Kevin Bronson on August 29th, 2011

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You have to hand it to Ben Heywood. When the frontman of the L.A. indie-rock band Summer Darling found himself confronted by writer’s block last year after the release of his band’s well-regarded album, he didn’t break out by dashing off some 3-minute pop ditties. He dug deep. He imagined a chaotic, environmentally devastated American West whose denizens fight to eke out an existence. His forthcoming solo album “Skills for the Long Emergency” embraces that concept in stark cinematic fashion. Says Heywood: “It’s a compilation of eight short stories set in the western United States after a state’s war over dwindling natural resources has forced the dissolution of the Union.” The panoramic first track “The Long Emergency/Border Town/Whispers From the Fire” invites you sonically and lyrically into this world, aching with every sweltering step.

||| Download: “The Long Emergency/Border Town/Whispers From The Fire”

||| Live: Ben Heywood plays Buzz Bands LA’s SecondTuesday songwriter night at Lot 1 Cafe on Sept. 13. Summer Darling plays Sept. 10 at the Echo.