The Pains of Being Pure at HeartDays of Abandon
Reviewed By: Brian Roser
This album is about love. Searching for it, finding it, keeping it and losing it again. As such, the lyrics and melodies range from the peppy and upbeat to the melancholy and bittersweet. All the while, Kip Berman’s ethereal voice floats above it all in a tone reminiscent of the Smashing Pumpkins.
The band’s name, which doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, was taken from a story written in 1991 by Charles Augustus Steen III. If any bands want to take their name from a book I’ve written, please feel free to do so. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart was formed in 2007 in New York City. The Pains currently consists of Kip Berman on vocals and guitar, Alex Naidus on Bass, Kurt Feldman on drums and Peggy Wang on keyboards and vocals. Far from just being backup, Wang was given lead vocals on two of the album’s tracks: “Kelley” and “Life After Life.” I hope this is a trend that continues in the future. Her vocals, strong and beautiful will be as great an asset to future albums as they were to this one.
I must say, I really like the song titles, from the poetic “Coral and Gold” to the just plain awesome “Masokissed”. There is also a clever music video of their single “Simple and Sure,” which can be found on Youtube. There is not much on this album that will have me scrambling to listen to it again. In its defense, however, it was perfectly enjoyable the first time around.
A word must be said about the album cover. Two girls are lounging around in nothing but a pair of pantyhose, while one of them is fingering a whistle in her mouth. Not really going for subtlety on this one. Since when has rock and roll been synonymous with images of gratuitous sex? … Oh, right… Second thought, never mind… Carry on…
Rating: Listenable
