I was once told that the way to my heart is a straight, paved road with no obstacles. This, I must confess, is pretty much true, but not entirely. At the start of the road, there is an 8-year-old in a rocking chair with an eye patch and a sawed off shotgun shooting at cans and talking nonsense about the Vietnam war. The road may be easy, but this kid is annoying and wants to talk about things that he doesn’t understand like death and being in love. He is an innocent, but wishes there was a dark side to him. That’s why the debut self titled album from “Pains of Being Pure at Heart” has become this month’s favorite album.
Sonically speaking, the album is not too far off from the noise pop jams that have also been recently released from Slumberland Records like “Crystal Stilts” and “caUSE co-MOTION!” That is to say that it is noisy, poppy and cute. The album is kind of like that time you look at your best friend after a night of alcohol and overly personal stories and half jokingly talking about staying the night and then making out to a song about sister and brotherly love in “This Love Is Fucking Right!” Just because it’s scary and dangerous doesn’t mean you shouldn’t just go for it. I mean, let’s face it, if you don’t end up with somebody you’re platonically involved with, then you’ll just end up exploited and used.
In “Come Saturday,” boy and girl sing together about the trials and tribulations of a Tuesday, “But come Saturday, you’ll come to stay. You’ll come to sway in my arms. Who cares if there’s a Party Somewhere? We’re going to stay in.” Because if you don’t, you’ll just end up “A teenager in love with Christ and heroin” not caring about the friends who actually would stand with you. And it’s these youthfully sincere, yet ultimately na’ve lines that have convinced my inner 8 year-old Vietnam vet to give “Pains of Being Pure at Heart” a shot at my love.
From there, it is just a mile long walk talking about how we deal with life’s rejections and how “I never thought I would come of age, let alone on a moldy page” or they way “you’re taking toffee with your Vicodin, something sweet to forget about him.” Though the lyrics are sad and sappy, the music is loud, proud and assures the listener that we will all laugh and dance it off and “if you go your own way, I will go my own way and we’ll never speak of it again.”