After the successful debut We Started Nothing (2008) with the hit That's Not My Name, The Ting Tings were one of the showpieces of Sony Music. The duo, consisting of drummer / producer Jules de Martino and singer Katie White, reacted quite shocked to this hero status. The involvement of the record company, the hit sensitivity of their own songs; everything had to be overhauled. A well-known fact in
… pop music, where musicians cannot accept rapid fame and therefore try to appear as rebellious as possible. The Ting Tings reportedly canceled their entire second album, because Sony had dared to offer the 'underground single' Hands to the major British radio stations. In addition, the unreleased record sounded too hip and that was obviously not the intention. The recordings had to be over, with Sounds From Nowheresville as a result. In any case, The Ting Tings managed not to sound too catchy, although the CD doesn't sound idiosyncratic or special either. In a sense, the band has just left out what they are good at: making infectious electropop. A missed opportunity ... or was that the intention? (JE)more
