<p><strong>The Pains of Being Pure at Heart</strong> gave us the first great debut of 2009, an album exploding with hooks, energy, style and unabashed enthusiasm. The band’s name is no affectation: This local dream-pop quartet wears their emotions on their sleeves without sliding into anything resembling emo-esque self-pity. In short, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart (as acronyms go, even <span class="caps">TPOBPAH</span> is a mouthful) offer indie pop at its finest, bringing to mind recent acts like <strong>Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls</strong> and <strong>Cause Co-Motion</strong> while retaining a darker, heavier edge that brings me back to the halcyon days of the <strong>Wedding Present, My Bloody Valentine</strong> and early <strong>Jesus and Mary Chain.</strong> If you love boy-girl harmonies, you’re gonna flip: Lead singer and guitarist <strong>Kip Berman</strong> has an appealing vulnerability that’s only sweetened by <strong>Peggy Wang</strong>‘s smooth background vocals, as the pair harmonize in front of a tight arrangement of crunching guitars, fuzzed-out keys and infectious jangle pop. Few records have helped maintain our collective spirits through this shitty recession than <strong>the Pains of Being Pure at Heart</strong> — without it, we’d have committed hari kari long ago. <span class="caps">GET</span> IT, your very survival may depend on it. (James)</p>2009-01-29T19:39:55-05:00the-pains-of-being-pure-at-heart-s-t5097852Music2009-01-29T19:39:55-05:00The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: s/t2009-12-04T14:48:00-05:00Slumberland
*The Pains of Being Pure at Heart* gave us the first great debut of 2009, an album exploding with hooks, energy, style and unabashed enthusiasm. The band's name is no affectation: This local dream-pop quartet wears their emotions on their sleeves without sliding into anything resembling emo-esque self-pity. In short, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart (as acronyms go, even TPOBPAH is a mouthful) offer indie pop at its finest, bringing to mind recent acts like *Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls* and *Cause Co-Motion* while retaining a darker, heavier edge that brings me back to the halcyon days of the *Wedding Present, My Bloody Valentine* and early *Jesus and Mary Chain.* If you love boy-girl harmonies, you're gonna flip: Lead singer and guitarist *Kip Berman* has an appealing vulnerability that's only sweetened by *Peggy Wang*'s smooth background vocals, as the pair harmonize in front of a tight arrangement of crunching guitars, fuzzed-out keys and infectious jangle pop. Few records have helped maintain our collective spirits through this shitty recession than *the Pains of Being Pure at Heart* -- without it, we'd have committed hari kari long ago. GET IT, your very survival may depend on it. (James)
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