The Pretenders

"Boots of Chinese Plastic" (MP3)

Average Rating: 7.50

Far be it for Chrissie Hynde and co. to stick with an outdated business model. With the help of Shangri-La label headf Jeff Ayeroff, The Pretenders are experimenting with new promotional releases in the vein of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails. Hypebot reports that the Pretenders' new album Break the Concrete—their first album in six years—will be released piece by piece for free download on various sites as part of an "MP3 Countdown" campaign.

 

While it's a little disheartening to see on the best album rock bands of the 1980s conceding to the fractured single focus of this decade, the new material is still exciting nonetheless. "Boots of Chinese Plastic," the first track of the campaign at Spinner, recalls that classic Pretenders sound with a bit more of a bite. It sounds as more like a Stones track than something from mainstream 80s New Wave. It's not the catchiest track the band has ever released, but it fully displays the Pretenders' influences on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Long Blondes, and Be Your Own Pet that often get overlooked.

 

Download "Boots of Chinese Plastic" here.

Posted in: THE PRETENDERS

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Average rating: 7.5
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4 Responses

July 24, 2008 at 2:07 p.m.

love the message in this song....."every dog that lives his life on a chain knows what it's like waiting for nothing" BTW you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese Plastic....CH is a very underrated songwriter.

To me the song is all about Karma.

July 24, 2008 at 3:32 p.m.

Great track.....

but, with all due respect -- how idiotic to say "..It sounds as more like a Stones track than something from mainstream 80s New Wave...."

What could that POSSIBLY mean -- it's absurd on two levels:

1. WHAT stones track? Some Girls? 200 Light years? Emotional Rescue? Bitch? I know what the guy means --but The stones have a million diff. sounds.

2. So..... even tho it's basically 30 years since the first Pretenders singles (1979)......you want to trap them in " the 80s New Wave" box....even after sooo many brilliant, diverse albums???? This is why rock critics are so hopeless. No sense of historical fact. Everything has to be a f*king catch phrase and buzzword....bands critics have never realy SAT AND LISTENING To get reduced to a phrase.

Oh well -- it matters not -- we are living in the greatest time for music, ever, IMHO.

August 15, 2008 at 8:36 a.m.

Heard the song yesterday on local college radio- CH's voice cut thru anything I've heard in a while. She sounded great- "tan, rested, & ready" to coin a phrase...

September 26, 2008 at 6:26 p.m.

I can't believe anyone would compare this song to the Stones either. Am I the only person to hear some good old fashion Rockabilly in this song? How could the critic overlook that? And yes, CH looks awesome and sounds GREAT!

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