The Pipettes

They may look and feel like a joke taken too far but well beyond the polka dot dresses, meticulous hair and girl group posing there is some great pop music that deserves a listen. Yes, with the fantabulous names of Riotbecki, Gwenno and Rosay these three Brits harmonise their feelings amid minor choreography and try to evoke the girl groups of the ’50s and ’60s, which inherently includes such things as Phil Spector’s "wall of sound” production technique. This obvious artifice may cause some people to recoil but when the music is as sharp and fun as this, they may just be missing the point. Also note that the Pipettes incorporate more modern indie pop sounds with the old, seen best on jaw-droppingly catchy opener "We Are the Pipettes.” Booming drums, a breakneck pace and loud guitars grab the attention, and with one of the best songs of last year, "Pull Shapes,” following, it’s the strongest one-two punch of any pop music this year. Not every song meets this high standard but for fun, irrepressible music that is light and fluffy and proud of it, you really can’t go wrong.