Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Say No To Love (Single)



RELEASED
2010, Slumberland (US)
2010, Fortuna Pop! (Europe)
2010, Lost & Lonesome (Australia)

 SONGS
Say No To Love
Lost Saint

BONUS TRACKS
I Wanna Go All The Way (Australia CD)

PERSONNEL
Kip Berman - Vocals, Guitar
Alex Nadius - Bass
Peggy Wang, - Keyboards, Vocals
Kurt Feldman - Drums
Christoph Hochheim - Additional Guitar

 James Brown - Production, Engineering, Mixing
John Chaikin - Mastering
Winston Chmielinski - Artwork

Recorded Spring 2010 at Stratosphere Sound Recording Studio, New York, NY
Mastered at Non Stop Sound

NOTES
A single from the year between the self-titled album and Belong. The summer of 2010, the Summer Of Say No To Love, was a time of continued touring from Pains,during which they added new songs to their live shows. Interestingly, the B-side of Say No To Love, Lost Saint, was seemingly not played. The A-side was retired when the band began the Days Of Abandon tour in 2014.

 The Say No To Love 7", released digitally in many territories and as a 3-track CD in Australia, named Christoph Hochheim as an additional guitarist in its credits. Christoph toured with the band from 2009-2011 and has joined again from 2014-present, sometimes just as a live player and other times, such as on these two tracks, in the studio as well.

 One territory which didn't get the Say No To Love single was Japan. The two songs were released as bonus tracks on the self-titled album there instead of appearing on their own.

LISTEN

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Monday, February 25, 2019

Higher Than The Stars EP



RELEASED
Sept. 2009, Slumberland (U.S.)
Oct. 6, 2009, Fortuna Pop! (Europe)
Jan. 20, 2010, Fastcut (Japan)

SONGS (12" Version)
Higher Than The Stars
103
Falling Over
Twins

REMIXES
Higher Than The Stars (Saint Etienne Vists Lord Spank Remix)
Higher Than The Stars (Others In Conversation Remix)
Falling Over (DJ Downfall Sprechenbann Mix)

BONUS TRACKS

PERSONNEL
Kip Berman - Vocals, Guitar
Alex Nadius - Bass
Peggy Wang - Keyboards, Vocals
Kurt Feldman - Drums

Danny Taylor - Production, Engineering
Archie Moore - Mixing
Rob Kirwan - Additional Mixing
Jon Chaikin - Mastering
Kendra Rutledge - Photography

Recorded Spring 2009 at Fortune Factory Studios, Brooklyn.
Mixed at Clean Cuts, Washington, D.C.
Mastered at Nonstop Sound.

NOTES
An EP released in several versions, each with a different assortment of B-sides and remixes. released in the same calendar year as the debut album, this EP includes 103 - a very early song - alongside newer compositions.

The recordings were recorded by Danny Taylor, a name familiar from the pre-Pains band Jackie. Though the band would immediately go on to work with big-name producers, Kip has spoken in interviews about how Taylor's production worked well for the band and allowed them to craft a successful, lasting track in Higher Than The Stars.

That title track has remained in the band's set after 2009, and may be considered one of Pains' low-key masterpieces. The other songs on the single were played for shorter spans and retired after the Belong era and introduction of the new flexible band lineup.

QUOTES
Kip to Von Ruhm: "A song that always gives me goosebumps when we do it live is a song from an EP between our first and second albums called Higher Than The Stars. And even though the recording of it isn't that great, the song itself gives me chills when we still play it, and I think about it."
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Friday, February 22, 2019

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (Album)



RELEASED
Jan 26, 2009, Slumberland (US)
Feb 2009, Fortuna Pop! (Europe)
2009, Fastcut (Japan)
2009, Lost & Lonesome (Australia)
2009, High Note (Taiwan)
2012, Yoshimoto (Japan re-release)

 SONGS
Contender
Come Saturday
Young Adult Friction
This Love is Fucking Right!
The Tenure Itch
Stay Alive
Everything With You
A Teenager In Love
Hey Paul
Gentle Sons

BONUS TRACKS
Side Ponytail (Europe Limited Ed., Second Japan Ed.)
Ramona (Europe Limited Ed., Taiwan, Second Japan Ed.)
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (Europe Limited Ed., Taiwan, Second Japan Ed.)
Gothenburg Handshake (First Japan Ed.)
I Wanna Go All The Way (First Japan Ed.)
Higher Than The Stars (Second Japan Ed.)
103 (Second Japan Ed.)
Falling Over (Second Japan Ed.)
Twins (Second Japan Ed.)
Say No To Love (Second Japan Ed.)
Lost Saint (Second Japan Ed.)

