KEY POINTS:
THE TING TINGS
We Started Nothing
(Sony BMG)
Rating: * * * *
Verdict: A power pop duo headed for big tings.
Three songs into We Started Nothing, and you can't help but feel you might have heard this record before. The schoolyard chant of That's Not My Name and the nonsensical lyrics of Fruit Machine are rather reminiscent of The Kills latest album, Midnight Boom.
Combined with The Ting Tings two-person line up - comprising Jules de Martino and frontwoman Katie White - one suspects the band might be being pushed as an upbeat Brit version of the sultry Anglo-American duo. But as the whimsical strings of Traffic Light begin, White reveals how sweet and refined her voice can be, on a delightful fairground ride of a song that would never pass Alison Mosshart's lips.
Shut Up and Let Me Go ventures into soul-funk territory, before White breaks out a sassy Blondie tribute, speaking the lyrics on Rip Her to Shreds in the same bratty backchat manner Blondie once did.
White draws inspiration from another icon on We Started Nothing, as she perfectly pitches her voice to sound like Prince, accompanied by a jazzy brass section.From romantic melodies and soaring strings to chopping guitars and primal beats, We Started Nothing is a fun, adventurous journey of power pop.
