4. Days of Abandon / The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

When we were at the merch table after the show, I told Kip Berman, you write really great songs.  His response was genuine appreciation.  I explained that I was a longtime fan and already owned everything at the table.  He scrambled around and snagged a tote bag from somewhere underneath.  "You should have this," he said.  "Thanks for being here."  Since then, my family has used my indie-rock swag as a Sabbath day church bag, carrying everything from scriptures to lesson plans to baby wipes.  It also serves as a gentle, cursive reminder that striving for righteousness demands our hearts and therefore hurts sometimes.  Not unlike poignant pop music.

This album is arguably five or six spots too high, but The D Man relishes the band's warm and fuzzy hooks, which drip with nimble songwriting and saccharine melodies.  The band's first two albums scored coveted spots in my year-end Top Ten, and Days of Abandon is no different.  The record releases some of the Flood-produced fuzz of Belong and settles into sparkling jangle pop circa 1987 (think a softer, bouncier version of The Cure, The Pastels, and Johnny Marr's guitar).  Your wife will love this record, so there's that.

Jen Goma (from A Sunny Day in Glasgow) provides lovely backing harmonies, and her leads on "Kelly" and "Life After Life" may be the record's best moments.  Of course, from the indie-folk opener "Art Smock" through the swooning closer "The Asp At My Chest," there is not a single letdown among the ten tracks, which are awash in vivacious and sunny power-pop.  "Eurydice," "Massokissed," or "Until the Sun Explodes" could also easily be your favorite songs on the record.  Without any pressure to kiss up after a show, my stance is still the same: Kip Berman really does write great songs, simple and sure.