September 11, 2010

By Kerri Mason

The Brit two-piece's 2008 debut, "We Started Nothing," yielded gleefully snotty hits "That's Not My Name" and "Shut Up and Let Me Go," each hooky, fun and sufficiently speak-sung (by spark plug blonde Katie White) so that everyone could confidently raise their voices and join in. "Hands," the first single from sophomore set "Kunst" (German for "art"), continues in this egalitarian spirit, with a shanty-style chorus that just begs to be chanted en masse. "Clap your hands if you're working too hard," White invites over a synth-pop bop mixed by Calvin Harris, who himself specializes in the Casio-toned sounds of the '80s. It's a little Kylie Minogue, a little Dead or Alive, but with White's distinctive bravura, the Ting Tings are very much their own creation. And if the rest of "Kunst" has the mischievous buoyancy of "Hands," they've got another hit on their, well, you know.

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