PERSONNEL
Kip Berman - Guitar, vocals
Alex Nadius - Bass
Peggy Wang - Keyboards, vocals
Kurt Feldman, Drums

Jon Chaikin - Mastering
Archie Moore - Mixing

Kendra Elise - Front cover photography
Pavla Kopecna - Back cover photography

Recorded at Honeyland Studios, mixed at Clean Cuts, mastered at Nonstop Sound

 NOTES
In some ways, this is a humble debut album - short, heavy with reverb, containing several songs that had been released in other forms leading up to it. In others, it's one of the key documents of Brooklyn indie rock as the 2000s became the 2010s. This album, released on legendary indiepop label Slumberland records, was what brought Pains to the attention of general listeners and industry tastemakers with positive reviews appearing in Pitchfork (8.4, Best New Music) and the other online publications that focused on guitar music in the blog era.

 To this day, Kip responds to such praise by suggesting that listeners who like the album track down the bands that inspired its creation - in 2019, he named Velocity Girl, The Pastels, Rocketship, The Manhattan Love Suicides, Black Tambourine, Heavenly, The Vaselines, The Exploding Hearts and My Favorite.

 The album was assembled from songs that had become rather old by the time the disc was released in early 2009. Due to the process of actively writing and stockpiling new material, Kip had already made progress on many of the songs that would make up 2011's follow-up Belong.

 Interestingly, no one is credited as producer in the album's credits. Things would change soon, with Belong bringing on superproducer Flood and Days Of Abandon beginning a long-running alliance with Andy Savours. While the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart EP was recorded with no live drums, Kurt Feldman had joined the band by the time of the LP sessions and plays drums on all tracks. Though Christoph Hocheim served as a live guitarist during 2009, he is not credited on the album and seemingly didn't participate in the sessions.

 As for the songs that make up the album, Hey Paul and This Love Is Fucking Right! had appeared on the band's debut EP, while Come Saturday had featured on a split single in an early version (appended as a bonus track to the deluxe Europe edition of the album). Three vinyl singles were taken from the LP: Everything With You, Young Adult Friction and Come Saturday. All three became long-standing live staples, as did non-album B-side and would-be title track The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart.

 The band toured the album through early 2009, coming back in the fall to support the follow-up Higher Than The Stars EP. In addition to the three singles, This Love Is Fucking Right! and A Teenager In Love remained live staples in the years to come, through at least 2018.

 QUOTES
"Listening to the album in 2019, when things are deeply fucked in a different way, it feels borderline magical to spend 35 minutes in a teenage world full of power pop bangers and dusty old books, a place where hearts break and dreams fade but there’s always another weekend on the horizon." - Patrick D. McDermott for Stereogum

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Friday, February 15, 2019

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart EP



RELEASED
Cloudberry, 2007 (Three-track version)

PERSONNEL
Kip Berman - Guitar and vocals
Alex Nadius - Bass
Peggy Wang - Keyboards and vocals

Recorded May and June 2007, Honey Land Studios, Brooklyn, NY

FACTS
This early Pains recorded was released in two versions. Cloudberry Records put out a mini CD EP with three songs - This Love Is Fucking Right!, Orchard Of My Eye and Doing All The Things THat Wouldn't Make Your Parents Proud. This EP was limited to 100 hand-numbered copies. 

A five-track version with Hey Paul and the band's self-titled song emerged in August 2007. The CD was put out by Painbow Records as Painbow 01. Considering the fact that much later releases by the band itself were credited to Painbow, it seems fair to assume that this was basically a self-release.

While CD copies of the EP, in either version, can command high resale prices, the songs are not rare. These early recordings are still available for sale on major digital music marketplaces, as of 2019. These versions of This Love Is Fucking Right!, Hey Paul and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are different from the later versions that appeared in 2008 and 2009 on the self-titled album and Everything With You single. The other two songs were not re-released later and can only be found on this release.

