The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: s/t
Let’s get this out of the way. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is one of the most pretentious band names of all time. It makes Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark sound economical. Judging from the name alone, it would be easy to write the band off as a bunch of self important art school dropouts. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
At their core, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are a lo-fi noise rock band. There are walls of fuzz and crashing drums. The vocals occasionally get lost in the sheets of sound. The band’s avant garde tendencies are interesting, but like Pavement, they never let them get in the way of the almighty hook. The choruses on this record are enormous.
Synth pop and new wave are very trendy influences right now. The Pains of the Pure at Heart are smart. The influence is there, but it’s subtle enough so you don’t quite pick them up on the first few spins. Instead of blatantly ripping off a Duran Duran record, they add subtle flourishes. For example, the acoustic guitar on “Stay Alive” sounds like Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me-era Cure. The guitar solo in “Everything for You” sounds like it came from a Rick Springfield single, possibly “Human Touch.” Frontman Kip Berman’s voice is a cross between Ian Curtis’ drone and Robert Smith’s melancholy, which is the perfect compliment to the music.
The biggest issue with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is the production. The instruments are mixed very high, so sometimes it’s heard to hear the lyrics. This is a problem, because the lyrics are the best part of this record. If you want lyrics about mature love, go elsewhere. The lyrics of this band are exactly what their name suggests. These songs are all about the initial rush of love. It’s about your heart fluttering when you see your crush enter a room. It’s about awkwardly phrased conversations and quick hugs. It’s about the stabbing pain of rejection. These are overblown descriptions, but in the mindset of a teenager, it’s very real.
Lyrics like “You are taking toffee with your vicodin, something sweet to get over him,” are ridiculous, but in the John Hughes-style world the band has created, they are perfect. After a while, I expected Molly Ringwald to say “They fucking forgot my birthday.” The album is only ten tracks, mirroring the fleeting nature of teenage romance.
The Pain of Being Pure at Heart has captured a moment in time with this record. Unlike emo bands, PBPAH are not relying on cheap pathos here. The moment they are portraying is universal, which why the album works so well. The fact that they can craft a damn fine chorus certainly helps. If you like shoegaze pop music, you need to pick this album up. They really need to do something about the name though. It sounds like a Morrissey tribute band.
