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The Broadways
Broken Van (Asian Man Records)
By: Alex Steininger
 The now-defunct Broadways weren't afraid to speak out against things they felt were unjust, as is clear throughout their debut full-length, Broken Star. With a title referring to the abuse of power by the police and songs about the celebration of genocide, giving up material possessions and just living with a backpack and a dream, and commercial profits versus what is best for the environment, the band managed to wrap their rage and discontent for society around melodically violent pop-punk. Broken Van, a collection of their last recordings, out-of-print 7"'s, and the Big City EP (Asian Man), contains everything the band ever recorded.Essential for any fans of the band, Broken Van doesn't hit as hard or ring as loud as Broken Star. What it does do is give you a taste of the band and what they were all about from the beginning to the end. "Floundering" is a band struggling to find themselves as they work and learn to function as a team; "It Was Pancho Villa" is the work of a tighter unit trying to use music to get their message across to a wider spectrum of people; and "Dropjaw" expands beyond the usual as The Broadways incorporate pop and emo into their steady diet of punk. The consistency isn't the best; one moment the band controls the air with potent punk and the next minute they're working through demos. But, the spirit and drive is alive and well throughout, giving the album a fighters mentality from start to finish. A great memorial for the band; I'll give it a C.
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