Album- Nocturnes
Artist- Little Boots
Little Boots, real name Victoria Hesketh, burst onto the
music scene back in 2009 with her electronic pop debut Hands, that featured
such hit singles as New In Town and Remedy. Yet whilst she may have been a
powerful pop star in that time, since then she has remained quite quiet, with
really only true fans of the singer being the ones who will know what she has
been doing since. 2013 does seem to be the year of the music comeback, and so
we are now treated to the long awaited sophomore album from the singer, with a
darker sound and an album described as Little Boots as “an album indebted to
the night”.
Track 1- Motorway
Released as a free download in preparation for the album’s
release, the opening track really works well in terms of showing the transition
of her sound from the previous track. Boots described the last albums sound as
being a little over produced, and so here she still retains that electronic vibe
but gives it a bit more of a minimalist edge and keeps things subdued. It is a
sound that definitely suits the singer, particular in terms of the singers
light vocal tone that works really well here and feels warm and inviting,
contrasting well with the almost harsh quality of the production. Her vocal
tone also works well in terms of elevating the lyrical message of the track,
which finds the singer playing the role of this woman who asks her lover (or
us?) to meet her on the motorway, a metaphorical message that focuses on how
their relationship will be so strong that they can go off into the world, just
Boots and this person, and can have a wonderful time together. It’s a simple
message that comes across nicely, lacking the strong hook of her previous songs
but still having a memorable quality, perhaps brought out prominently through
the production, although the lyrical repetition of the bridge is a little
annoying. The main collaborator on the record, Tim Goldsworthy, brings a dark
but powerful electronic based sound to the track that opens in a subdued way
with an intermixing of clunky piano and a steady electro rhythm before building
into this almost propulsive back beat and clattering notes that mix for this
strong and polished sound that feels very current in today’s UK music scene.
3.5/5
Track 2- Confusion
We find the singer in a state of being that is perfectly
summed up in the title, as she puts on the persona of a woman in this
relationship where the guy seems to have changed and now she is in this world
of pain where the love she once felt is not the same. The message doesn’t feel
that original, and the track is marred by the over repetitive nature of the
lyrics. This repetitive edge is also worsened by the vocals: the vocal quality
of the track could have potentially allowed us to ignore the quality of the
lyrics, but Boots just keeps the track on a simple vocal level and doesn’t add
any substance to what she is saying, with the electronic effects placed on her
voice here just coming across as annoying rather than catchy. Production wise
it is an okay song with a nice piano melody that is simple and intermixed with
the more prominent electro beats, but after a while the sound just becomes as
bland as the rest of the songs components, and at five minutes long, this track
is also definitely way too long.
2/5
Track 3- Broken
Record
Broken record is definitely one of those songs on the record
that from the first listen you get what Boots was saying about the record owing
a debt to the night. This is because the track has a dark and moody club feel
that makes for an exciting tune, and just has that energy of a tune that you
can only really enjoy in a night time setting. Lyrically the track finds Boots
in this strong emotional state where she compares hearing this man’s voice to
the idea of hearing a broke record, emphasising her potentially volatile
emotional state and the instability of this relationship. After the two tracks
we have the sense of Boots being back on form, as the chorus has much more of a
catchy and memorable quality. Vocally the singer is also really strong, her
light vocal tone gives this cool ethereal touch to the track and works well in
the sections where the vocals are layered. Goldsworthy is really great in terms
of the production, bringing darks but dance driven club beats to the track that
really make you want to move around, with the string opening of the track
working well in grabbing your attention at first and then diverging into this
cool dance sound. The vocal distortion, which is very prominent in the bridge,
is also really cool and attention grabbing, and so if you’re not invested in
the tune by the end it is a shame.
3.5/5
Track 4- Shake
The records lead single that was released way before the
album’s release (2011) is a non-stop dance number that contains elements of
synth pop and is a whopping 6 minutes long. The lyrical concept of the track is
very simple: Boots just sings about how the whole place is alive, and she just
wants to get you moving, apparently until your heart brakes. This lyrical
content feels a bit too into the cliché, particularly in terms of such lyrics
as “get down, right down”. However the chorus does have a nice hook. Vocally
the song is also a bit hit and miss, with the verses being a bit bland, but the
chorus has a light tone that will sort of capture you. The production, however,
is definitely something to be commended, with its heavy, definitive dance beats
and cool, liquid edged synth bass that has the potential to border on the
repetitive, but instead just becomes more powerful as the song continues, and
so whilst far from innovative, you should kind of be shaking a little by the
end.
3.5/5
Track 5- Beat Beat
The fifth track on the record keeps in line with the
previous number in terms of the trying to keep you on the dance floor vibe, and
is definitely one of the lighter tunes of the set. Lyrically the track finds
Boots in sort of love struck mood as she just wants to keep on dancing because
of the string beat of this man’s heart. Vocally the singer brings a really nice
tone to the track and brings a cool vitality to the tune that makes her bring
the message of the track out more powerfully, in which she is definitely this
emotional girl. And for once it is actually the production that kind of lets
the track down, with a light electro based sound that feels a little 80’s
inspired and just has this light tone that is a bit too familiar and safe in
today’s pop world, and doesn’t excite you enough, at least not until the end
with the synth pop moments, but by then it’s just a little late.
