The Pipettes - 'We Are The Pipettes' (Memphis Industries) Released 17/07/06

From their very first days performing small gigs in Brighton The Pipettes have been easily picking up fans wherever they go with their mission to "turn back the clocks to a time before The Beatles ruined everything". Brave words, you may think, but Rose, Becki and Gwenno have certainly been doing their darndest since being been signed by label of the moment Memphis Records in late 2005. Without the advantage of having seen them live, The Pipettes probably sound like an incredibly bad idea. They dress in polka dots, they sing songs about boys and love and have their own shabby but sweet dance routines (We can almost see the Borrell-worshipping 'serious' indie boys scowling at their computer screens).

But cast away those doubts. Paradoxically, 'We Are The Pipettes' is at once the most nostalgic and yet the freshest-sounding album of 2006 so far, filled with dreamy musical craftsmanship and lyrics darker and dirtier than they may at first seem.
 
If you've already heard the fairground fun of first single ‘Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me’, then you've got a pretty good idea what the other 35 minutes sound like. If not then imagine swirly strings, simple keyboard chords and punchy drumbeats all thrown into a candy floss machine with infusions from The Shangri-Las, The Supremes, Le Tigre, and we dare say a small pinch of Spice Girls. 'Pull Shapes' is the closest they get to an authentic 'wall of sound', its lush orchestration and crowd noises ideal for a hymn to the dancefloor. And while by contrast a few tracks might at first sound like only half-baked filler, after a few listens they reveal understated charms, such as 'Judy's bittersweet lyrical observation about friendships and growing old.  Indeed as Rose calls out for you to dance in ‘Because It’s Not Love’, it’s impossible to do anything else.

It's hard not to like them. Perfect for summer, the decidedly British twee-ness of it all is part of the charm. And hell, if you can’t love a band with their own theme tune, then you’ve got no soul.