Nocturnes

Now spinning discs and pointing fingers from the comfort of her own record label, Little Boots (Victoria Hesketh) is back with her second album.  After what has felt like a rather long time (four years to be precise!), it is interesting to see the twists and turns she has employed… but is it all good?

Nocturnes is a heavy departure from Hesketh’s debut, 2009’s Hands.  Long gone are the pop-driven production efforts from RedOne, Richard ‘Biff’ Stannard and Greg Kurstin.  Instead, we are offered a basket of unknown goodness, with producers such as Tim Goldsworthy (Massive Attack) and Andy Butler (Hercules And Love Affair) developing Little Boots as a haunting temptress of the night.  Throughout, Hesketh and her team employ a wondrous sonic concoction of striking piano chords, 808 drums and electronica grooves reminiscent of the ’80s.

Beneath the haunting and theatrical cohesion however, the majority of the album doesn’t quite engage, and there is clear scope for Hesketh to achieve more than she does here.  The album saves face near the end with a handful of stonking numbers, including ‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’ (perhaps the ‘poppiest’ song of the entire album: no wonder it was chosen to lead the campaign).  Other tracks however, such as ‘Confusion’ and ‘Strangers’ suffer from similar problems: although they are beautifully constructed and produced, there is a distinct sense of vacancy to them.  Hesketh’s vocals, though inviting at times, often venture into discordant and disengaging territories with her higher register.  It is not certain whether these nuances of emptiness were an artistic choice to reflect the themes of self-deprecation of the album, but its effect on the ears is far from pleasant.

Nocturnes is an album that definitely lives up to its name: it would be a perfect soundtrack for cold winter nights, and in terms of overall sound and image, it is a fantastic evolution from her previous effort.  However, its lack of personality and frequent bouts of vacuity ultimately render it disappointing; flaws which were better deflected in Hands.

Similar To: Goldfrapp, Lykke Li

MP3: ‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’, ‘Crescendo’