We Started Nothing
by The Ting Tings
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 19
  3. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    We Started Nothing comes packed with a peppy parade of songs likewise steeped in electro beats and chant-along vocals.
  2. Dot Music
    80
    We Started Nothing sounds exuberant and chiefly concerned with pleasing itself. Which--as is always the way--only makes it more pleasing to others.
  3. Mojo
    80
    The singles--'Fruit Machine,' 'Great DJ' amd the electro Krautrock of 'That's Not My Name'--are supported by the equally impressive 'Shut Up and Let Me Go' and closing title track, all bouncing beats, shiny samples and an invigorating knack for a pop tune. {june 2008, p.109]
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  5. Observer Music Monthly
    80
    The synth-punk shout-pop of this boy/girl duo was cobbled together in a Salford arts complex for a budget of zero pence. And--in a totally great way--it sounds like it.
  6. Filter
    72
    Every song on this record pulsates with so many heart-thumping beats per minute, you'd think this was some newfangled cardiovascular exercise for ravers. [Spring 2008, p.99]
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  7. The New York Times
    70
    The Ting Tings are crafty, not naive, but they can fabricate elation.
  8. Rolling Stone
    70
    On their full-length debut, the Ting Tings craft peppy New Wave that's relentlessly catchy.
  9. The A.V. Club
    67
    the album's inconsistency suggests that this heavily buzzing band--Nothing debuted at No. 1 in the UK--could've used a little extra time to finesse its spazzy sound into a more coherent pop treat.
  10. Prefix Magazine
    65
    As a four-track EP, this would have made for an indelibly catchy collection; as an album, it plays like four lone meatballs awash in a pot of bland noodles.
  11. New Musical Express (NME)
    60
    De Martino and White are on an unashamed mission to make perfect pop, but seem to have treaded the path too literally.
  12. The Guardian
    60
    But after achieving a perfect strike rate on their singles, the Ting Tings' admirable quest for glossy, depthless pop perfection keeps coming up short.
  13. Q Magazine
    60
    The creative tension between the two is their main strength. It's when one or the other gains the upper hand that things can go awry. [June 2008, p.143]
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  14. Blender
    60
    A party band to the core, the Ting Tings can't leave the dance floor without stumbling. [July 2008, p.76]
  15. PopMatters
    60
    What the Ting Tings do is make sunny, punchy pop songs, and what’s more, that’s something that actually do pretty well. How much lifespan there is in the project, however, is another question entirely.
  16. Drowned In Sound
    50
    These glimpses of something unexpected are few and far between, much of We Started Nothing tonally muddled into a weird new form of MOR: cool for five minutes amongst the fashionable crowd but unlikely to reach audiences beyond those fascinated with the hot and happening.
  17. AllMusic
    50
    They're a singles band at heart, though, and they wear out their welcome all too quickly on We Started Nothing.
  18. Uncut
    40
    Sadly, though, nothing on The Ting Tings debut album quite lives up to that promise [of 'That's Not My Name']. [June 2008, p.94]
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  19. musicOMH.com
    40
    Snark aside, it's a shame that aside from a couple of notable exceptions, the album title is just about right.
  20. Pitchfork
    38
    Maybe once the Ting Tings stop trying so hard to convince everyone they're having a good time and start actually having a good time, these cute little ballads will no longer be their sole redeeming quality.

Awards & Rankings

99
#99 Most Shared Album of 2008

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 80 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 80
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 80
  3. Negative: 14 out of 80
  1. iamanicon
    May 24, 2011
    1
    I was expecting chanting anthemic thats not my name-esque bangers all the way through. Instead I got an album that disintegrated quicker thanI was expecting chanting anthemic thats not my name-esque bangers all the way through. Instead I got an album that disintegrated quicker than sugar in tea. Absolute DRIVEL.… Full Review »
  2. fabsrocha
    Jan 26, 2021
    9
    It's a great effort from Ting Tings. Sad that they didn't follow the same achivement on the following works.
  3. JefersonXCX
    Aug 20, 2017
    9
    "We Started Nothing" nos remete a um álbum com grandes referencias retrô. Nos bate uma nostalgia do EDM anos 80/90 que os críticos da época"We Started Nothing" nos remete a um álbum com grandes referencias retrô. Nos bate uma nostalgia do EDM anos 80/90 que os críticos da época não souberam interpretar. Certamente se este álbum fosse lançado nos dias atuais seria obviamente aclamado. Este é o melhor álbum da The Ting Tings sem dúvidas. Temos letras com batidas dançantes, temos uma baladinha dançante e contagiante, tipo aquelas de inicio de festas. Uma pena grandiosa a banda não ganhar o devido reconhecimento que realmente merece, com um álbum fantástico.… Full Review »
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