Stereogum X Amazon MP3 Friendly Deals #11: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
Every few weeks, Amazon.com lets us select one recent release from its MP3 store to go on super sale (up to 75% off normal prices). Hopefully you'll be able to add these must-own LPs to your library without breaking your budget.
Onetime BTW the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart made a big splash this year with their self-titled full-length debut, an easy-to-like collection of jangly, fuzzy late '80s/early '90s-style indie pop. As we've mentioned, from the album art down to the melodies and layers of pretty noise, it's clear they like the Pastels, Black Tambourine, etc. That's a good thing. As anyone who's hummed The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart 10 tracks after just one listen can attest.
Like fellow Slumberland revivalists Crystal Stilts, Pains also evoke Jesus & Mary Chain with their guitar grains and then in an altogether different pop direction. Like the Stilts, though, their album works best as a whole, where you have time to drift completely into dreamy, ecstatic, vintage-seeming world. You've probably already caught the New Yorkers wandering a gray city for their "Everything With You" and getting subliminal (and punny) about their "Young Adult Friction," but you need to trace the path from "The Contender" to "Gentle Sons" to see why they're on the tips of so many tongues.
To help you get better acquainted, today we're making The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart available at Amazon MP3 for the price of $2.99. Hey, it's basically what a Black Tambourine 7" would've cost you in the early '90s. Your starter kit:
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "Come Saturday" (MP3)
Posted at 11:55 AM in Friendly Deals, MP3
Tags: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
But this is now, and it is great.
Score = 5
I think I would like this 'deal' more if you selected great albums that the majority of us here at stereogum haven't already heard of, maybe some older bands we may have missed.
Score = -2
I agree with Andrew. This would have been a great deal a month or two ago before I downloaded this from emusic. I could have saved the emusic downloads for something else.
But for those who don't already have it, it's a really good album. Looking forward to seeing them at Pitchfork.
Score = 1
Hey Andrew,
There are many restrictions on what we are allowed to select. It has to be newish album, and approved by both Amazon and the label, and it has to be at a specific regular (non-sale) price, and it can't be something that has already been an Amazon deal, among other factors. It also is selected months in advance. We're doing the best we can given w/ the limitations. I think it's still worthwhile.
Score = 7
That makes every bit of sense. Thanks for the clarification, I'm sure a lot of us don't think about the red tape/restrictions that go along with these sorts of deals, I certainly didn't.
Score = 3
Thank you Stereogum again for having this feature. As laid-off person, this gives people like us a way to buy new music with tapping too much into to food money. I lust bought it and love it! Keep it up guys. You always choose great stuff.
Score = 7
album is great- performances, not so great. Meek as fuck.
http://rdfrnds.blogspot.com/
Score = -2
This is an awesome album and it is a great thing for it to be featured on Amazon so that more people can discover it and, hopefully, TPOBPAH can break out of the indie ghetto.
Score = 1