The Ting Tings

They're the British New Young Pony Club. Only people hate the Ting Tings far too much as a knee-jerk reaction, and apologists liked NYPC far too much. At least Metacritic ratings seem that way.

They both seem like "modern" lifestyle music - I feel they're the kind of acts that major labels don't really understand but see that the young kids who dress funny on their MySpaces will listen to them. Up next - NME hype, and hate from ILM! Which, actually, is fine by me.

nypc are british.

ting tings were a neat idea at first but that album is one super-rushed cash-in.

i fucking hate that not my name song.

heard a snippet of dizzee on the ahem radio 1 live lounge doing "that's not my name", actually sounded pretty worthwhile. radio 1 live lounge covers of course usually vomit worthy, cf. the other snippet i heard of the ting tings themselves doing "standing in the way of control" horrendously mashed up with snap's "the power", it was worse than you could possibly imagine.

I just listened to the whole album all the way through. This is possibly the worst record I have ever done this to. Everything is so thin - the writing goes nowhere, nothing's happening in the arrangements, it's all treble... gah.

grow up, or down, whatever, all of you

I don't imagine the album is great, but that's not my name is one of those perfect pop songs that taps into the soft spot between incredibly irritating and abrasively brilliant. It fits into that lineage of cartoonish British pop songs that you hear on the radio or see on TOTP2 sometime. It also doesn't really have anything to do with anything else in the charts. Its spiritual forebear is "Wannabe".

Girl kinda reminds me of Janet Street Porter

so wait people think the girl's hot? I mean, by British standards, I guess.

Yeah, I'm still lost on that one.

so edgy the bbc is using them as background music for the golf

Greg won't be happy

He's more a Glasvegas kinda dude.

Amber yesterday was saying her three favourite songs were "That's not my name", "Goodbye Mr A" and "Nellie the Elephant" as by the Toy Dolls.

Srsly tho, if you do not like the Ting Tings, chances are they are actually not meant for you.

(Although I have not heard the album)

Its spiritual forebear is "Wannabe".

Its American equivalent is "Hollaback Girl."

my nine-year-old nephew has the album (he went from "i hate the ting tings" to "i love the ting tings" in the space of a week) and from what i've heard of it, it's surprisingly OK. i love "that's not my name" and it will almost certainly be in my 2008 top-20.

All their songs consist of taking some word or phrase and repeating it several times over and over

what? pop music? repeating some word or phrase several times over and over? well i never.

DG griping that they're not edgy (did they ever claim to be?), a dash of misogyny from 'some dude' and (as grimly just pointed out) some other moron hating pop music for being pop music. sterling work ILX08.

i mean the ting tings certainly aren't a great band but not for the maconie/harris/daily mail-lite reasons given here.

Its American equivalent is "Hollaback Girl."

This is so unfair on Hollaback Girl

But I actually like both songs!! It was supposed to be a compliment!

ting tings = ecstacy + summer.

s.rose you need better drugs

i need a job as a tube driver :(

but no, i stand by that. you wouldn't understand cos you're a grumpy old sod

http://noisydecentgraphics.typepad.com/design/images/2007/08/14/serie_pow.jpg

ecstasy is really great for hay fever! clears it up a ~treat~~

the idea that 'that's not my name' is in the same lineage as 'wannabe' and 'hollaback girl' holds water until you remember what 'that's not my name' sounds like. the ting tings sound like they've heard people do tracks like 'hollaback girl' and thought, OOH THAT'S EASY, WE CAN DO IT TOO b/c we have no skillz to actually make good music.

...it's not easy, they fall flat on their faces.

s.rose will hate you now :(

tearz

I really dislike Hollaback Girl, Wannabe AND That's Not My Name. I win some kind of grumpy old git prize. HOWEVER if That's Not My Name is in any lineage its in that of Daydreamer by Menswear.

really?

like this is what this hot new band sounds like?

like fucking really?

wow dudes.

matt pay not attention to the candybrains

HOWEVER if That's Not My Name is in any lineage its in that of Daydreamer by Menswear.

-- Matt DC, Monday, 21 July 2008 20:46 (14 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

No, it's just "Mickey" devoid of all sense of fun

you don't listen to the words, rite?

Is some great secret of the universe revealed to me within it?

AND THE DRUMS AND THE DRUMS AND THE DRUMS AND THE DRUMS

a dash of misogyny from 'some dude'

I call bullshit on this, SD is clearly responding to posts further upthread to the effect that the singer is sorta hot but the music sucks.

re: the lyrics -

Is some great secret of the universe revealed to me within it?

No, but I would say the demanded "sense of fun" is right there.

i just can't believe ppl think this is good pop music.

it's like when you meet kids that were home school by born again christian parents and they have this weird skewed view of the world cuz they weren't exposed to anything. like they don't know any TV shows that everyone knows, so everything seems pretty mindblowing to them.

ha, i heard these guys on an NPR story about how they caught their break. i figured it was some human interest bullshit like "aw look at this cute band releasing their music and having some success" and i'd never hear of them again.

"Hollaback Girl"'s a good comparison - there aren't too many of those songs like that one and "Shut Up and Let Me Go", tracks that are so compulsively listenable and entertaining, even as they irritate the hell outta me. ("Wannabe" didn't irritate me in the least.) Plus it's always nice to hear that "Good Times" guitar lick recycled yet again. Is this stuff popular with the young kiddies? Next time I see my 11-year old niece, I'll have to ask her opinion.

yeah, what Casino said. if anything my post was Britishes-hating, not woman-hating.

all 58 million of us took it to heart

Given the visceral reaction these guys seem to engender, I feel like we're looking at the next Coldplay or something.

Should I bother typing "ting tings" into the youtube search box, or not?

nah just one ting

and maybe one ting more, to be sure

begorrah these fellas are shoite

I'm listening to "That's Not My Name" now inspired by Matt H's truth bomb above, and THIS:

Its spiritual forebear is "Wannabe".

is the least OTM statement ever.

But THIS:

No, it's just "Mickey" devoid of all sense of fun

is unfortunately spot-on. Add "recorded in GarageBand" and you are good to go.

yeah that totally explains why i loathe "Mickey" and just about everything else of its ilk and really like these guys

Plus it's always nice to hear that "Good Times" guitar lick recycled yet again.

otm

If anyone else is seeing them at the McCarren Pool in Greenpoint this Sunday, I'll be there.

i'll be there

Yeah, I was gonna say, "Mickey" is kind of a drag, especially compared to this!

I haven't heard anything else, but I like "That's Not My Name."