The cover of their debut album, We Are the Pipettes, features the UK trio decked out in retro black-and-white polka dot dresses. Add in the wall of sound sugar shock quality of their music, and the Pipettes could easily have popped out of a time machine that came straight from the 1960s when girl groups where a dime a dozen. The only things that keep the band rooted in the here and now are a few suggestive lyrics and songs with titles like "Sex" and "Dirty Mind." The ladies (RiotBecki, Gwenno and Rosay) readily embrace pristine harmonies of the peace and love decade, and the majority of their songs clock in around the '60s pop two minute mark—leaving just enough time for a verse and a repeating chorus to get their hooks in.
Over the course of the 38-minute length of their LP, the Pipettes kick out sixteen tracks—quite a lot for a debut disc. While there are a good number of songs that stand out, like the gorgeous crooner track "Judy," the giddy stomp song "Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me," and the dreamy dance floor number "Because It's Not Love (But It's Still A Feeling)," ultimately, the length of the album works against the effervescent trio. There just isn't enough depth to what is largely kitsch (fun kitsch, but still kitsch) to hold an overly long album together. Next time, employ the "less is more" mode of thinking and hold the sugar and go a little bit heavier on the spice!
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