Tracks
The Pipettes: "It's Not Love (But It's Still A Feeling)"
(2006)
By Kyle Davis | 28 January 2008
It's difficult to say what makes the Pipettes' songs more meritorious of
praise than any number of modern girl groups. It certainly isn't due to any hint of
innovation; at best, these women embrace the art of the retread, and at times plagiarize
unabashedly. I also can't claim that their image is less meticulously calculated. The
group’s trump card ultimately begins and ends with the nostalgia factor — this music is all
sweater vests, malt shops, and bumbling displays of admiration. “It's Not Love (But It's
Still a Feeling)” encompasses these sentiments admirably for its three minutes and
change.
If you’ve made it to this track with a smile, chances are the “Stand By Me” riff-robbing won’t bother you too much. The Disney-eyed earnestness of the verse provides a laundry list of predicable affectations, as token oblivious boy needs to be taught that love is (you guessed it) free. The song’s veer towards overwrought, cheerleader call-and-response seems a bit much, as we are implored to “DANCE!” However, they soon get back on track — the trio harmonizes sublimely on the chorus, strings sigh in the distance — and we are reminded that this is what people used to listen to on warm spring days.
The Pipettes have already suggested grand ambitions, stating that they “will never be limited by [their] own boundaries, never hypostatized into a bind from which [they] cannot move.” That’s all well and fine, but for now I just wanna hold their hand.
If you’ve made it to this track with a smile, chances are the “Stand By Me” riff-robbing won’t bother you too much. The Disney-eyed earnestness of the verse provides a laundry list of predicable affectations, as token oblivious boy needs to be taught that love is (you guessed it) free. The song’s veer towards overwrought, cheerleader call-and-response seems a bit much, as we are implored to “DANCE!” However, they soon get back on track — the trio harmonizes sublimely on the chorus, strings sigh in the distance — and we are reminded that this is what people used to listen to on warm spring days.
The Pipettes have already suggested grand ambitions, stating that they “will never be limited by [their] own boundaries, never hypostatized into a bind from which [they] cannot move.” That’s all well and fine, but for now I just wanna hold their hand.