Jon Caramanica on the Pains of Being Pure at Heart

"Had you been covering your ears Friday night at the Bell House while taking in the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, you might have mistaken its sound for a heavy one. Kip Berman, the singer, was grinding away at his guitar, often doubled over, and Kurt Feldman was pounding at his drum kit. … But really the Pains of Being Pure at Heart are irrepressibly light, a band at ease with melody and softness. On its excellent self-titled debut album, which was released last month on Slumberland, the band — which includes Mr. Berman, Mr. Feldman, the singer and keyboardist Peggy Wang and the bass player Alex Naidus — neatly processes a whole range of styles. There’s a mild hauteur drawn from new wave, a thickness derived from shoegaze-pop and a pulse passed down from dance-punk. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart might paint within the lines, but they do so with panache. … 'Everything With You,' a wistful love poem, was big and bright, and 'A Teenager in Love' sounded like an optimistic Cure record, with shuffling beat underneath swooning keys. … Warm on the outside, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart seethe with refreshingly mordant wit" ("Music Review," New York Times, 3/17/09).