The Ting Tings - "We Started Nothing" (Columbia)

I don't think that The Ting Tings are just another British "it" pop band of the moment, but I can certainly understand those who may think they are just that. On We Started Nothing, the Manchester duo (go City!) prove that they are perfectly capable of writing and performing infectious confections that stick with you despite any of your best efforts to rid yourself of the melodies they contain. In the wrong hands, this can lead to major annoyance and a quick career. If they continue to do it like the songs on this album, bigger things await.

Coming on kinda like a modern Blondie, the Ting Tings not-so-secret weapon is the vivacious, cover girl-in-waiting singer Katie White, who breathes life into all these songs, most notably "That's Not My Name", "Shut Up And Let Me Go" and the ridiculously catchy earworm "Great D.J.". The other half of the duo – drummer Jules De Martino – is no slouch, and it's often the percussion skills that make dittys like these work.

Again, time will tell if all of this has any future legs. For the time being, though, I can't think of a better disc to usher in the month of June.

Written by Dan Reed