Bands come and go, but their members keep on moving, especially If their music addiction is impossible to cure. There is no panacea for loving music. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart is a band that has now become a one-man project. Kip Berman is a type of music phenomenon that falls into the same category a Wavves. Both Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Wavves are one of those bands who had their 15 minutes of fame during the past decade thanks to the expansion of indie rock. After a remarkable eponymous debut came inferior but still decent Belong, while their third record Days of Abandon showed The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart as shadows of themselves. Yet, the third album was completely made by Kip Berman, and even though he is a music master, it was clear that the other members majorly contributed to the quality of the band's sound.
Berman noted how the inspiration comes from the different sources now in comparison to the previous efforts. This is totally normal considering how much had changed in his life in the past ten years. Although Kip is still the author of the music, he got creative help from the musicians who are now in the band, primarily of singer Jen Gome and bassist Jacob Sloan. Fourth album The Echo of Pleasure brings a good equanimity of the sounds from the first albums mixed with influences of the 80s and bands such as Echo & The Bunnyman, Psychedelic Furs and Jesus and Mary Chain. It's particularly obvious in song My Only.
When I Dance With You and Anymore are one of the catchiest pop tunes in the band's discography, which means that The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart still have than knack for good jams. Even though The Echo of Pleasure is not as strong as their debut, it shows how bands that become a one man project does not mean a dead end. It represents a new path.
