Our friends at Merge tipped us off to their upcoming release from LA’s Broken West, Now Or Heaven, out Sept. 9. I must confess, their first Merge release, last year’s I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, slipped by me. So when I checked out these new tracks, I was very surprised: this band is not what I thought they were– with a name like “The Broken West” I was always under the impression that they were a dusty, sun-baked, country-leaning outfit. Turns out I was wrong. These guys actually have quite a handle on the sunny, upbeat, winsome pop angle, and that was a pleasant surprise.