This EP was created before Kurt Feldman joined Pains on drums, meaning the band was still a trio, with an iPod Nano playing drum beats serving as the live fourth member. Since no Drummer is credited on the CD, it appears all the beats on the record are digitally generated.
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Thursday, February 14, 2019

3 Songs EP


RELEASED
2017, self-released (recorded 1999)

SONGS
Let's Not Smile
A Trivial Pursuit
Queen Of Sandcastles

PERSONNEL
Nicole - Guitar, Vocals
Constance - Keys
Kyle - Drums
Kip - Guitar, Vocals

Curt Kentner - Special Thanks

FACTS
Before The Starve and Jackie, there was an even older pre-Pains band: The Sporting Life. Named after a brand of shirt, the band formed at Reed College and played acoustic indiepop. The Pacific Northwest scene at the time included institutions such as the Magic Marker Records house, which hosted shows. The Sporting Life was formed to join this scene and open for Dear Nora, the beloved and recently reactivated project led by Katy Davidson. Having achieved those aims, the band broke up, seemingly with only three recordings to its name. 

The songs emerged on Bandcamp in 2017. One of the three, Queen of Sandcastles, had previously appeared on a compilation issued by Curt Kentner of Magic Marker. That song is on streaming services such as Spotify - the other two remain Bandcamp-exclusive and have never appeared on a physical record.

QUOTES
"When I was a teenager, I had a band with the only goal of opening for Dear Nora in the ping pong room at Reed College and maybe getting good enough to play a show at the Magic Marker house. We achieved those goals, and that was it. " - Kip on the Sporting Life Bandcamp
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Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Saturday Night EP

Saturday Night
RELEASED
Self-released, 2001

 SONGS
Saturday Night
Show You How
Backseat
You And I Will Never Die

 PERSONNEL
Kip "Manchester" - Guitar, vocals
Jennifer Fang - Farfisa organ
Jeannine Haynes - Tambourine, vocals
Travis Bonilla - Bass
Mike Rinaldo - Drums
John Manchester - Background vocals

Jeremy Brown - Engineer
Danny Taylor - Design

FACTS
The second The Starve EP, released in the same year as the first EP (2001). On this record, the band moved from no-fi to lo-fi sound quality and re-recorded two songs from the first release. The version of Saturday Night that lingers on the band's old Myspace page is presumably from this EP. As with the first EP, this record was reviewed on Allmusic Guide. The text of the review was positive, but the starred rating was only 2.5/5, a score as inexplicable as Allmusic reviewing a self-released EP in 2001 in the first place.

QUOTES
"In short, this is another quality dose of high-octane, low-budget rock & roll from a band who obviously knows how, and in a world where the Strokes, the Hives, and the White Stripes can become potential superstars, the Starve at least deserve a late-model tour van, a deal with a decent indie label, and a supply of PBR that never runs dry." - Allmusic Guide
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Tuesday, February 12, 2019

The Starve EP





RELEASED
Self-released, 2001

SONGS
Boys In The Band, Pt. 1
Hostage Of Love
Pretty Lines
Saturday Night
Backseat
Boys In The Band, Pt. 2

PERSONNEL
Kip "Manchester" - Guitar, vocals
Jennifer Fang - Farfisa organ
Jeannine Haynes - Tambourine, vocals
Travis Bonilla - Bass
Mike Rinaldo - Drums

FACTS
Released in a very DIY fashion, in packaging made from re-used beer cases, this debut six-track EP appears to have been the first release from The Starve, a pre-Pains band from Potland, with Kip on guitar and vocals. The 16-minute CD managed to earn a review from Allmusic, which is the main reminder that it ever existed - it's not for sale digitally, and the CD is rare. Pretty Lines can be heard on The Starve's Mypsace page, along with a version of Saturday Night which may be a re-recording from the band's follow-up EP.

