Ever find yourself sitting round, twiddling your 10 thumbs, then you toss a CD with so-so cover art on the ole player, and then you stop, do a double take on the name and the art and realize: I like this. Who are these people and where have they been all my life?

Due to the constant influx of mail at the office, that happens to me all the time - I'm glad to say. And the latest band that made me feel those special feelings, once again, is LA's Broken West, who have a new Merge album, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On out right now.

Originally called the Brokedown (another band in Chicago inadvertently put the kibosh on that handle), the Broken West make indie pop that wouldn't be out of line in the small but growing pile of January listenables that includes the latest by the Shins, Lewis Taylor, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. See if they pass your own high standards for tuneful indie when the band plays on Monday, Feb. 5, at Cafe du Nord, SF.