The Ting Tings...arty punkpop prodigies

Last week I joined my local library, and immediately began pillaging their somewhat limited music collection. One of the (relative) gems uncovered so far is the Ting Tings' debut album We Started Nothing. Hitherto I've been exercising my hype-scepticism in their direction, but was mightily impressed by their Glasto show (on the telly that is). The hype is enormous around this young duo, and only partly because they're so clearly design and fashion literate.

I've been scouring the recesses of my brain trying to figure out why the drums + shouty/rock female voice thing is so familiar... it's taken two weeks and I finally just got it... they sound a bit like a band making a whole career out of covering the Bangles' "Walk like an Egyptian". Which is grossly unfair because a) they're not, and b) there's a lot more depth than that would imply... but I can't altogether escape the echo of it. More generously, there's a clear influence from the Pixies, but then, fully half of all indie music references the Pixies.

We all know "That's not my name", but I'm surprised to find it still bears repeated listens, and I caught myself singing it in the shower a couple of days ago. My favourite track though is the first "Great DJ". It has a lazy indie-does-disco feel, and I'm really hoping for an electro house/dub remix (amazed there isn't a half dozen!). The Ting Tings' main trick is their adept dual use of the increasingly prevalent live-loop kit (I have no idea what it's called or how it actually works but everyone seems to be doing it nowadays). Essentially they lay a beat, add some guitar and /or keyboard loops and sing feisty young female in the noughties lyrics over the top.

It's mind-numbingly simple, but they have such a breathtaking knack for melodic hooks that it almost carries the whole album. "Shut up and let me go" fair stomps along, while "We Walk" has more subtlety but the same formula. Some tracks are weaker than others - "Fruit Machine" for example sounds like an early prototype for what would become "That's not...". "Traffic Light" is something of a departure from the punkpop mold, a slower bouncier .. ditty of a song, perhaps Bjork in her self conscious-coy persona.

It's a joyfully naive record. They have the "why shouldn't I?!" arrogance-and-insecurity of youth, but are just sophisticated enough to know not to overcomplicate. The structural/musical blueprint won't stretch any further, but the strength of the songwriting is such that I fully expect them to grow and develop further from here.