Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Happy of the Day: The Ting Tings

Yeah, riding high on love's true bluish light




I love when I find music that I can share with my children, because there is nothing quite so infectious as a child's positive response to new music--I played the new CD We Started Nothing from The Ting Tings on the way to get an allergy shot, and the kids were instantly hooked. This makes me extremely happy.

I'd love to be able to play the new CD from Buckcherry, Black Butterfly, for them, but it has a parental advisory, probably because it has the word %&^$#, also the word *&$#@! and the word %&$#@**, which they manage to use as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, and somehow, a preposition. They also talk about using (&*^, putting a $%@# in a *&^#@#, and &&*&^$ sideways in a tree house. There are also some tender love songs.

I feel hypocritical denying my children the trashy, %$@#*&ing glory of Buckcherry, first because I've listened to it daily (One of my favorite bands, I sprang for the deluxe edition because it has two extra songs)since getting it, and also because I think I was about my daughter's age when I began listening to, um, "Rated R" music like AC/DC, Kiss and Van Halen, bands that today seem pretty tame on the overall-offense-to-society scale. Within a few years though, my taste--although quite broad--would expand to include the Dead Kennedys and Slayer, bands I definitely don't want my kids to listen to at this point--which of course just makes me feel even more hypocritical, because I think listening to the DK's at an early age helped shape, in a very positive way, my political world view--Jello Biafra's social conscience, although shrill at times, definitely got me thinking about social conditions in a way I might not have, and years later I'm greatly thankful for that experience. I feel hypocritical also because I really can't make any argument about Slayer being socially redeeming in any way--but I love, love their music, the visceral punch of it. My ringtone is "Rain in Blood". I have 27,209 songs on my iPod, and I'd let my kids listen to maybe 1200 of them. What a jerk.

Putting all this internal angst aside, I love the Ting Tings, and I love that my kids love the Ting Tings. Exuberant is the first word that comes to mind when I try to describe their music; We Started Nothing is the sound of a band (two insanely talented people, really--Katie White, who plays guitar, the bass drum, and sings, and Jules Di Martino, who plays drums,electronics, and sings). Katie, as the lead voice of the band, has an energetic delivery that is sassy and sharp. She has a wonderful voice; airy and sweet in "Traffic Light", punchy and forceful in "That's Not My Name" (my current vote for song of the year). From the opening tune "Great DJ", the Ting Tings (who took their name from a Chinese coworker of Katie's, how cool is that? And it is a Mandarin term for "band stand") the Ting Tings establish themselves as pure pop, pure fun. There isn't a bad song on the album, which alone is a rarity these days, but each song on the disc might actually be great. Like, stunningly great, so hook-y and smart. There are traces of some earlier woman fronted bands like Blondie and the B-52's here (and also not as widely known bands like Bow Wow Wow, Dee Lite and the Sundays, I think), but the overall effect is something fresh and new. I recommend it highly if you need a new happy music CD (and who doesn't) and/or something you can listen to with kids in the car.

Although, my kids were a little stunned when I played "Shut Up and Let Me Go", because of the song's liberal use of the "S-word" in the chorus--they think "Shut-Up" is the S-word, God love them.

I love my kids. I love the Ting Tings. You will, too.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry this has nothing to do with the blog entry, but I loved your book. I cried at the end, because I loved Adam so very much. I am still so sad about Adam and I am dying to know more about him! I was just wondering if you are going to write a second book because I really need to know what happened with Adam! I wish I had an Adam in my life! Please tell me through another blog entry if there will be a second book. You are very talented!

DanaC. said...

The Ting Tings are pretty cool that's cool your children like it too. I've got young cousins whose parents listen to ONLY Punk rock and they now think that is the only cool music out there, their parents taught them to bash other forms of music and only listen to punk rock. I'm doing my best to teach them there is way more awesome music than punk rock....seriously. Anywhoo as for having 27,000 songs on their ipod...wow I don't have that many songs, I have more movies and tv shows then songs...

Anonymous said...

Oh i love the Ting Tings. They rock.

Hayley said...

LOL Love the Ting Tings but I especially love Buckcherry. As a matter of fact we ended up buying the "censored" cd just so we could play it with the kids in the car, and the uncensored version for the ipod. Of course, my fourteen year old son asked us who we thought we were fooling with that crap. rofl

jenne said...

we love the ting tings at casa de Travers - almost 3 year old Cass loves singing along :) speaking of songs with bad words - one day we were in the car listening tot he radio and Rage Against The Machine's "Killing in the name of" (radio edit) comes on. As it's one of my fave tunes i sing along and play drums on the steering wheel. I check the back seat, and Cass is shaking a little fist in the air, banging her head to the beat! TOTALLY did not see that one coming :)

Daniel Waters said...

Hi anonymous!

Why, thank you very much!

Take care,
Dan

Daniel Waters said...

Hi danaloveslance!!

Too bad about your cousins--I love punk, obviously, but bashing other forms isn't my nature.

take care,
Dan

Daniel Waters said...

Hi Jacy!

Good taste!

Take care,
Dan

Daniel Waters said...

Hi Hayley!

Buckcherry is without a doubt one of my favorite bands recording today. And yeah, you are unlikely to be able to pawn off the "sanitized" version on a 14 year old--their too smart!

I saw Buckcherry open upfor Motley Crue a few weeks ago--they blew the Crue off the stage!

Take care,
Dan

Daniel Waters said...

Hi Jeanne!

I used to make up alternate lyrics to songs that inadvertantly played when my kids were in the car (and much younger). For example, I forgot that my son, then four, was in the back when I was playing the Misfits album "Famous Monsters", and the song "Die, Monster, Die! was on, which basically goes: "I hope you die, die monster, die,die monster, die" ad infinitum (awesome!). I sang, really loudly, "Hi, Mommy, hi!" I think he bought it for a little while.

He's got great taste in rock though at age eight so it all works out.

Take care,
Dan

jacob said...

lol, im such a dork. i saw the ting tings and i started jumping up and down in my seat(no jokes please) i dont know if it is because of the ting tings or because its 1:34 am...
o well anyway i love generation dead! i love it even more every time i read it! im currently reading kiss of life and i have always loved Karen! i'm fuggen jealous of her eyes!!! i love how every time i see the cover to both books, i stop and think about it and discover something new about it, some connection to the story. anyway gonna stop before i start rambling and even though it may be too late for that, i refuse to press backspace!! im gonna get som sleep now...