The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing Review

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 05.30.2008

Currently sitting pretty atop the UK Albums Chart, is The Ting Tings' debut worthy of its success?

Never did I think I’d be able to get into a band who freely go by the name The Ting Tings, a name that suggests a level of irritability so strong that I wouldn’t be found dead listening to any music that this duo could produce. But alas, a group that successfully knocked Madonna off of the UK Singles Chart and Neil Diamond off of the Album Chart with their debut has the right to be taken seriously, no? And their mainstream appeal is unparalleled right now, apparently. Turn on the radio and you’re bound to hear one of their 3 singles currently making the rounds. Turn on the TV and you’ll soon come across an iPod advert with a “Shut Up and Let Me Go” soundtrack. So, coming to the realization that The Ting Tings were indeed inescapable, I picked up their debut album, We Started Nothing, and quickly came to the conclusion that it may just be pop album of the year.

A Brief History of The Ting Tings

Katie White began her music career in a trio called TKO (Technical Knock Out) in the mid-nineties, and despite never releasing any material or getting signed by a major record label, Katie and her two friends did find themselves in the company of some massive artists, supporting the likes of Steps and Five on tour. 20 Years ago, Jules De Martino was part of a group called Babakoto. In the ‘90s, they split and De Martino joined rock group Mojo Pin. The pair met while Katie was still a member of TKO, but a few months later, TKO split and White and De Martino went on to become two thirds of the group Dear Eskiimo, a group who would eventually sign to Mercury Records. However, creative differences with the label lead to the group’s demise and White and De Martino gaining a sour taste for the music industry. As the story goes, Mercury wanted Katie to do some rather “risqu? routines” that would unavoidably involve too much nudity for White’s liking.

Soon after, the duo formed The Ting Tings. However they would only play small gigs and private parties, but they’re Manchester-based shows garnered much interest and the band were soon signed to Columbia Records. Many of their songs were floating around the indie scene for a couple of years, but it was their 2007 Glastonbury performance that saw the band get their first major praise from music critics and several high-profile shows later, the band are now topping all sorts of charts. “That’s Not My Name” knocked Madonna off of the UK Singles Chart where it spent a week at number one before Rihanna’s “Take A Bow” knocked it off. Their album was released in Europe on May 19th and went straight to number one in many countries, including the UK. This week, 3 Ting Tings songs appeared in the UK Top 40 Singles Chart. We Started Nothing will be released in the US on June 3rd.



Track listing:
1. Great DJ
2. That’s Not My Name
3. Fruit Machine
4. Traffic Light
5. Shut Up And Let Me Go
6. Keep Your Head
7. Be The One
8. We Walk
9. Impacilla Carpisung
10. We Started Nothing
Running time: 37:42

We Started Nothing kicks off with an absolute belter of a song, the simplistic, ballistic “Great DJ.” White’s vocals are polished when they need to be and the girl hits some pretty decent high notes, but it’s the ridiculously coy chorus that make this track such a perfect pop gem;

Imagine all the girls…
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah-ah-ah-ah
And the boys…
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah-ah-ah-ah
And the strings
Ee, ee, ee, ee, ee-ee-ee-ee
And the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums,
The drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums,
The drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums,
The drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums

OK, it doesn’t sound like much on paper, but the insatiable chant that makes up these vocals are undeniably trippy and you will be singing along to these “so-bad-they’re-amazing” lyrics.

“That’s Not My Name” follows, and is a Hey Mickie-esque piece of pop perfection with an infectious chorus made all the more catchy by an accent drowned in frustration so Stacy becomes “Stay-cee.” It’s a track that supposedly reflects Katie’s feelings towards the music industry when Mercury records and her had a disagreement about the best way to promote Dear Eskiimo. Katie’s sound is very British and she follows the likes of Lily Allen and Kate Nash and Duffy in a line of young British females who have found success through a similar formula of adding a little bit of attitude to a good voice and not-so-celebrity look.

“Fruit Machine” is another great track; an extended metaphor that compares the treatment of the subject (Katie, apparently) to a fruit machine, hence the title, complete with sound effects to match and lyrics like “hold me, nudge me.” “Traffic Light” is one of the more ballad-y songs on the album and the focus of the track is very much on White’s vocals, which are at their best hear, and De Martino adds support vocals on the bridge. It’s got a few elements of jazz and is very easy-going but the emotion is there and the result is one of the strongest tracks on a great album.

The highlight of the album is “Shut Up and Let Me Go”, which has reached the top 40 of the UK Charts and peaked at 55 on the US billboard despite not officially being released as a single yet. The track is very much driven by De Martino’s drums and is smothered with pure attitude and discontent and sarcasm, a feminist burst of angst that packs a punch as a fantastic dance track. Similarly, “Keep Your Head” will have you stomping your foot and/or bobbing your head and is a delightful slice of indie-pop. “Be The One” carries another superb hook and is littered with various percussion sounds and pedals and would serve well as a single. Having said that, there’s very tracks on here, maybe one or two, that wouldn’t do well as a single.

“We Walk” features the most prominent use of the piano featured on the album in its intro before cascading into an electro-pop beast of a song and has some terrific lyrics challenging the progression of the pop music scene. “Impacilla Carpisung” provides the only low point of the album, but it close with a 6-minute title track is the most guitar-driven track and sees a return to the quality vocals of the 8 tracks before.


“Great DJ” – The Ting Tings

We Started Nothing draws from numerous influences including the likes of Blondie, Talking Heads, Portishead, Gwen Stefani and produces what sounds like a collection of ‘80s novelties with a underlying indie sound. Throwing in random percussion sounds, sassy vocals and a ton of loops, it’s a youthful euphoria of potential hits that we litter the airwaves for the rest of the year and is very welcome to do so.

The 411: There's over-zealous or over ambitious here. As the title We Started Nothing suggests, The Ting Tings are not exactly doing anything new here but they are perfecting a proven formula and creating a collection of euphoric tracks that are as catchy as they are sophisticated. Packed with great drum beats and suave vocals, the album will struggle to be beaten as the best pop album of 2008.

Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]