Retro throwbacks and wholehearted tribute albums have become a dime-a-dozen these days, but every so often a record is dropped that defines the sub-genre it was beholding in every way plausible, usually to the orgasmic delight of that genre’s typically obstinate fans. The self-titled debut from New York’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart may not catch shoegaze/indie-pop fans by surprise (the band’s first two EPs have been extensively blogged about), but to any Slumberland Records/noise pop fan, this is pretty much like reliving 1990. It’s all here! The lush layers of distortion, the lighthearted back-and-forth male and female vocal interchange, the effortless hooks (on every damn song!) and a production effort that makes you question whether this was actually from some cassette found in a time capsule buried in the early nineties. It was inevitable this band would sign to Slumberland—having been at the forefront of pushing indie-pop that sounded exactly like this twenty years ago, it’s gotta be comforting for the label gurus to know they didn’t have to change their sound one damn bit. (Andy Seifert)
February 11 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, (773)525-2508, 9pm. $8.
Heart of Darkness: A Brief History of Chicago Industrial—Part One The bastardization of EBM, house and synthpop infiltrated suburban homes and Billboard charts. Bands like Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly were unexpected MTV stars and the scene spread worldwide
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
