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January 14, 2008
Teenagers, In Love and Something Else
the Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "A Teenager in Love"
As being an actual teenager in love is akin to an emotional base jump with a tattered parachute, most songs about adolescent romance are goofily self-deceptive. We remember it as golden and lamentable, when it's more often forgettable and fleeting. This New Wave pop hit by New York newcomers the Pains of Being Pure at Heart projects the sort of wistful nostalgia perpetuated by pretty much every media representation of high school ever. But I guess there's a reason that CW network is still in business, and John Hughes has beach houses made of solid gold. The boring reality, filled with awkward groping and petty cruelty, isn't so much fun to watch or dance to. And this track is fun, danceable yet slightly quivering with melancholy that isn't overblown enough to trigger an automatic eye-roll. It's a lie, but a pretty one.
the Teenagers - "Sunset Beach"
The sordid Parisian pop group known as the Teenagers deal in teen fantasies as well; ones emanating from a place slightly lower than their (un-pure) hearts. The songs on their finally imminent debut, Reality Check, often sound like the feverish imaginings of fourteen year old boys warped by forbidden exposure to Penthouse Forum and Cinemax After Dark. The girls in their narratives are easily seduced, and casually degraded. It's hard not to feel a little bit queasy about a song that features a chorus refrain of "this fucking bitch deserves to die." But whether it lets them off the misogyny hook or not, there can be no doubt that all of this is meant to be tempered with a heaping dose of irony. The more Germanic than French accented narration is full of chuckle worthy digressions like the romantic sparks generated by an iPod playlist devoid of Jeff Buckley, and how one night's bliss is worth significantly less than a Fender Jazzmaster. The juvenile playboy protagonist comes across much more foolish than the object of his initial lust and eventual scorn. And musically, when separated from troublesome notions of lyrical intent and gender issues, its brooding baseline, shoegaze guitar and sweet (sounding at least) chorus are really quite addictive.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at January 14, 2008 01:50 PM
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