The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Higher Than The Stars
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Label: Slumberland
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s second EP, Higher Than The Stars, is essentially more of the same from the New York indie sensations; fuzzy guitars, ’80s pop sensibilities and boy-girl vocals courtesy of Kip Berman and Peggy Wang. But when a young band’s output has been so consistently dazzling, I can hardly find anything wrong with that. Higher’s four songs (and one CD-only remix of the title track) could have fit anywhere on their self-titled debut; that’s a mark of their quality and not a holding pattern.
The title track opens the EP with a prominent synthesizer and a vocal so pretty that it’s easy to ignore what’s being said: “Shitfaced, fumbling in a dark place/ Drinking in the last days, this street looks just like the next street/ Bumblefuck on repeat.” That kind of Belle and Sebastian meets The Jesus and Mary Chain sensibility is par for the course- Berman’s continuing a style, not imitating it. Already a live staple, the song’s as pretty as anything they’ve ever done, if slightly more informed by electronic tweets.
The following “103″ brings a roaring guitar back to the forefront with a minimal but heavy drumbeat anchoring the song. It’s probably the least consequential inclusion on the EP, but it’s also the briefest at just barely past two minutes. The closing couplet of “So how can I get it through to you/ I just don’t think your death wish is going to come true” may be a little too on the nose, but didn’t every indie rocker these days grow up listening to Morrissey? Fortunately, “Falling Over” takes that influence in a different, better direction. Easily the finest song on Higher, Marr-influenced guitar wars against Wang’s hazy keyboards while Berman’s ever-distant voice is perfect for a chorus like “Don’t you touch me, just be cool/ Don’t you touch me, I’d fall over for you.” The joyful vivacity of the guitar is in perfect contrast to the sentiment and that’s what’s always made it a winning combination.
The closing “Twins” takes much the same approach as “103,” buzzing guitar and driving drums to a vaguely wistful story of loss. It’s not that either is bad or even boring, but compared to the strengths of the others songs, they’re bound to be overlooked. The bonus track, a remix of “Higher Than The Stars” (listed as “Saint Etienne visits Lord Spank”), manages that rarest of feats, making a remix more interesting than the original. Although it takes the not-uncommon route of a nearly tropical beat and drawing out the running time through chorus loops, shedding the fuzz actually brings out the mystery and dreaminess of the song.
All said, Higher is a fine companion piece to The Pains’ debut. It’s not a stall or a sign of creative stagnancy, but a minor continuation of what they already do well. We’ll have to wait on a second album to see about that.
by Nathan Kamal
