JUDGE POP vs THE PIPETTES

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

In the first of a rub new POPTIMISTS SERIES, Mega-City Pop's toughest JUDGE needs YOUR help to decide what sentence to pass on today's hot new "talents". First up are 'girl group' The Pipettes, who seem to divide Poptimists opinion, requiring arbitration from the unbending arm of THE LAW.

[Poll #759407]

So erm basically the poll is 'do you think the Pipettes are a good thing or a bad thing' and the comments box is where you suggest WHY.

Comments

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

I tried to like Dirty Mind and nearly did, but Pull Shapes doesn't do much for me. I might try and hear the album. I think Tom is absolutely right about the true revival here being early 80s Stiff stuff i.e. 2nd degree. Those saying this is retro as pastiche are probably right -- this is fossilised in aspic trainspotterism combined with sad indie ghetto fanboy wankery. The original girl group sounds they are aping were supposed to sound big and powerful musically, with, admittedly stylised at times, a genuine attempt at emo-pop. The retro version i.e. purposely limiting your sound when you could pull out all the stops, just makes no sense, and swamps the attempt to emote in the effort of posing. Of course if they wrote a genuinely awesome (or touching) song, I'd forgive them all of this.

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

Also a hefty dose of Helen Love in here. I bet TG loves them.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Aaah yes you have identified the grit in the oyster for me I think.

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

Also I am prob. just being a curmudgeon today and my anti-indie schtick is kicking in. I can't see them being top 10 at the end of the year, but they're prob. pleasant enough.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I want to be bothered, but I read/heard an interview with them where they talked about the making of the album, where people were pushing (or expecting) them to go in an just lay down the live show, ie., very simple and jangly, and in the end "reverted" to the Parton from Go! Team (who is like MI's in-house producer?) because he was willing/able to help them do what they wanted, which was go the exact opposite direction. The album is hardly Spector-esque, but it sounds like that's where they want to go.

-> I think the 'purposely limiting your sound' is probably a function of the producer (Parton /= Spector), the band's inexperience, and lack of money. And vocal limitations.