Pipettes
It Hurts To See You Dance So Well
We Are The Pipettes (2006)
[review 2006: the best of the year]
The Pipettes may or may not be manufactured; they may or may not write their own songs; they may or may not be a retro-chic one-trick pony. These are all questions to be considered the next time the Pipettes release an album, if these questions are considered at all. What matters this time around is We Are The Pipettes is a smashing success—few albums this year were anywhere near as fun, charming or giggle-inducing as this one.
To begin to understand what makes the Pipettes so irrepressible, take a look at Pitchfork’s write-up from their Top 100 Music Videos feature:
When I first watched this concert clip, I wasn’t feeling the whole “in the crowd” filming technique; just let me see the Pipettes do their synchronized gestures in their signature polka-dotted dresses—not the back of some guy’s head. But after the initial annoyance wore off I realized that almost every member of the (albeit small) audience was mimicking every Pipette point and hip twitch exactly, giving this low budget video a charming two-way authenticity that helps to advance the group’s 1960s schtick past trivial novelty.
This is going to sound stupid, but even when pointed out beforehand, the “crowd does the hand motions” move still catches you by surprise. But Ryan Dombal, astute as he is, missed the real reason why the video for “Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me” is so great. It’s not because the audience is doing all the hand motions and hip twitches; it’s because you’re doing all the hand motions and hip twitches. When the audience does it in the video, it’s like you’ve been caught dancing in the shower. Except there’s no reason to be embarassed; everyone else is dancing too, your own silly grin flashing back at you on each of their faces. The Pipettes this year are what the Go! Team were in 2004: torchbearers for audience participation chic. Is it any wonder they’re labelmates?
The opening title track is a campy sci-fi intro to the band, but “Pull Shapes” is the real litmus test. On paper, there are a couple of things working against the Pipettes—it sounds a bit like the Spice Girls channeling Ronnie Spector, and the introduction to “the girls,” aka Rose, Gwenno and Becki, is incredibly cheesy, right down to the canned personalities (”I like to disco,” “I like to rock n’ roll!” “well, I like to hip-hop!”). A lesser band would wink at the proverbial camera, but for the Pipettes, ironic detachment is completely missing the point. “Pull Shapes” is ingenious because instead of compelling you to laugh knowingly, it gets you to embrace the cheese wholeheartedly. And damned if it doesn’t work, between the glorious strings and the beautiful harmonies and the “clap your hands if you want some more.” “Pull Shapes” is an outstanding song, right down to the bare essentials; this acoustic version is proof. If “Pull Shapes” doesn’t infect you with its gleeful enthusiasm, you may be medically unable to feel joy; consult a doctor.
After “Pull Shapes” sucks you in, the rest of the album exploits the advantage. “Why Did You Stay?” is all sockhops, tailfins and diners, probably the closest the band gets to actually recreating the 60s as opposed to riffing off it. “It Hurts To See You Dance So Well” is loneliness wrapped in envy wrapped in bitterness, all surrounded by a candy-coated shell of harmonies. And of course there’s the aforementioned kiss-off of “Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me,” a deliciously bratty showcase for the band that makes perfect sense as a single. But really, aside perhaps from the off-kilter opener (which really doesn’t fit very well with the rest of the album), every song on We Are The Pipettes delivers. It’s the gift that keeps on giving; it’s fun to listen to, it’s fun to sing along to, it’s fun to dance to. It’s just fun, wrapped in pink and black with white polka dots.