Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

The Pipettes

We Are The Pipettes

Label: Memphis Industries Release Date: 17/07/2006

14257
domgourlay by Dom Gourlay July 14th, 2006

Instead of analysing the merits and demerits of The Pipettes, why not just sit back and appreciate the fact that they are at least trying to make pop music interesting and, dare I say it, credible once more. Forget all the tawdry jokes about them being Fifties revivalist one-trick ponies. One listen to We Are The Pipettes is enough to convince anyone with a tune-friendly ear and half a brain that there is so much more to their repertoire than being mere retro specialists.

The very best pop music - from The Ronettes to Shampoo, Abba to Girls Aloud (and not forgetting The Spice Girls) - had more than its fair share of kitsch, high pomp and occasionally cringeworthy moments that both bewildered and beguiled the listener, but never, ever bored them. And, more importantly, none of the aforementioned acts ever took themselves too seriously to actually know when we were laughing with them - and I emphasise the phrase 'with them' greatly because that's the point. They were already in stitches at their own antics long before your or my first guffaw.

But, "Will _We Are The Pipettes change your life?", I hear the sceptics ask. Depends really, I suppose, as to whether or not you're one of those people whose head is so firmly wedged up their own colon interchange that differentiating between expertly crafted music and expertly crafted _pop music is impossible, because that is the big difference here, folks. The Pipettes may look like extras from_ Happy Days_ in their matching polka-dot dresses and plastic jewellery, but make no mistake: this record owes as much to their love of lo-fi punk rock as it does the classic three-minute pop song.

'Dirty Mind' and 'One Night Stand' are Helen Love without the helium singing voice but with a more sprightly tune, while 'Judy' is the most vitriolic girl versus girl statement since Siouxsie stopped razor-cutting her hair in favour of a more spiderweb gothic approach. Except, of course, it's set to a simplistic, catchy melody as opposed to buzzsaw guitars.

And that's why We Are The Pipettes is possibly the only pure-pop record you need own this year: fourteen tracks in total, each and every one a potential single. Sure, too much pop can rot your teeth, and even the girls themselves admit "I've had enough of sweet" at one point, but at just under half an hour's length, there isn't enough time for too much cavity damage (or tedium) here. In fact, the only travesty is that with the imminent demise of Top Of The Pops, The Pipettes will probably never get the chance to take their rightful place alongside Westlife and the latest Johnny Wannabe from X-Factor.

  • 7
    Dom Gourlay's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

The Freelance Hellraiser

You Can Cry All You Want

Mobback
14509
14287

Clearlake

It's Getting Light Outside

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND