I met up with Anthony Roman of Radio 4 at quarter, the bar that he runs with a friend in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn.  Radio 4 has been playing their own brand of danceable pop since 1999, and is currently working on their fifth album.

I talked with Anthony about the New York scene, songwriting, and his favorite neighborhood in New York.

I caught up with Alex (bass), Kip (guitar + vocals), Kurt (drums), and Peggy (keyboard) at their rehearsal space in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.  The Pains if Being Pure at Heart are only about a year old, but they're already loved by Stereogum, The Fader, and German Rolling Stone.  The name may be a little intimidating, but their music is as upbeat, fun, and poppy as it gets, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a track of theirs that lasts longer than three minutes.

To quote L Magazine, they are an indie-pop band in the truest scense of the term, cutesy and coy, with an abiding love for all-encompassing distortion and gentle, ever-present feedback. There are comparisons to be made to My Bloody Valentine, but beneath all the droning guitars and keyboards is a distinct type of jangliness that actually calls to mind much of the Teen Beat Records catalog.

It's hard to listen and not bob your head to the beat.  Take a look: