The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Higher Than the Stars
September 24th, 2009 by Chad Radford in Music news
By name the Pains of Being Pure at Heart present something of a Morrissey-like dilemma. If you can suspend your gag reflex long enough to give Higher Than the Stars‘ title track, or the aggressive distortion of “103” a fair shake, each song teems with gorgeously slurred shoegazer pop dreaminess. Whereas last year’s self-titled breakthrough impressed with sun-bleached, no-nonsense arrangements, here “Falling Over” and the soulless St. Etienne remix of the title track rediscover the cheesy dance floor politic that, in retrospect, infects much of the EP. Historically speaking, obsessive remixing rang a death knell for many of the Pains’ influences, and the problem with revisionist history is that it overlooks the mistakes made by those who came before. (Slumberland)
3 out of 5 stars
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the Depreciation Guild and Cymbals Eat Guitars. $12. 8:30 p.m. Mon., Sept. 28. The Earl. 404-522-3950.
September 26th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Stop by Criminal Records in L5P, for a preview performance by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Monday (Sept 28th) @ 4:00pm.