QUOTES
"There are thousands of bands that do what the Starve do on this EP, but no more than a handful manage to do it quite so well; it's smart, fun, street-level rock & roll from five kids with great ideas and the will to put 'em on plastic, and when THAT stops being the future of rock & roll, we're all in a lot of trouble." - Allmusic Guide




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Monday, February 11, 2019

Jackie EP



RELEASED
Binder Records, 2004

 SONGS
Honey
April Comes
Colorful
PERSONNEL
Travis Bonilla - Vocals
Kip Berman - Guitar
Jen Fang - Organ, Synthesizer
Christopher Dehererra - Bass
Danny Taylor - Drums

Anna Bond - Artwork Layout
Danny Taylor - Design
Trevor Kapmann - Mastering
Joesph Dixon - Photography
Larry Crane - Recording

Recorded at Jackpot! Recording Studio, Portland, OR

FACTS
The second release by Jackie, a pre-Pains band featuring Kip on guitar. While the previous record was available only as a 7" single (Goes Electric), this three-song EP apparently only came out on CD. Some of the songs remain available on the band's Myspace page, though media players on that site seem to be inoperable at the moment. Per Discogs, there are only two releases on Binder Records. This is the first, APB01. APB02 is a CD single by The Isles. The Jackie EP was released in 2004, and by some point in 2005, the band had split, after the release of one more song (The Guest).

QUOTES
 "The nervous rock of the Modern Lovers coupled with the nervous twitch of modern pharmaceuticals." - Portland Mercury, per promotional sticker on EP

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Friday, February 8, 2019

Goes Electric single



RELEASED
Glare Records, 2003

 SONGS
Goes Electric
Stars Brought Low

PERSONNEL
Travis Bonilla - Vocals
Kip Berman - Guitar
Jen Fang - Organ, Synthesizer
Christopher Dehererra - Bass
Danny Taylor - Drums

Brian "The" Coates "Project - Masterting
Jeremy Brown - Recording

FACTS
A two-song singe released by Portland's Jackie, a pre-Pains band featuring Kip on guitar but not vocals. This is the first of two records released by the band, and seemingly the group's only appearance on vinyl. In fact, the single was only released on vinyl and appears to have never been made available on digital services. The two songs from the single did not reappear on the next year's EP, or on Jackie's myspace page.

The only other releases associated with Glare Records, according to Discogs, are 7" records by the band Flying Carpet People. Jackie themselves would move on to Binder Records before splitting in 2005.
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New Year's Night



RELEASED

Tethers, 2021 (Kanine/Dirty Bingo)

PLAYED LIVE
2019, 2021

FACTS
A Natvral song previewed on social media in early 2019. Released in 2021 on the debut album Tethers, after being played at late-2019 gigs around the recording of the album.
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Fare Thee Well (Trad./Joan Baez cover)

UNRELEASED


NOT PLAYED LIVE

FACTS
A second interpretation of a song from the first Joan Baez album, following Silver Dagger. As with much of Baez's earlier material, the song is a traditional folk ballad. Covered on The Natvral's social media accounts - unclear whether it's been played live at Natvral shows.
MEDIA
Joan Baez original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5KmGMfUBps
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Thursday, February 7, 2019

Silver Dagger (Trad./Joan Baez cover)

UNRELEASED


NOT PLAYED LIVE

FACTS
A cover of a traditional song, based on the Joan Baez version. Previewed in a temporary stream on social media (in which Kip also mentioned the traditional words may need modifications for him to sing it live).
MEDIA
Joan Baez original
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Tears Of Gold




RELEASED

Tethers, 2021 (Kanine/Dirty Bingo)

PLAYED LIVE
2019

FACTS
A The Natvral song previewed on social media. At the time, its title was unclear and it could have been "Freya" or "Tears Of Gold." When the song emerged in its studio version on Tethers (after being played at late-2019 shows), it was officially "Tears Of Gold."
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A Portrait of Sylvie Vartan

UNRELEASED


NOT PLAYED LIVE

FACTS
One of the newer The Natvral songs, demonstrated on a temporary online stream. It's unclear at present whether the song is destined for a new EP, album or neither.
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Wednesday, February 6, 2019

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan cover)

UNRELEASED

NOT PLAYED LIVE (?)

FACTS
One of several songs played live on The Natvral social media accounts. It's unclear whether this Dylan song (from 1965's Bringing It All Back Home) has been played at a Natvral live show yet, or whether the livestreams were its only appearances. Dylan, alongside Leonard Cohen, appears to be one of the artistic touchstones for The Natvral, especially in vocal delivery.

