sounds from nowheresville (sony)
The Ting Tings are a male/female duo, much like the White Stripes. Between them they play drums and have a guitarist who sings, much like the White Stripes. Jules De Martino and Katie White (could be in the White Stripes with a name like that) formed the Ting Tings in 2006, and had released their debut single That’s Not My Name in the Spring of 2007.
Sounds From Nowheresville is the follow up to their first album We Started Nothing from 2008. The album, with its rather ghoulish cover design, offers 12 tracks of Ting Tingery and a further 7 uninspiring and quite frankly limp remixes.
Opening track Silence is a cacophony of drawn out, epic sounds glued together by rolling snare drums. Hit Me Down Sonny is much more in-line with previous Ting Ting sounds. Again, employing snare rolls and bells throughout, those familiar American cheerleading style vocals are at the forefront, also appearing on Hang It Up and Guggenheim.
Soul Killing is perhaps the most unlikely song on offer, with an off-beat guitar and horn embellishments. Day To Day sounds as though it has been plucked straight out of the 90’s, and In Your Life, is a sombre affair between cello and guitar.
So there is diversity on this album. It will take you up and down, throw you a little side to side and brake heavily before shooting off in completely the opposite direction. Rather like riding a souped up ostrich. Apart from obvious similarities shared with the White Stripes, the music is very different. Ting Tings blend of bubblegum pop tunes are sure to see success similar to that of That's Not My Name from 5 years ago, although I feel that the more serious attempts at music making are a touch flat. For me, it is the colourful, quirky sounds that stick in my mind - it is these songs that the Ting Tings are known for, and it is these songs that people will love.