and you'll forgive your heart for wasting any time

Neh. Whatever happens at hmv would all be worth it, for I have managed to get a single copy of the Pipette's debut release from the states that would otherwise not have been brought into Singapore at all. Hah yes I know but the uk version of ' We Are The Pipettes' is not enough for me! For s$23 too, about half the price of the uk one.

Besides there are two additional tracks plus the songs have been tweaked and reproduced, and there is a blast of the cover art and inside liner notes. There is nothing quite like turning up your jacket's collar and plugging in the pipettes at eleven at night while walking through a light rain along the road in town to dhoby ghaut. Well it may had developed into a full scale bloody downpour and a sprint like hell later on, but who cares.

The Pipettes sound as refreshing and ever so lively as the first time I heard them two years back, and some of them really do sound better after the new productions. Especially the new extended " It Hurts To See You Dance So Well", which seems much polished and punched than the previous versions of which I've heard.

I supposed the new sleekness and spunk is a reflection of how the Pipettes have grown, from an underground cult live hit to a fully fledged stage act that is in demand in stages from around the world ( the states/ aus/ and oh what I would give to see them here). Their raw sweet sound that was as much a part of their endearing charm has subtly changed into a polished candid tone that is as attractive, if not more so, than before.

More importantly would be that somehow, there is this sense of maturity in the way they sing now, something a little surer, or perhaps the word would be with a honed * elegance*. Haha dont ask me to describe that exactly, for it is the same as one those feelings you sometimes get when you know how someone is just *like*, by being around them even without you even really looking at all.

There is no better example of this than in one of their two new tracks in this album. The opening oooh-ahs are simply magic, sung so plainly sincere that it gives such a refreshing slant to the classic retro opening. The Pipettes know that their vocal harmonies are their most alluring aspect of the music, and have honed it to an absolute stunning peak in " Baby, Just Be Yourself". I mean just listen to the part where they go " I know it's hard/ ..." and tell me if you do not agree with me.

There is only so much I can say with words though so just put the song on please, and enjoy.

The Pipettes - Baby, Just Be Yourself

i just want to move, i don't care what the song's about

Push back your chair, clear the space, put the song on and start moving those feet!

Throw all your musical bias out the window, the lovely trio of British lasses in polka-dot dresses are back again with yet another insanely irresistable adorable ditty of a song in the form of ' Pull Shapes', probably the lead song ( and damn rightly so!) in their debut album to come.

Everything is just about done as close to perfection as you may want in a pop song here; the strings flawlessly executed and not a grandoise by the way trap that many songs out there fall to when the songwriter is unable to think of a better arrangement; the live clapping bits unintrusively layered in that just enhance the simple wish of fun and dance the Pipettes so sweetly sing of. Wait for that lovely bit about thirty seconds in when each of them starts shaping the song in the style of their favoured muisc/ dance and I gurantee a smile on your face.

Dammit, listening to cute British girls singing about wanting you out on the dance floor is impossible to resist - go ahead and try.

The Pipettes - Pull Shapes

their site..


And.. a live set of both singles from their planned-for-July album, ' Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me' and which I once mentioned before, ' Dirty Mind' :



Bloody hell I think Im falling in love with The Pipettes. Especially Rose. !@#*% what have they done to this typical cynical and indifferent indie-music-loving kid..

there she goes with a twinkle in her eye/ dont take a genius to understand the reason why

Sometimes it is possible to listen to too much dour 'indie'/alternative music dullards ( yes *you* Coldplay) and feel rather.. stale. You wish for music that brings a quickstep, laugh and a smile easily, preferably all three together and without any 'heavy' listening. And sometimes, along comes a band like The Pipettes who unabashly do all the above. The three lead ladies come in matching retro polka dot dresses set off against synchronized routines, and sing so sweetly your heart melts to their gushing fun dewdrop pop that could ice a cupcake . Come on they even have their own theme song!

Consisting of Rose, 19, Becki and Gwen, both 23, and an all male backing band The Cassettes, they have played many well received gigs in London ( Sweden once too) and released a couple of singles. Both impossible to find here though. " Dirty Mind" was their debut, and underneath this clever ditty of a song you can tell the Pipettes are masters of pure pop, masking sheer perfect timing and harmonies underneath a cute veneer of old 60s Shangri-las style call and catty echoes with an utterly bewitching ba-ba-ba-baa-ba-baa that just twines your way into your tapping foot.

Listen! And fall in love with music again!

The Pipettes - Dirty Mind

Find out more of them from their site, and watch their video of their latest single " Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me" here:

and Rose is gorgeous dont you think?