 QUOTES
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Zombie Zoo (Tom Petty cover)


RELEASED
Full Moon Fever, 2018 (Turntable Kitchen)

NOT PLAYED LIVE

FACTS
The final song on Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever. Pains resleased their version of the song in late 2018. As a rare Petty song with a mixed reputation, "Zombie Zoo" was a frequent topic of lighthearted discussion in interviews around the release of Pains' full-album cover. 

QUOTES
"There are no lurid Tom Petty scandals, car crashes, stints in jail, public meltdowns or things he had to walk back and make us cringe today (well, maybe “Zombie Zoo”)." - Kip PR statement published by Brooklyn Vegan

MEDIA
Tom Petty original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TICZWrb3s2Y
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A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own (Tom Petty cover)


RELEASED
Full Moon Fever, 2018 (Turntable Kitchen)

NOT PLAYED LIVE

FACTS
One of the 12 Tom Petty covers recorded in 2017 and 2018 and released as a vinyl-only album via Turntable Kitchen's Sounds Delicious series. Thus far, Pains' version is only available on that LP and the accompanying download code.

MEDIA
Tom Petty original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwZwJPbb__g
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Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Alright For Now (Tom Petty cover)


RELEASED
Full Moon Fever, 2018 (Turntable Kitchen)

NOT PLAYED LIVE

FACTS
A cover song, taken from side two of Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever. Pains released this song as part of their full-abum cover of Full Moon Fever in late 2018. Using the download code that comes with the LP is thus far the only way to find this song digitally.

MEDIA
Tom Petty original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4zpU9T937I
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The Apartment Song (Tom Petty cover)


RELEASED
Full Moon Fever, 2018 (Turntable Kitchen)

NOT PLAYED LIVE

FACTS
A Tom Petty song from Full Moon Fever, covered by Pains in 2017 or 2018 for their November 2018 full-album cover. Not released digitally, except as a download included with the LP.

MEDIA
Tom Petty original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR_t-tk1B5U
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Depending On You (Tom Petty cover)


RELEASED
Full Moon Fever, 2018 (Turntable Kitchen)

NOT PLAYED LIVE

FACTS
One of the twelve Tom Petty covers on Pains' version of Full Moon Fever. Currently only available on vinyl, or as with a downloadincluded with copies of the LP.

MEDIA
Tom Petty original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjVGlKa2rL0
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Monday, February 4, 2019

Yer So Bad (Tom Petty cover)




RELEASED
Full Moon Fever, 2018 (Turntable Kitchen)

PLAYED LIVE
2017?, 2018

FACTS
A Tom Petty cover, part of the full-album version of Full Moon Fever recorded by Pains in 2017 and 2018. Unlike many of the songs on the record, this one was covered live as well as in the studio, with Stereogum's Scott Lapatine posting video footage of Pains playing the song at the website's annual party in early 2018. Another reference to the song on Twitter indicates Pains also played it live in late 2017.

 QUOTES
"My favorite song in the record is probably "Yer So Bad", which has wonderfully concise storytelling. "My sister got lucky, married a yuppie / Took him for all he was worth / Now she's a swinger dating a singer / I can't decide which is worse," it's such a classic Tom Petty lyric. He's singing about this but going "I'm not any better than that." He could be as bad as the characters he's describing. I love the wit. You get a sense that Tom Petty was the rare rock star you could hang out with." - Kip to Popmatters

MEDIA
Live at Stereogum party
https://twitter.com/scottgum/status/989705954500497408
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I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (Tom Petty Cover)


RELEASED
Full Moon Fever, 2018 (Turntable Kitchen)

NOT PLAYED LIVE

FACTS
One of the songs from Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty, it leads off side two. Covered by Pains on their full-length tribute to the album. Not released as an advance single and currently unavailable for streaming or download. This and the other non-single songs may become available in the future, once the vinyl has been on sale for more time.

MEDIA
Tom Petty original

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Love Is A Long Road (Tom Petty cover)


RELEASED
Full Moon Fever, 2018 (Turntable Kitchen)

NOT PLAYED LIVE

FACTS
One of the tracks from Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty, covered by Pains on their full-album cover in 2018. As this song was not released as an advance single, it isn't available for streaming or commercial download yet.

MEDIA
Tom Petty original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AilA-M6N5U
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