JIM CARROLL's future sounds
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: deja vu all over again
You will think that it’s 1986 all over again when you hear the self-titled debut album from The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. As the songs flow, you are transported back to a time when jangly indie-pop, fuzzy melodies and fizzy noise-pop would get an act a John Peel session, coverage in the NME and the love and devotion of indie kids everywhere.
It’s an album that demands that you mention The Wedding Present, The Pastels, The Shop Assistants and My Bloody Valentine (well, before Kevin Shields headed for the hills).
But how did these New Yorkers actually stumble on this trove of twee in the first place?
Singer and guitarist Kip Berman attributes it to musical geekiness. “All of us in the band are music nerds. We listen to all kinds of stuff, from heavy guitar music that’s really loud to pop music that’s really pretty and gentle. I guess our aim is to try and combine the two. I think The Pastels are a perfect example of a band who, at their peak, managed to that quite successfully and also early Teenage Fanclub and My Bloody Valentine.”
Berman sees their homage to a scene he had no actual or geographic connection with (“In 1986 I was five years old, begging my mom to let me wear a bandana”) as normal.
“Every band loves other bands so the whole historyof music is about imitation and connection to other artists you love. If there’s renewed interest in bands that were once ignored, that’s nice. Bands like The Flatmates and Talulah Gosh were never household names, so it’s great if they’re getting re-appreciated or even discovered for the first time.”
www.thepainsofbeing pureatheart.com
Legion of Two: no riff raff
At this stage, Alan O’Boyle is a veteran of the electronic music game. As Decal’s co-founder, O’Boyle has built up an enviable back-catalogue with releases on labels such as Planet Mu, Rotters Golf Club and Leaf.
Long before there was much of an Irish electronic music scene, O’Boyle and Decal were putting down strong markers.
His new project, Legion Of Two, sees him working with David Lacey. The drummer is another Dublin musician with a long CV, including playing a leading role in founding and developing the I-and-E Festival for contemporary improvised music.
O'Boyle and Lacey have worked together before, and the obvious empathy is evident in the Legion of Two debut album, Riffs. Thrilling and dramatic, Riffsis a bout between old-school industrial beats and new-school electronic grooves. The mixing and matching between Lacey's pulsating live stickwork and O'Boyle's fierce electronics provides the basis for a remarkable dubbed-out soundtrack. Dive in and join them.
www.myspace.com/ thelegionoftwo
FOUR MORE
An Horse
Delicious indie pop from a duo who’ve swapped working in a Brisbane record store for touring and living in the United States.
www.myspace.com/anhorse
The Mummers
A cast of eight, Brighton's Mummers are all about dramatic, quirky, live performances. Check out a jaw-dropping version of Passion Pit's Sleepyhead.
www.themummers.co.uk
Bibio
Beautifully summery electronic sounds from producer Stephen Wilkinson.
www.myspace.com/mrbibio
Reminder
Funky experimental adventures from Chicago beats-dude and one-time Roots sidekick, Joshua Mikah Abrams.
www.myspace.com/reminderr
