The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Friday
Reviewed by Austin Powell, Fri., March 20, 2009
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
(Slumberland)Like a summer crush circa 1989, Brooklyn's Pure at Heart churns out precocious twee pop served sunny-side up. A fleshed-out collection of singles, the quartet's eponymous debut nestles up nicely beside that of its Slumberland forebearers (Velocity Girl, Black Tambourine), not to mention early Joy Division and the Jesus & Mary Chain. Where the latter's distortion served as a repellent force, here it's warm embrace cushioning the melodrama of "Come Saturday" and "Young Adult Friction." Standout "Everything With You" exemplifies all the band does well: shimmering guitars, engaging tempo changes, catchy delivery from Kip Berman, and, with keyboardist Peggy Wang-East's harmonies, some honey atop the haze. The song hits like a heat wave in just three minutes. Everything sounds vaguely familiar, but rarely has it been done with such pristine confidence. (Thu., Opal Divine's, 10:25pm; Fri., Emo's Jr., 11pm.)
