FFF Nites: Saturday

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Trailing two solid, albeit similar albums, these New York shoegazers' third LP deviates from its predecessors just enough to prevent pigeonholing. A cleaner, clearer output compared to their self-titled 2009 debut, the quick, 37-minute Days of Abandon maintains the band's ethereal noise-pop, but clears the haze with new straightforwardness and less fuzz (dreamy "Beautiful You" guitar tones delightfully echo Lush's). A recent lineup shuffle adds A Sunny Day in Glasgow's Jen Goma to the vocal mix in time to distinguish bouncy "Kelly" from a mislaid Smiths song, hers a comparatively confident delivery next to former soft-sung keyboardist/singer Peggy Wang. While missing the reverbed recklessness of early Pains tracks like "Come Saturday," Abandon proves leader Kip Berman can mature while maintaining his songs' finer attributes. (10pm, Mohawk outside)