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“That’s Not My Name” – The Ting Tings
(Words/music: Jules De Martino and Katie White, available on We Started Nothing, Columbia 2008)

I’ve revealed that I’m a sucker for catchy songs, but I still demand something else – some interesting chords, skillful lyrics, a killer drum beat – otherwise I’d listen to instrumental music all day.   That being said, “That’s Not My Name” is the kind of thing I would have hated if I first heard the hook.  Katie White sounds like a cross between Toni Basil and any of those female mallpunk brats who put out singles (take your pick).  I appreciate her attitude (and it’s her attitude and De Martino’s bass drum that get me through the first minute and a half of the song), but it gets a bit grating when the entire focus rests on her voice; it’s more of a gimmick than a leading player.  Unfortunately, this is the part of the song that gets clipped in a commercial.  Thankfully, in the States at least, it’s not as ubiquitous as “Shut Up and Let Me Go,” or I might actively loathe this song.

When the second chorus begins, things start to get more interesting.  De Martino enters with a second contrasting vocal line as White keeps on telling us names that won’t solicit a reply from her.  Then, her sloganeering stops and her sneer becomes a song.  While White doesn’t sing like a seraphim, it’s a welcome break after being yelled at for two minutes.  The track then rebuilds on this vocal line – the drums join back in with hand claps and some guitar effects.  Then, White’s shout returns, followed by De Martino’s line, followed by some more prominent guitar.  They took the first two minutes of the song and essentially scrapped it for parts – we never return to the drums and shouting at the beginning, but the duo put the parts back together over this new bed, adding in a few new wrinkles along the way.  It’s kind of like a remix mid song, and knowing that the best part comes during the final minute (ironically, the song is a solid minute too long, but I’d cut something from the middle) means that I’ll spend the first three and a half waiting for it to build up to this point.  It’s an instance where knowing how the story ends makes reading the prologue a bit more satisfying.

More on The Ting Tings: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm