Judging solely from their debut album, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart have part of the equation right. Their sound is distinctive. It's derivative, or course, of My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain and a few other bands, but it's punched up with a certain amount of spunk that sets them apart. The lyrics pile on the melancholy with a love of the tabboo ("This Love is Fucking Yeah!" and its incestuous insinuations), but sonically the band is punkish with reverb in the back to add a foundation. It's not particularly inventive, but it's incredibly catchy. Also, it gives the rock critics a chance to show their knowledge of 80s and 90s underground scenes and bands, which I'm pretty sure accounts for some of the high ratings this album gets. Not that I dislike it - the hooks are there and will latch onto your very soul - but I see more potential here than execution.
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