Album: The Ting Tings, Sounds from Nowheresville (Columbia)
Sounds from Nowheresville is an acutely self-aware album title. It's hard to think of a recent band whose star has fallen so far and so fast as the Ting Tings.
Out in the cold, with ground to make up: Nowheresville indeed.
The challenge is on. And whatever you may think of Katie White and Jules de Martino, there's no denying that the Mancunian indie-pop duo have thrown everything at this. Every genre in their existing palette is visited, and a few more besides. Lead single "Hang It Up" is half "Smells Like Teen Spirit", half "Fix Up Look Sharp". "Guggenheim" is spoken-word girl-pop, White sounding like a one-woman Shangri-Las. "Day to Day" is straightforward country-pop, and so on.
There are forgettable moments and it won't conquer the world, but this is an album that deserves at least to reacquaint the Ting Tings with the outskirts of Somewheresville.
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