we could be righting every wrong"), the steadfast and deceptive "Ambuscade" ("Living in a lion's den/Turned me into one of them"), the piano-laden "Auctioneer," and the tongue-in-cheek "The Smartest Man Alive." Each song finds the band contemplating themes of desire and, ultimately, a search for a respite within the constant state of flux in which we live.

The Broken West spent a year searching for "a diamond in a bag of ice," only to find what they were looking for in their own backyard. Ross, Danny, Rob and Brian may have returned from their travels with a more sinister perspective on the world, but despite everything, each song on Now or Heaven is infused with an immediate burst of catchy familiarity and unquenchable charm.

The Broken West is: Ross Flournoy (guitar, vocals); Dan Iead (guitar, backing vocals); Brian Whelan (bass, backing vocals); Rob McCorkindale (drums, percussion)

www.thebrokenwest.com/
The Broken West visit Josh Schwartz's Rockville, CA on TheWB.com
03.16.2009
The Broken West will appear on Rockville, CA, the new, music-themed, scripted original digital series created by Josh Schwartz (“Gossip Girl,” “Chuck,” “The O.C.”) on Tuesday, March, 17.

Rockville, CA is a contemporary romantic comedy which takes place entirely in a fictional music club called Rockville and was filmed completely on location at famed Los Angeles indie music venue The Echo. The show takes viewers into the lives of a group of twenty-somethings from diverse backgrounds who gather regularly at the club to hear their favorite up-and-coming bands as well as blow off steam. Rockville the club has a life of its own, which is conveyed through the cast of regulars and the musical artists that appear in each of the 20 original webisodes.

The Broken West will appear in one of the four premiere episodes that will be available at TheWB.com beginning March 17. Full streaming video of The Broken West’s performances will be available at www.rockvilleca.com Check out the trailer at the Merge blog.
New Videos from The Rosebuds, The Broken West & Telekinesis!
03.06.2009
The Rosebuds, The Broken West & Telekinesis all have new videos! The Rosebuds video is for "Life Like" and is beautifully creepy. The Broken West video makes "Perfect Games" the soundtrack to an homage to "Spy vs. Spy." The Telekinesis video for "Tokyo" was directed by Merge intern, Dianna Potter. Enjoy!


The Rosebuds - "Life Like"

Order The Rosebuds - Life Like on CD, LP, and digital in the Merge store.


The Broken West - "Perfect Games"

Order The Broken West - Now or Heaven on CD or digital in the Merge Store.


Telekinesis - "Tokyo"

Pre-Order the debut album from Telekinesis - Telekinesis! in the Merge store.
Dutchman's Gold EP [self-released] 2006
I Can't Go On, I'll Go On [Merge] 2007
Now or Heaven [Merge] 2008
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On Tour

American Music Club [+]

July
18 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge
19 Hudson, NY Jason's Upstairs
20 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
21 Cambridge, MA The Lizard Lounge
22 Albany, NY The Linda at WAMC
[see all]

Richard Buckner [+]

July
19 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg

Caribou [+]

July
19 Dour Dour Festival
20 Nijmegen de Affaire Festival Nijmegen, Saddlespan Valkhofpark
21 Milan Parklife Festival
25 Cambridgeshire Secret Garden Party
26 Birmingham Supersonic Festiva
[see all]

The Clientele [+]

July
19 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg

Destroyer [+]

July
17 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
27 Atlanta, GA The Earl
28 Washington, DC Black Cat
29 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church
30 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
[see all]

Lambchop [+]

November
13 Durham, NC Duke Performances @ Reynolds Theater

Oakley Hall [+]

July
21 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
August
02 Peekskill, NY Paramount Center for the Arts

Conor Oberst [+]

July
04 New York, NY Battery Park
07 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
08 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap Filene Center
09 Morgantown, WV 123 Pleasant St.
10 Wilmington, DE Frawley Stadium
[see all]

Pipe [+]

July
17 Chapel Hill, NC The Cave

Polvo [+]

July
30 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
31 New York, NY South Street Seaport
August
01 Baltimore, MD Ottobar

She & Him [+]

July
26 Chapel Hill, NC Memorial Hall

Spoon [+]

July
09 Austin, TX Stubb's
10 Austin, TX Stubb's
11 Austin, TX Stubb's

Superchunk [+]

July
17 New York, NY Seaport Music Festival

Telekinesis [+]

September
05 Seattle, WA Bumbershoot Festival

M. Ward [+]

July
04 Utrecht Tivoli
05 Roskilde Roskilde Festival
23 Salt Lake City, UT Twilight Concert Series
27 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club
28 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
[see all]

Wye Oak [+]

July
21 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
26 Chapel Hill, NC Memorial Hall
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