The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Simple and Sure 6.2/10

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are an indie twee rock band from New York, USA. This track is taken from their forthcoming album called Days of Abandon which will be released in May 2014 by Yebo Records. The track begins with a simple sing-along vocal part which recalls the style of Dirty Projectors. The strummed verse sections sound rather similar to many tracks The Pains have produced before, if perhaps a bit chirpier and sunnier. However, it's the arrival of the chorus which makes me cringe whenever I hear it - like something you'd expect to hear on an 80's easy listening radio station, with a hook that is anything but memorable. The band have apparently moved too far to the 'pop' end of their musical spectrum, and forgotten that what made their past material great was the interplay of clever, suggestive lyrics with a sweet and sour delivery that conveyed shy yearnings. This saccharine sweet track is a huge disappointment after a run of extremely enjoyable singles and albums, and the song's title really sums up the one-dimensional feeling of it, they've chosen to go with something 'simple and sure'. Let's hope when the full album arrives that this is a sugary deviation from what Days of Abandon will actually sound like.

Seapony - Outside 8.1/10

Seapony is an indie twee pop band from Seattle, Washington. This track is taken from their album Falling which was released by Hardly Art Records in 2012. The wistful, dreamy vocals and reverb-heavy guitars featured here put Seapony firmly in the traditional twee pop mold, though at times the jangly edge of the guitars suggest the influence of The Smiths, while some elements of the west coast Surf Pop scene creep in as well. Singer Jenny Weidl's lyrics suggest a yearning for a simpler, less complicated time in the past, though it's more about the atmosphere of quiet longing she creates than the words themselves. This is introverted music for a late-night session while an autumn chill develops outside the windowpane.

Reading Rainbow - White Noise 7.9/10

Reading Rainbow is a psychedelic pop band from Philadelphia, USA. They have recently changed their name to Bleeding Rainbow. This track is taken from their album Prism Eyes which was released by Hozac Records in 2010. Crunchy guitars and pounding drums are the order of the day from this boy/girl duo, who both share vocal duties as well. The main riff is fuzzed-out bliss, but the real draw card is the vocal harmony they produce singing the verses together in unison. This is sugary goodness reminiscent of twee bands from the 1990's like Rocketship and Tiger Trap, but for most listeners the main comparison will be to late 1980's Scottish band The Vaselines who utilized similar boy/girl harmonies with clever lyrics. This excellent track from Reading Rainbow matches up well in such illustrious company.