The Pains of Being At Heart are one of the most hyped and adored new bands of the last couple of years. Admittedly, while there has never been anything original about their sound, their debut invoked a certain unbridled glee. While perfectly mimicking early Belle & Sebastian, shoegaze and C86, the band effortlessly tossed off catchy melodies, hooks and grin-inducing lyrics full of dour wit.Now the band has returned with their follow-up “Belong,” and while a general survey of reviews prove that the band is still enjoying the good-will of a majority of critics, I would like to add my voice to the few brave dissenters in the midst of what is otherwise an unmitigated love fest. To begin with, I will say this: all the things that made their self-titled debut enjoyable - the casual twee arrangements, the easy to discern hooks and melodies, the smarmy lyrics - all of those things are entirely absent from “Belong.” There are two possible reasons for this, the first is the band’s choice of production.
The band enlisted 90s studio legends Flood and Alan Moulder to produce and mix the record and to give it a hi-pro glow, to this end the succeed wildly. Between the two of them, Flood and Moulder have been responsible for the sound of The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, U2, Depeche Mode and other “alternative” heavyweights throughout the 90s. The band’s choice of production speaks to greater ambition far removed from the quaintness that made their debut so enjoyable. Certainly the band got what they paid for, and the record does sound bigger, glossier, and all of that crap, but in the process Flood and Moulder’s technical wizardry has flattened the charm right out of The Pains of Being Pure At Heart.
Maybe it isn’t Flood and Moulder’s fault, maybe it is just that this time around the band decided to dumb down their sound, throw away all of the hooks and go for something generically 90s alt-rock because 20 years ago that was the sound that sold records. And sure, The Jesus and the Mary Chain had a hit with “Automatic” back in the day, but once that record began collecting dust in used bins, no one in their right mind believed it a worthy successor to “Psychocandy” and “Darklands.” No one. Apparently though, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are not of their right minds. Take a listen to “Girl of 1,000 Dreams” and you will hear what I am talking about.
This isn’t to say there isn’t anything to recommend on “Belong.” The album starts out fairly strong with a title track that mixes loud and soft dynamics to great effect. Granted it’s not anything we haven’t heard before, but when Kip Berman smashes his foot down on the distortion pedal for a quick blast of 90s-patented heaviness, it’s pure heaven. “Heaven’s Going To Happen Now” isn’t too far removed from the easy breezy bounce of their debut, but it is shinier and louder. Things start to grow dull around “Heart In Your Heartbreak,” a simple by the numbers alt-pop song that save for a rocking breakdown in the center is just plain boring. “The Body” is a vast improvement, featuring a chorus that recalls the sort of anthematic alternative brit-pop that soundtracked John Hughes’ films. It’s an album highlight that could have easily sealed the deal on the record, but unfortunately pretty much every track that follows ends up sinking into a monochromatic gloss of generic alt-pop. Yes, it is shiny, and yes it is polished, but at heart there is nothing unique about “Belong” to recommend beyond a few tracks.
So I’m calling bullshit on the love-fest surrounding this record. If you really want to hear some generic 90s alt-rock, hit the used bins and pick up “Automatic” or an album by Curve or Lush. At least they had a modicum of originality going for them, something that will never be said for The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart.
"Heart In Your Heartbreak"
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - "Heart In Your Heartbreak" from Mike Luciano on Vimeo.
"Belong"
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