 | Tracklist:
1. Contender
2. Come Saturday
3. Young Adult Friction
4. This Love Is Fucking Right
5. The Tenure Itch
6. Stay Alive
7. Everything With You
8. A Teenager in Love
9. Hey Paul
10. Gentle Sons
Release Date: 2009 | |
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On 34 Lists
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| Summary: Despite some shortcomings pertaining to variety and originality, this is a charming debut from a band worth watching. |
2 of 4 thought this review was well written
I am not qualified to write this review. The only exposition I have to this so-called “lo-fi/shoegaze/noise pop” genre is Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, an album which I admire and enjoy in equal measure. I’m not caught up on the newest releases by No Age, nor have I been touched by the glory that is The Microphones’ The Glow Pt. 2. I haven’t even listened to If You’re Feeling Sinister. However, when my ears first heard the combo of treble-y guitars and ethereal vocals on The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, I was both impressed and enjoying myself. This is the kind of album that may turn the unaccustomed onto other albums of the same manner.
Throughout the record, the indie quartet skillfully mix in their treble-y guitars with light, airy vocals: an easy listen, but not one that will bore the listener in any way. The songs are also very simple in spirit, containing simple chord progressions and barely reaching outside of the normal qualities of song structure. This simplicity ends up being both the album’s biggest asset and its biggest liability: the album’s straightforwardness makes it easy to swallow, but also makes it feel a tad generic and unexciting.
This is no big matter, because sound rather than originality wins out on The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, a record whose distant and atmospheric tone is always charming and never overbearing. The greatest examples of this are in the songs “Young Adult Friction” and “This Love is ***ing Right!” the best two on the album. “Young Adult Friction”, a song which, on first listen, barely seems to have any variation or chord changes, ends up one of the most endearing listens on the album. The song ends in a fittingly simple repetition of “don’t check me out”. The song leads into “This Love is ***ing Right!” which also features a strikingly simple guitar part and a simple structure. The song seems to be somewhat normal teenage-love fair until the chorus comes around, where a sudden and unexpected twist is put on the song: “You’re my sister, and this love is ***ing right.” Despite the song’s incestuous overtones, it’s still a charming listen, which attests to the skill of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.
“This Love is ***ing Right!” is not the only song with an unexpected twist in the lyrics: “A Teenager in Love” suddenly pulls one over on us when it is revealed that the teenager in question is actually in love “with Christ and heroin”. Normally, a line like that would feel forced, but with the irresistible musical backdrop it’s given, the group pull it off.
At times, the listener may grow tired of the quartet’s sound, wishing they would throw in more variation. However, for most of the record, the group keeps it fresh, throwing in subtle but vital changes, keeping the listener interested throughout the album. So, despite its shortcomings, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is an impressive debut by a promising band, and an album that should keep listeners anticipated for the band’s next release.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4
Your piece about "A Teenager In Love"
"Normally, a line like that would feel forced, but with the irresistible musical backdrop it’s given, the group pull it off."
That's exactly what I was subconsciously thinking
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Cool album. Nice review, glad to see one written for this. This Love is ***ing Right is brought up a bit.
Digging: Botanist - I: The Suicide Tree / II: A Rose From the Dead | | | Album Rating: 3.5
I'm personally a fan of Gentle Sons. I can't listen to this too much as it can get old quickly, but it still is a pretty fantastic release. Great second review as well.
Digging: Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself Digging: Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself | | |
Despite the song’s incest overtones
the song's incestuous overtones. Other than that, great review, keep writing for sure.
| | | Album Rating: 4
dang, you beat me to reviewing this one, it's a great album. Review is pretty good, but don't sell yourself short, you write well and clearly. Although I guess they could be branded as lo-fi, I don't see Neutral Milk Hotel, Belle and Sebastian, and No Age (never heard Microphones) as being much in the neighborhood of TPOBPAH in terms of sound. I think that their sound is better characterized as shoegaze, as they seem to be influenced in part by bands like My Bloody Valentine and Ride.
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i was actually totally thinking that they weren't exactly lo-fi
just attests to my total knowledge of that genre, eh? XD
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ive heard a lot of hype about these guys but their name turns me off
Digging: Winter Resistance - Sleep In The White Blanket Digging: Winter Resistance - Sleep In The White Blanket
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I was walking thu the city listening to this once and I felt like i needed to flllyyyyy its so airy and fluffy
Digging: The Flaming Lips - The Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends | | |
a nice review for a really nice album - although I wouldn't label this lo-fi at all, it's more like Shoegaze-Pop, or simply Tweepop or something like that. happy music anyway ^^
people who like this album should check out Snowball by The Field Mice, it was definitely the main influence for this one.
Digging: The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation - Egor
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Your first paragraph name drops 3 of my favourite albums. Well played.
Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music | | | Album Rating: 4
This album is good
Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music | | | Album Rating: 4
Considering downloading this, I hear it sounds like My Bloody Valentine
Digging: Sigur Ros - Valtari Digging: Sigur Ros - Valtari | | | Album Rating: 3.5
This is pretty cool. I think I like Asobi Seksu more though. But Titan have you already heard Slowdive?
| | | Album Rating: 4
No, but I plan to check them out anyway. From what I've heard from Loveless, I really need to check out more shoegaze
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lol i called this lo-fi
| | | Album Rating: 4
Wow
Just listened to this, am really surprised. Really love this. I love the strange nostalgic quality it has
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Ya, this rules, might up the rating
| | | Album Rating: 3
DON'T CHECK ME OUT
DON'T CHECK ME OUT
DON'T CHECK ME A-A-A-OUT
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ugh review's kinda embarassing, awful namedrops
cool record, might have cracked ma top 10 had i listened more
young adult friction owns
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
get their new ep, there's a ballin saint ettiene remix
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