the pains of being pure at heart

[iron yuppie]

Did you listen to it?

I did. It reminds me of Siamese Dream, which probably is not an expected comparison, but it definitely has a 90s-retro vibe to it.

 

[Jive Turkey]

It reminds me of Siamese Dream

30 seconds in and I couldn't agree more

 

[u2popmofo]

I did. It reminds me of Siamese Dream, which probably is not an expected comparison, but it definitely has a 90s-retro vibe to it.

Considering the post before you linked the stream is me mentioning that I thought the lead single had a Smashing Pumpkins-esque guitar sound to, it is quite expected.

 

[Jive Turkey]

I half expected the lyrics of the first song to begin "freak out/give in"

 

[iron yuppie]

Considering the post before you linked the stream is me mentioning that I thought the lead single had a Smashing Pumpkins-esque guitar sound to, it is quite expected.

Ha, we're on the same wavelength, then. Regardless, I should have re-read before posting.

 

[phanan]

I might wait to get the CD before listening as it's only a couple of weeks now.

 

[Axver]

On the basis of just one listen, it seems to me that the new album is more consistent than the debut, but I'm not sure it has individual moments that are quite as good as the best the band's done previously. That said, Heart In Your Heartbreak has just kept growing on me, so no doubt the rest of the album will too.

I must admit I think it's a tremendous shame neither Say No To Love nor Lost Saint are on there, since they're both in my Pains top five.

 

[u2popmofo]

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Belong < PopMatters

 

[LemonMelon]

Listening to this later tonight and intend to not be such a dick about it.

 

[If you shout...]

Holy shit @ that review. Even his write-up of himself makes me want to kick him in the pants.

 

[u2popmofo]

Yeah, that last paragraph alone is brutal. Not sure what that guy was talking about, but at least it's nice the album received a decent score.

 

[iron yuppie]

Yeah, that last paragraph alone is brutal.

That's what a BA in philosophy will do - thinking that you are incredibly profound without realizing the limitations of your own education.

 

[phanan]

I totally forgot this is out tomorrow. That'll make the day at work go a little better.

 

[u2popmofo]

My copy won't arrive until Wednesday. Not sure why Amazon screwed up the release day for this one.

 

[u2popmofo]

4/5 stars from Allmusic (better score than the last album).

Belong - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | AllMusic

I keep forgetting that Flood produced this.

 

[LemonMelon]

Silversun Pickups are going to be pissed when they hear this.

Myself, I really liked it, even though it's just Pains exchanging one set of influences for another. The title track doesn't even try to hide the Smashing Pumpkins similarities, but a few others mix the twee synth-pop shit with it to achieve a certain level of uniqueness. The songs are consistently catchier than the debut's, and their occasionally face-palm-worthy lyrics are gracefully buried beneath the layers of fuzz. It's a really nice improvement and a solid album in its own right.

 

[u2popmofo]

 

[phanan]

I've only gone through it once, but damn, that was a great first listen.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

I'm pretty disappointed to be honest...they're wearing the influences on their sleeves a bit too much whereas the first album amalgamated them into something that sounded surprisingly new (and was my second favorite record of '09).

I adore "Heart in Your Heartbreak" though. Perfect song.

 

[u2popmofo]

Really? I thought the first album was as much of a throwback to the late 80's and early 90's Creation Records sound as was musically possible.

Regardless, glad to hear most everyone is liking it. Hopefully my copy arrives before I leave for work today.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Really? I thought the first album was as much of a throwback to the late 80's and early 90's Creation Records sound as was musically possible.

Difference being that the first album clearly had taken advantage of production techniques and indie rock's changing atmosphere over the last twenty years. This new record sounds like it could have been released in 1993 and they could have toured with Sugar.

 

[u2popmofo]

To each their own. And as I just commented, I thought the first was a 100% pure throwback as well, so it's not as if it's anything new for Pains. Not sure why one sort of throw back sound is ok, but another is not.

My copy finally arrived. It's so nice to pay for Amazon Prime, and still get an album 2 days after it's release day.

 

[joyfulgirl]

It's so nice to pay for Amazon Prime, and still get an album 2 days after it's release day.

I pre-ordered from Amazon the David Foster Wallace posthumous novel to be released on April 15 and it already shipped yesterday. They're kind of inconsistent on that pre-ordering business.

But if it makes you feel better, I ordered both Pains records on your recco when this thread was bumped (plus I'd heard some songs I liked anyway and just never got around to buying the records).

 

[u2popmofo]

I pre-ordered from Amazon the David Foster Wallace posthumous novel to be released on April 15 and it already shipped yesterday. They're kind of inconsistent on that pre-ordering business.

But if it makes you feel better, I ordered both Pains records on your recco when this thread was bumped (plus I'd heard some songs I liked anyway and just never got around to buying the records).

Good point! I've definitely received my fair share of things before the actual release day from Amazon as well.

Glad to hear you're enjoying them! I still haven't had a chance to give Belong a spin yet at work today.

 

[u2popmofo]

It finally felt like spring here yesterday, and I decided to grab my iPod and go for a walk while I listened to it for the first time. I really like it, probably a better overall album than the first.

Best New Music from Pitchfork is nice.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Glad to hear you're enjoying them! I still haven't had a chance to give Belong a spin yet at work today.

I haven't actually received them yet.

I, too, went for a walk with my iPod yesterday and all I could think was how shitty music sounds on it. Need new headphones.

 

[u2popmofo]

What bit rate are you ripping your music at?

 

[u2popmofo]

I would like to mention once again that I'm really enjoying the new album.

If you like shoegaze or dreampop at all, it's worth looking into.

 

[the tourist]

This is a very solid album. With all the Smashing Pumpkins references, I was skeptical. I used to love the Pumpkins, not so much anymore. But this was better than I was expecting.

 

[u2popmofo]

Other than the title track, there's pretty much nothing else that sounds like SP (heyo, old bang and clatter inside jokes!).