3/5
Track 6- Every Night
I Say a Prayer
A thoroughly dark pop jam, this is one of the best track in
terms of the way that the various components meld together to create a really
enjoyable song. Lyrically the track is all about how Little Boots has seen the
future and seems to really believe in this relationship, with the chorus having
a very simple yet catchy tone lyrically. Vocally this is one of the best
moments for Boots, as she brings a vocal performance that is both strong and
delicate at the same time, having a liquid texture that crackles in places for
an addictive pop tune. Production wise the track blends together a really great
piano melody with ambient sounds and club beats that makes for a slight organic
flavour and a tune that feels 90’s (and kind of 80’s) inspired but which is
also thoroughly modern and another tune that would sound great in a club but
can equally have the potential to be remixed to great effect for a more upbeat,
stomping tune.
3.5/5
Track 7- Crescendo
This is a tune that has a light vocal tone and production
wise is quite airy, but in terms of the lyrical content it is sadder and has
more depth. We find Boots singing about this relationship which is not going so
well and she just needs to talk to this guy rather than having the two just
getting louder with one another. It’s a concept that will feel familiar with
many people, and is one of the better tunes in terms of the chorus having a
truly catchy quality, and the fact that the track is repetitive is this time
not annoying. Vocally Boots is great, having a nice light tone that brings this
essence of delicacy and desperation to the track but still sounding appealing,
and working really well in the final choruses with the use of background vocals
that give a crowd effect to the song, meaning that this is definitely a tune
that would sound great live. Goldsworthy is stellar in terms of the production,
with the forceful drum beat as the base, the clattering piano melody and drum
textures, and cool synth beats all coming together to create a sound that is
powerful but light and thoroughly enjoyable.
4/5
Track 8- Strangers
At over six minutes long, this is the longest and perhaps
one of the most subdued affairs of the record that emphasises prominently how
she is a little more of a free form artist now rather than the simple pop act
she might have been. The track takes about a minute to get into with this
bubbly electronic bass line that gives this powerful edge to the track and gets
you anticipating what is to come lyrically. And when the lyrical concept of the
track comes into play it is a really cool moment that is about this volatile
kind of relationship where the man and the woman are dancing in a club as if
they have never met, tapping into that emotion of how you can be so close to a
person and be emotionally attached, but yet you kind of don’t know them at the
same time and feel a bit confused. It’s a concept that is executed powerfully
in terms of the lyrics having this poetic feel, with a catchy and simple
chorus. And the production is really strong, infusing this shimmering synths
and ambient undertones to create this euphoric tone that is very appealing and
goes a little dancey in the chorus for an 80’s influenced energy. The only
issue here is the vocal, which at first is a little annoying in terms of the
robotic effects placed upon Boots voice, but after a while this is toned down a
little, and by the end of the song you get caught up in the euphoric energy,
with the songs long form never becoming a problem.
4/5
Track 9- All For You
After the stellar and euphoric energy of the previous track
that was so cool and appealing and captivating, this tune brings us down and
just doesn’t have the va va voom that is needed at this point. The song is all
about Boots questioning things and reflecting, and basically stating that she
does everything for her partner, because she loves him so much. It is too
simplistic a concept, and the title is too repetitive. Vocally it’s quite a
nice light tone that boots employs, and the bridge is really powerful in terms
of the effect placed on her vocal to give this haunting, and in its own way
euphoric tone. Production is simple with the steady electro rhythm and the
forceful beats that give a chilled but strong sound to the track and blend
together nicely, although they are perhaps a bit to dominating. The track gets
better towards the end, starting from the bridge, but this definitely isn’t the
track it should be.
2.5/5
Track 10- Satellite
Satellites has to be commended for allowing the record to
not end on a typical down tempo level, and instead have this electronic rush
that will get you dancing a little. Lyrics in this song are one of those that
you can easily grab onto and feel inspired by, as Boots sings rising like a
satellite but being brought back to earth, highlighting the idea of people in
your life keeping you grounded. The track has a light vocal performance that is
really nice and his helped by the layering of her voice, whistling the
shimmering production with the heavy synths and booming bass line is so strong
and dominating it makes for a cinematic feeling end to the record and shows
that she is indeed a great artist.
3.5/5
Final Review
Described by Boots as being less 80’s synth pop influenced,
which she put down to the fact that she has been DJ ing a lot and so has
created a more upbeat sound, this is a track that for me straddles the line of
light and dark and finds a happy medium. I would argue that whilst upbeat, the
80’s synth pop energy is still there, particularly with songs in the latter
half of the record. And whilst not the polished collection of her debut, this
has more of a vibrant and powerful tone, and still feels nicely commercial
whilst equally a bit alternative. And exciting record that shows that she is a
cool artist who does have something to offer the music industry.
7.10
Best Track- Strangers
Worst Track-
Confusion
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