THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART * BELONG
(Slumberland/Collective Sounds)
I don't know if you can attribute it to nostalgia or just a nice change of pace, but I really can't get enough of recent 1990s revivalists. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart aren't straightforward 90s-lovers like [my current obsession] Yuck, probably because they've had a little bit longer to hone their craft. However, there's no doubt that the ten songs on Belong, their follow-up to their excellent self-titled debut LP, borrow slightly from some of the premiere bands of the early to mid 90s, including Smashing Pumpkins and The Cure. Lead singer Kip Berman has a whispy yet commanding voice. It doesn't dominate your ear buds with volume but begs your attention because of its sincerity. Nowhere is that more evident than in "Heart in Your Heartbreak," which may be the ideal radio single (if the band were on a larger label).
Belong is much more polished than their past output, and that can be argued both positively and negatively. Sure, the blushing naivety of TPOBPAH's earlier work was both charming and engrossing, but the new, hook-centric direction of the band invites them to showcase their burgeoning skills in alternate ways. As is heard on "My Terrible Friend" and "The Body," Belong shows the young quintet settling into a common idea of form & structure. All throughout, they're noticeably more cognizant of production. That's not to say this album is over-produced (because it's not); Belong is just obviously a product of planning, procedure and attentiveness to every little detail, whether it be an added guitar line, a locked hi-hat or the oh-so-little group pause between the bridge and chorus. All of those components result in maybe not the listen we were expecting, but definitely one that is desirable and capable of continued rotation.
With the slight change in direction TPOBPAH has taken, it's already easy to long for their more emotive past. Sadly though, the weakest moment in the album might be when the band tries to reconnect with that on "Anne With an E." In an album that is supposed to mark the young band's progression, "Anne With an E" seems like a [small] step backwards, and unfortunately, a little out of place. Thankfully, the anthemic "Even In Dreams" picks the record back up with a Weezer-esque vibe (seriously...replace Berman's voice with that of Rivers Cuomo...you'll hear it).
As the album steadily closes with the driving "Strange," we're again reminded of the band's humble infancy. Instead of a pounding exclamation to finish their second full-length, we're offered a slow fadeout that's as much a point of emphasis as it is a bow. TPOBPAH may not have gone about business as usual during the Belong sessions, but they absolutely created an enjoyable next step in what is still an adolescent career.
Grade: A-
Belong is much more polished than their past output, and that can be argued both positively and negatively. Sure, the blushing naivety of TPOBPAH's earlier work was both charming and engrossing, but the new, hook-centric direction of the band invites them to showcase their burgeoning skills in alternate ways. As is heard on "My Terrible Friend" and "The Body," Belong shows the young quintet settling into a common idea of form & structure. All throughout, they're noticeably more cognizant of production. That's not to say this album is over-produced (because it's not); Belong is just obviously a product of planning, procedure and attentiveness to every little detail, whether it be an added guitar line, a locked hi-hat or the oh-so-little group pause between the bridge and chorus. All of those components result in maybe not the listen we were expecting, but definitely one that is desirable and capable of continued rotation.
With the slight change in direction TPOBPAH has taken, it's already easy to long for their more emotive past. Sadly though, the weakest moment in the album might be when the band tries to reconnect with that on "Anne With an E." In an album that is supposed to mark the young band's progression, "Anne With an E" seems like a [small] step backwards, and unfortunately, a little out of place. Thankfully, the anthemic "Even In Dreams" picks the record back up with a Weezer-esque vibe (seriously...replace Berman's voice with that of Rivers Cuomo...you'll hear it).
As the album steadily closes with the driving "Strange," we're again reminded of the band's humble infancy. Instead of a pounding exclamation to finish their second full-length, we're offered a slow fadeout that's as much a point of emphasis as it is a bow. TPOBPAH may not have gone about business as usual during the Belong sessions, but they absolutely created an enjoyable next step in what is still an adolescent career.
Grade: A-
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