With early support from one of the country's most important independent radio stations, KEXP in Seattle, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart -- appearing at Monlith this weekend -- struck a chord with fans of earnest, dreamy, lush pop music. Though often compared to C86-era and Sarah Records bands, Pure at Heart make music that clearly draws on aesthetics evolved since that time and its songs are not awash in layers of delay as some of its critics have hinted when comparing the group unfavor
