Sounds From Nowheresville

Album number two is the most difficult task to do

The second album syndrome is not a myth or a boosted idea imposed to both desperate musicians and upset listeners. Indeed, many who have recorded an attractive debut album find themselves in a writing void and try hard to get at what it takes to carry on decently. The UK duo The ting tings, composed of dame Katie white and gentleman Jules de Martino, started out mightily. In 2008, the two delivered a very nice debut album called We Started Nothing, with two remarkable hits, Shut Up And Let Me Go, and That’s Not My Name. While their songs were playing on the radio and TV, the musicians worked in good faith on stage, repeatedly promising to release the sophomore CD soon. Yet it happened so that The ting tings suddenly put aside the whole lot of ready material and started from the scratch. As a result, the British outfit became personally certain of how hard it is to pen songs after a successful start, and their follow-up record came around only four years later. The new album was called Sounds From Nowheresville and it leaves a very peculiar impression.

Genre boundaries cease to exist

The track-listing of The ting tings new album has got not very much in common with that of a regular studio record. However, it is not just an accident. With equal effortlessness, The ting tings offer in the opening part of the album a cold and electronic track called , and a heavy and hysterical one named Hang It Up, united by one simple fact: you cannot resist either. The British duet is eager to take up most various experiments Sounds From Nowherseville, and they always succeed. In Guggenheim, all of a sudden, de Martino surfaces with spoken word verses, and the chorus is done exactly by pop-punk standards. In Soul Killing reggae rhythms knock persistently on your ears, and Day To Day is a short visit to RnB. But the main thing to be noticed is that this inconsistency does no harm to the album because, apparently, nobody here claims to play by strict rules and within tight frames. The only condition is the attractiveness, catchiness and emphasis of a track. Whether it is the danceable One By One, powered by heavy beats, or the elegant ballad In Your Life, these tracks make us listen to them through. Sounds From Nowheresville demonstrates that it is possible to turn a song of any genre into a pop hit in a good sense.

An album for those who just love music

Sounds From Nowheresville is going to get the treatment from both critics and listeners. The absence of any stylistic unity, lame lyrics, and pretty simple level of musical performance are more than enough to tear any album into pieces. The ting tings and their fresh record will be supported by those who expect from music nothing but pure feelings, impressions and mood. Sounds From Nowheresville is a hit parade and a carnival in one, bringing sparkling tracks with of a greatest variety. It can not be even classified as indie rock because at times we do not actually deal with rock here. The ting tings, no doubt, put a lot at stake when they decided to record an album like this one; and it looks like it is going to break their audience in those who will keep listening to the British duet, and those who will not want to wait for their new releases. Whatever the case, mixed reaction to this work is already appreciation. And one can be sure that there is not possibility now to be certain with regards to what the duo is going to offer next time.