The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Bell House 03.13.09

It took me awhile to correctly remember this band's name, so I surprised myself when I jumped on The Pains of Being Pure at Heart wagon last month. I didn't think that TPOBPAH was particularly amazing at first listen, but it turns out that they're more infectious than the This is Why You're Fat meme and way less gag-inducing.

For whatever reason, I really love starting and ending my weekend nights with TPOBPAH. I must be quite a sight, jamming on the street while walking home in the early hours of the morning, but I can't really stop myself. So, it only seemed appropriate that I kick off a weekend with a Pains show at one of my favorite venues, the Bell House. Riding the Pitchfork BNM wave, TPOBPAH packed the room with eager spectators, myself included. I expected a dancing-good time, and Pains absolutely delivered. Seriously, I don't understand how anyone could not have had fun at this show. Sure, the band wasn't always perfect on the technicals, but they make up for the lack of precision with irresistible songs like "The Tenure Itch" and "Everything With You." I really hadn't been giving TPOBPAH enough creative credit. Yes, some of their songs sound a little indistinguishable, but that's sort of the nature of their genre. After listening to the opening acts, I could see that shoegaze/dream pop is not as easy to execute as Pains make it sound. I only wish they had more songs because 30 minutes of TPOBPAH is not enough.

Like I said before, I can imagine listening to TPOBPAH during the middle of the day at an outdoors festival. Looks like we will be doing just that at Pitchfork Music Festival this July. And the July countdown begins...

The Tenure Itch - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | Alternative Link


Everything With You - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | Alternative Link