We Started Nothing
**
Sony BMG 88697513542, £9.99The indie-dance hybrid is nothing new, and the Salford duo suffer by comparison with fellow Mancunians Sub Sub – the Doves' previous poptastic disco incarnation.
Drummer a
nd producer Jules De Martino does a manful job of investing the Ting Tings with that level of alternative rock gravitas, but ultimately singer Katie White's earlier job as a disposable pop diva holds too much sway.
The single, 'Great DJ', does prove her irony-free sugary delivery works well enough, but the repetition of 'That's Not My Name' swiftly becomes irritating, as does the song rhythm's insistent recall of Toni Basil's 'Mickey'. Which is not as blatant a reworking as 'Shut Up And Let Me Go' regurgitating In Deep's 'Last Night A DJ Saved My Life'. Where the nursery rhyme nonsense of 'Traffic Light' fits into the scheme of things is a complete mystery, but it is undeniably cute.
For a new audience hearing this for the first time it must sound awfully fresh and clever, but the discerning ear might find The Ting Tings much more interesting when the duo vary the programme on 'We Walk' or 'Impacilla Carpisung', which writhe and twist to a more original beat.
Price and De Martino will doubtless deny any serious intent, but while We Started Nothing makes no claims to reinvent the rock and roll wheel, they manage to brighten up an increasingly formulaic scene.
Download this: Great DJ, We Started Nothing
The full article contains 255 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
