Be The One is the latest single from the Ting Tings, and while it has that unmistakeable Ting Tings sound, it’s also a fully, more audibly satisfying track.

Gone are the sharp staccato vocals of That’s Not My Name, replaced by lead singer Katie White singing in quite a sweet voice. The song is driven by a luscious, thick bassline and chiming keyboards from the guy who plays the Chris Howe role in the band.

If you thought that the Ting Tings would disappear after their first single, think again. Be The One proves that these two are capable of great pop music, and as they surely exhaust the singles supply from their first album, I can’t help but wonder what goodies they’ll deliver in the future.

Anyway, Be The One is about as close to an actual ballad as we’ll get from the Ting Tings, but it’s a beautiful song.

Fraser from the Radio One ChartBlog reminds us that Katy Brand recently did a pretty cruel sketch suggesting that they and The White Strips are all essentially copies of each other:

That said, Katy does make the claim that all indie girls rip off Blondie (don’t start…just let it wash over you, you’ll be a better person for it). And this is the Ting Tings song which actually does, a bit, seeing as the melody and nagging keyboard refrain owe a debt to ‘Union City Blue’.

I wouldn’t claim to be qualified to compare them to Blondie, but one’s things for sure, the Ting Tings constantly score thumbs up from me for daring to be different. Katy Brand doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

Be The One is officially released today – 13 October 2008. From the album We Started Nothing.

These Ting Tings, and their stripped down musical stylings. First it was the very lo-fi Great DJ, which I wasn’t impressed with. That’s Not My Name, by comparison is a major improvement.

The whole song revolves around a repetitive Hey Mickey style drumbeat, which is the only instrumentation at the beginning, gradually joined by guitars and bass and other sound effects until the whole thing builds into a raucous noisy crescendo.

Let’s not mince our words here – That’s Not My Name is one of those songs that somehow straddles the line between great pop music and highly annoying. Fortunately they manage to keep the tune on the side of great pop…

My favourite lyric from the song? “Maybe Joleisa” Just such a funny name, delivered in such a way that you’ve got to try it out for yourself.

The bottom line is that the Ting Tings have crafted a fun pop song. It won’t change your life, but then again it probably never promised to.

And just in case you’re wondering what her from The Ting Tings’ name is…it’s Katie White.

The Ting Tings are yet another of those acts that the music industry would like us to buy into this year. Unfortunately, I’m becoming increasingly suspicious of that bloody Sound Of 2008 list.

In the weeks since the BBC list was released, most of these acts have flooded the market. It’s all been very sudden and very aggressive, and I’m not sure if most of the acts are worth our attention.

Which brings me to The Ting Tings. Now, I’m not reviewing Great DJ blind – I’ve listened to their previous single, That’s Not My Name. It’s all very clever, a kind of White Stripes in reverse (he plays the drums), but with a very upbeat pop sensibility.

In one respect, I like what they’re doing, it’s kind of raw musically, and doesn’t get tied up in subject matters too serious. But they really drag the songs out, and the chorus hooks aren’t anything to write rave blog posts about. When the music stops, you’re left with the general feeling of having been beaten about the head by these two.

There’s plenty of raving going on around this band. I can’t help but think most of it comes from people wanting to jump on a particular bandwagon. Then, if they become wildly successful, they can say “we supported you back at the start”.

Not so much with The Ting Tings and Great DJ. On first listen, it’s vaguely likable. Tings (see what I did there?) go steadily downhill on subsequent listens. I don’t see this being the start of a new movement in pop, unless it’s of the bowel variety.

See for yourself: