The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (album)
Encyclopedia
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is the self-titled debut album by the New York indie band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
, released on February 3, 2009. The album was recorded at Honeyland Studios in Brooklyn
, New York
, and was mixed by Archie Moore. The album was released to generally warm critical reception. First pressing of vinyl is black. Second pressing of the vinyl is clear. The third pressing is black & white swirl.
, The Field Mice
and The Jesus and Mary Chain
.
, the album currently has a 76 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."
NME
's Nathaniel Cramp called the album "Pure indie-pop to hold close to your heart." Ian Cohen of Pitchfork Media
gave the album a "Best New Music" designation, writing: "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart simply made a slyly confident debut that mixes sparkling melodies with an undercurrent of sad bastard mopery, and you're just being a dick if you think the past has some kind of patent on that. That's just the way good pop music works." Robert Christgau
also praised the album, writing "Not only do they have a sound, they have tunes, and the words bring both home. One day it will please them to remember even this." Allmusic's Tim Sindra was a little less positive, but still enjoyed the album, writing "A little more variation from song to song, a little more of their own sound, or another song or two as compelling as the best stuff here and the POBPAH's debut would have been classic. Settling for impressive is fair enough and good enough for fans of loud, fuzzy, and heartfelt indie noise pop."
In a more mixed review Popmatters
' Matthew Fiander criticized the second half of the album, writing "The melodies sound a little too simple, the vocals almost anemic, and the songs take on a dreary-afternoon trudge." Fiander also criticized the album for its lack of originality. In another mixed review, The Guardian
's Maddy Costa wrote that "Anyone convinced that the C86 bands represent a nadir of tweeness will hate it - while anyone who thinks that Britpop
and dance music ruined indie will fall hopelessly in love."
Pitchfork Media
ranked the album #19 on the website's list of The Top 50 Albums of 2009. In addition, the same website ranked the song "Young Adult Friction" #30 on their list of The Top 100 Tracks of 2009.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are an indie pop band from New York City. Their first album was a self-released EP which came out in 2007 through the Painbow label. Their debut self-titled full length album was released on February 3, 2009 via Slumberland Records. The band name comes from an...
, released on February 3, 2009. The album was recorded at Honeyland Studios in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and was mixed by Archie Moore. The album was released to generally warm critical reception. First pressing of vinyl is black. Second pressing of the vinyl is clear. The third pressing is black & white swirl.
Musical Style
The album's sound has been compared to My Bloody Valentine, RideRide (band)
Ride were a British alternative rock band that formed in 1988 in Oxford, England, consisting of Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Laurence "Loz" Colbert, and Steve Queralt. The band were initially part of the "shoegazing" scene. Following the break-up of the band in 1996, members moved on to various other...
, The Field Mice
The Field Mice
The Field Mice were an indie pop band on the indie label Sarah Records. Initially a duo from South London suburb of Mitcham comprising Robert Wratten and Michael Hiscock, their first EP, Emma's House, was released in November 1988, and reached number 20 in the UK Independent Chart...
and The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...
.
Track listing
Personnel
The following people contributed to The Pains of Being Pure at Heart:- Kip Berman - Guitar, Vocals
- Jon Chaikin - Remastering
- Archie Moore - Audio Engineer, Mixing
- Alex Naidus - Guitar (Bass)
- Peggy Wang-East - Keyboards, Vocals
Reception
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart has received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregate site MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the album currently has a 76 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."
NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
's Nathaniel Cramp called the album "Pure indie-pop to hold close to your heart." Ian Cohen of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
gave the album a "Best New Music" designation, writing: "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart simply made a slyly confident debut that mixes sparkling melodies with an undercurrent of sad bastard mopery, and you're just being a dick if you think the past has some kind of patent on that. That's just the way good pop music works." Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
also praised the album, writing "Not only do they have a sound, they have tunes, and the words bring both home. One day it will please them to remember even this." Allmusic's Tim Sindra was a little less positive, but still enjoyed the album, writing "A little more variation from song to song, a little more of their own sound, or another song or two as compelling as the best stuff here and the POBPAH's debut would have been classic. Settling for impressive is fair enough and good enough for fans of loud, fuzzy, and heartfelt indie noise pop."
In a more mixed review Popmatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
' Matthew Fiander criticized the second half of the album, writing "The melodies sound a little too simple, the vocals almost anemic, and the songs take on a dreary-afternoon trudge." Fiander also criticized the album for its lack of originality. In another mixed review, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's Maddy Costa wrote that "Anyone convinced that the C86 bands represent a nadir of tweeness will hate it - while anyone who thinks that Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
and dance music ruined indie will fall hopelessly in love."
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
ranked the album #19 on the website's list of The Top 50 Albums of 2009. In addition, the same website ranked the song "Young Adult Friction" #30 on their list of The Top 100 Tracks of 2009.
Singles
- "Everything with You" (November 17, 2008)
- "Everything with You"
- "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart"
- "Young Adult Friction" (March 31, 2009)
- "Young Adult Friction"
- "Ramona"
- "Come Saturday" (September 8, 2009)
- "Come Saturday"
- "Side Ponytail"
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
9 |
| US Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
37 |