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The Ting Tings We Started NothingA Review of New CD Featuring Shut Up and Let Me Go from The iPod Ad
The Ting Tings release their new album We Started Nothing featuring the UK number one hit "That's Not My Name" and "Shut Up and Let Me Go" from the iPod commercial.
The Ting Tings self-depreciating album title, We Started Nothing, sounds more like reverse psychology. The band from Manchester, England that formed in 2006 appeared out of nowhere to grab coveted iPod commercial exposure and the top spots on the UK’s singles and albums chart, according to the Official UK Chart Company. Fusing dance oriented pop with a grungy garage band feel and peppy cheerleading hollers, singer and guitarist Katie White and drummer Jules De Martino have quickly become the White Stripes of organic electronic dance. That’s Not My NameThe band released their first single “That’s Not My Name”, a track bubbling over with hard drums and hand claps with a kiss off lyric to guys who forgot the singer’s name, early in 2007 but it barely made a dent. It took B-side, “Great DJ” to get things rolling. The single, a mix of clash rock and electrionica with a chorus that’s more a phonetic exercise than lyric, was released as a free track on iTunes early in 2008, around the same time iPod commercials released their new ad featuring “Shut Up and Let Me Go”. As with “New Soul” by Yael Naim, the iPod commercial sparked interest in the relatively unknown band and hype built. In May 2008 “That’s Not My Name” was re-released in the UK to debut at number one ahead of new Rihanna single “Take a Bow”. A week later the Official UK chart also featured “Great DJ” at 33 and “Shut Up And Let Me Go” at number 49 while parent album We Started Nothing topped the album chart. Shut Up And Let Me GoMusically The Ting Tings, which translates to Band Stand, breaks no ground. White writes on her website “We didn't think anybody would be interested in what we did, so we wrote songs for ourselves to play to our friends at the Mill,” but cites Talking Heads, the Tom Tom Club and LCD Soundsystem as music she was listening to during the formation of the album. The Ting Tings sound recalls a danceable version of contemporaries The Kills, without the smoker’s coughs and swear words, mixed with a hint of Bananarama before the girls got bored with themselves and became Stock/Aitken/Waterman puppets. Lyrically, The Ting Tings draw their inspiration from the mundane and ordinary life, much like Blur and Pulp did back in the explosive Brit Pop era of the 1990’s. What makes this record stand out is its care-free summer feel. “Fruit Machine” a strange ditty mixes equal parts odd lyrics, fun danceable beats and cool sounds reminiscent of the B-52’s. Equally infectious “Keep your head” and “Be the One” are bouncy floor fillers about nothing at all. Regardless of its lack of depth, the album is a fun party album perfect for summer dancing. The Ting Tings We Started Nothing is available now.
The copyright of the article The Ting Tings We Started Nothing in Electronica (Music) is owned by James W. Coates. Permission to republish The Ting Tings We Started Nothing in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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