Search - Pipettes :: We Are the Pipettes

Three birds and concise pop join forces for world domination

Invisigoth | Minneapolis | 07/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A little background: If you follow their own bio, The Pipettes are the three female singers while The Cassettes are the four guys who form the backing band. Though The Cassettes rarely give interviews and keep to themselves onstage, it is generally accepted that all seven are involved in songwriting duties.



Musically, the album is too expansive to be boxed into the space of The Shangri-Las, Bananarama, and all points in between (hereafter referred to as "Shangri-rama"). The vocal harmonies may be nicked from the 60s but they're gussied up with a Sleater-Kinney-inspired attack. Reverb-laden surf-guitar and soaring keyboards fill out the music while the rhythm section is far more ferocious than anything from Shangri-rama (which sound positively tepid when you compare them to The Pipettes). And maybe it's just because of the way my iTunes library flows (Pip > Pix), but there are moments when I hear The Pixies' pop-punk sound from The Pipettes.*



Ultimately, I think The Pipettes and Cassettes have taken the last 40+ years of music and distilled it into something new. Disarming simplicity is the trademark of all great pop songs and The Pipettes have it in spades. In an age of bloated pop songs (no really, how the hell does (shudder) Fergalicious get stretched to 4 minutes and 54 seconds?) The Pipettes execute with surgical precision. All songs are concisely pared down to the essential and thus all but one track clocks in over three minutes. This is a good thing. Quite frankly, aside from "Paranoid Android" and "American Pie", I can't think of any songs over five minutes that you can actually classify as good.**



Lyrically, the album represents a decent microcosm of what it means to grow up a teenage female in this day and age. Some artists write from the perspective of the popular girl, or the tomboy, or the outcast but the protagonists within The Pipettes generally tend to be the regular girl. "Judy" is about befriending the cool, mean girl in the class while "It Hurts to See You Dance So Well" addresses the awkwardness of being the shy girl on the dance floor. The allure of casual sex is the topic of "Because It's Not Love (But It's Still a Feeling)", which half-heartedly tries to reconcile hormones with consequences.



A lot of songs, however, are simply naked indictments of men and feature the most saucily clever lyrics since PJ Harvey sang about spilling over like a heavily-loaded fruit tree. When it comes to guys, The Pipettes praise the kinky ones (Dirty Mind), roll their eyes at the clingy ones ("One Night Stand"), and dismiss the boring ones (ABC). Some guys are spineless pushovers ("Why Did You Stay?") and others are annoyingly coy ("Tell Me What You Want"). It's not until the very last song that those with Y chromosomes are (maybe) redeemed; "I Love You" ranks as one of the least-syrupy yet most heartfelt song ever written about the L word. The lyrics echo Stephin Merritt at his self-deprecating best ("Seen you try to laugh at all of my bad jokes / I've cooked you seven meals, six of them on which you choked / ... But I love you") as the Pipettes harmonize the lilting melody to maximum effect.



The most common complaint about The Pipettes is that it all seems a little calculated (e.g. the dancing, the matching outfits, the reticence of The Cassettes, and the fact that they're all three kind of, well, hot). Whatever. I would take well-written, calculated songs over earnest, average ones any day of the week. Furthermore, The Pipettes' acoustic renditions of their songs (available on YouTube) clearly illustrate that they are not a studio creation but honest-to-goodness talented singers.



Perhaps the more valid concern is that The Pipettes have essentially painted themselves into a corner. Sunshine pop is great but there is a limit as to how much one can take, just like with real sunshine. But hey, that's why Jesus invented sunscreen, isn't it?



*Check out the twisty bassline and galloping drums on the chorus of "We Are the Pipettes".



**Please note that "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" isn't good, it's _great_.

"

Siding with Rosay

Paul Ess. | Holywell, N.Wales,UK. | 05/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"
People always mention Bananarama when they talk about the Pipettes - so I will.

'WATP' is what the nana's would've sounded like if they'd signed to Rough Trade instead of the financially rewarding but artistically stifling S.A.W. and someone had made them realise that music is supposed to be fun(ny).



The Pipettes are closer to the criminally under-rated 80's group Makin' Time than anyone else, i.e. sussed, sharp words, welded to raging tunes which leg it past at 100mph. This is a wild, wanton ride through love, loss, losing love, loving losing etc. while throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the musical mix.

Distant voices caw and shriek, things bang and clang in the background, loads to keep the dizzy listener intrigued til the whole heady, hook-laden joy-ride, shudders to a halt after barely half an hour.



Perfect.

No need to drone on with extra tracks and b-sides (yawn). Like those ace Jam lps, just say your piece and leave. They've got an orchestra in there! How it keeps up is anyones guess-but it does. Interesting, articulate words tumble from interesting, meticulate arrangements.

I was going to argue that 'WATP' is is the real voice of mid-naughties rock feminism (it certainly knocks Girl-Power into a cocked hat!), but I'm not sure such a notion exists - evil, sexist capitalists have seen to that.



The only worry I've got is how they're gonna follow this. We have to hope they dont get mature on us, start sensitive posing on the covers, and singing...(gulp!) SLOW SONGS!!

But for now the Pipettes appear invincible in a singing-raucous-songs-in-short-polka-dot-dresses sense - but I sense - they wont be doing this forever. Blink and you'll miss 'em."

The Pipettes rule!

Michael P. Laughlin | Verona, PA United States | 06/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I suppose, deep down inside, I'm a sucker for retro acts, and the Pipettes are currently the best of the bunch. Great harmonies, catchy hooks, lilting vocals, cute stage outfits, girls who are sexy but in a quaint, innocent kind of way, the Pipettes have taken all the best elements of the classic 60s bands and repackaged them for our times. Irresistable pop music!"