Broken Records

Broken Records

Like fellow brother band, The National, and the cosmopolitan and stylish Walkmen, Scottish band Broken Records create swanky, crescendoing works of art for five pieces. Signed to heavy hitters, 4AD, and having already released Let Me Come Home in Europe (it drops this week, stateside), the band will likely soon join this growing pantheon of deliberate rockers. As part of 4AD’s lovely “Sessions” series – sometimes filmed at the Studio Plateaux on Platts Eyott island – Broken Records recorded five songs in an 1827 chapel off Old Kent Road in South East London. They tear through rockers like album opener “A Leaving Song” and “You Know You’re Dead” with National-esque splendor, and brothers Jamie and Rory Sutherland take it down a notch for final number, “Home,” a plaintive ‘sorry’ song. “I made a mistake, I don’t know why I left/ So please, baby, come on home,” sings Sutherland, his voice not quite as convincing as Hamilton Leithauser or as emotionless as Matt Berringer, but plenty tempting still. When his brother comes in on an atmospheric violin towards the song’s conclusion, though, they go places neither the Walkmen or the National have ever quite gotten to. See the band’s upcoming tour dates and watch videos for “Home” and “You Know You’re Dead” from the band’s 4AD session below.

Sun 2/20 WASHINGTON, DC – BLACK CAT BACKSTAGE
Mon 2/21 PHILADELPHIA, PA – NORTH STAR BAR
Tue 2/22 NEW YORK, NY – MERCURY LOUNGE
Wed 2/23 BROOKLYN, NY – THE ROCK SHOP
Wed 2/24 BOSTON, MA – BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL
Sat 2/26 CHICAGO, IL – SCHUBA’s
Sun 2/27 MINNEAPOLIS, MN – TRIPLE ROCK SOCIAL CLUB
Wed 3/2 SEATTLE, WA – TRACTOR TAVERN
Thurs 3/3 PORTLAND, OR – MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS
Sat 3/5 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – RICKSHAW STOP
Sun 3/6 LOS ANGELES, CA – SATELLITE LOUNGE (formerly Spaceland)