The Ting Tings
We Started Nothing (Columbia)
This record has been so eagerly anticipated by some that it would take something of monumental significance to substantiate the hype surrounding it, and while it is an accomplished effort, it does fall short, understandably, having the weight of the musical press on its shoulders. Their two singles releases, ‘Great DJ’ and ‘That’s Not My Name’ are slices of pop perfection, the latter hitting number one last weekend, sending the band through the stratosphere. The rest of the record takes the drum-riff-catchy-chorus thesis and flogs it across almost every track, sometimes working well, such as on the singles. On other occasions however, not so, such as the klepto-Blondie effort, ‘Shut up and let me go’.
Katie White and Jules De Martino are the White Stripes for the Neon generation, providing the correct dosage of heavy drumbeats and synth sounds to create a crossover appeal that is hard to contrive. Whilst lyrically the album is a non-event (metaphors involving inanimate objects such as traffic lights and fruit machines are the order of the day) its pop-indie vibe will gather audiences from both sides of the divide, and although as a whole the album is slightly over-produced, it will do just fine if accepted for exactly what it is – a feel-good record that contains some irrepressible summer songs.
Donny
