A good year on from catching ears and sparking potentially damaging levels of next-big-thing hype with her first single, "Stuck on Repeat" -- a sleek, buzzy, self-fulfilling prophecy of "metaphor pop" with obvious debts to Kylie Minogue and Giorgio Moroder, and a writing/production assist from Hot Chip's Joe Goddard -- Little Boots (aka U.K. popstress Victoria Hesketh) finally showed her Hands. When it arrived, her full-length debut amply justified the hype even while slightly disappointing some of her faithful. It's true that only a handful of Hands' cuts can stack up against the stunning "Stuck" in terms of sonic distinctiveness and sheer hooky inevitability, and realistically, despite some clear mainstream potential, it's unlikely to achieve the sort of massive crossover success that some may have envisioned -- certainly not in America, where the album's street date was pushed back considerably beyond its June 2009 U.K. release. Frankly, Little Boots isn't doing anything especially musically innovative -- as she well knows -- and Hands fails to add any buzz-stoking specifics or publicity hooks to her persona beyond the already established basics: her savvy pop-positive hipster cred and playfully retro videogenic appeal, neither of which give her a leg up on the more quirkily personable likes of Robyn, Lily Allen, or Lady Gaga. But that's perfectly fine, because what Hesketh and her highly pedigreed collaborators have accomplished here is nevertheless a surprisingly rare, deceptively difficult achievement: a practically flawless and entirely enjoyable album of pure electronic pop: "pure" in the sense that, apart from the tacked-on (and unlisted) solo piano title track, there are no sounds on this record other than synthesizers (including synthesized drums) and vocals. Also in that, while the synths are often distorted, filtered, and otherwise electronically muddled, Hesketh's voice is to a large extent tonally pure, and generally devoid of specific inflections, coming across not as blank or chilly so much as just slightly anonymous (in contrast to the undeniably distinctive pipes of her oft-compared compatriot, La Roux's Elly Jackson.)
Although the album, in typical 21st century pop fashion, features a plethora of producers -- including Goddard, chart champion (and Gaga accomplice) RedOne, the increasingly omnipresent Greg Kurstin (Allen, Minogue), and Bertine Zetlitz collaborator Fred Ball -- and a corresponding variety of musical moods -- the brash and buzzy strut of "New in Town," the decidedly Hot Chip-y clank'n'chug of "Meddle," the darkly glossy trip-pop of "Hearts Collide" -- they seem to have condensed on a consistent, elegantly simple synth pop vibe that sets up a sonically unified, satisfyingly streamlined listen. The directness and consistency of the album's production, vocals, and stylistic approach leave a great deal of the focus on the songs themselves, which is good, because songs are arguably Hands greatest asset: a solid batch with several standouts (mostly the singles, including the stomping, club-ready "Remedy" and the absolutely massive-sounding "New in Town," along with the indomitable "Stuck on Repeat") but no space-filling duds or truly weak links. The songs, too, have a distinct conceptual purity, marrying effortless melodic mastery to a kind of lyrical facelessness, often eschewing any kind of personal specificity for general-purpose love/relationship commentary delivered in extended metaphorical conceits about driving ("No Brakes"), broadcasting ("Tune into My Heart"), medicine ("Remedy" -- which is technically, and fittingly, about dancing, not love), and math (not only the bouncy "Mathematics," a treasure trove of senseless arithmetic and algebra jokes ("your x is equal to my y"), but also "Symmetry," a duet with Human League's Phil Oakley that takes on geometry and the general concept of opposition). As restrained and mild-mannered as she may be, Hesketh at her best manages to make even these obvious generic abstractions feel truly affecting: a neat feat she pulled off on "Stuck on Repeat," finding the spark of aching humanity inside the manifestly mechanical (both lyrically and musically), and one she repeats here on the sweetly soaring "No Brakes," a gorgeous, paradoxically calm testament to the delirious uncontrollability of love. Such is the power of great pop, a power that rests firmly within Little Boots' very capable Hands.
At the beginning of December, the BBC posted their ‘Sound of 2009‘ list. Their predictions have been pretty on top so far, they include White Lies, my band of ‘08, Passion Pit, my band of ‘09, and La Roux, and I can’t wait for her album to come out. Top of the list was Little [...]
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From small packages can spring great things. When Victoria Hesketh appeared onto the internet memesphere last year showcasing her ability to grapple with the Tenori-on (a light-sequencing electronic Japanese instrument) there was always a high probability that any subsequent releases wouldn't quite live up to those impressive yet amateur beginnings. So it is with delight…
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Our favourite lady of the moment, Little Boots, will be collaborating with Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard live at the Smirnoff U.R the Night event on July 10th at London’s The Matter.Joe helped our fave electro pop lady on her sparkling debut album and will now be joining will be joining her on stage for the first [...]
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After her barnstorming gigs at SXSW last week, Victoria Hesketh aka Little Boots will be ready to show the world how the new school of electro-pop do things when her debut album Hands is released on June 8th. She signed a deal at a SXSW show with a major label in…
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From small packages can spring great things. When Victoria Hesketh appeared onto the internet memesphere last year showcasing her ability to grapple with the Tenori-on (a light-sequencing electronic Japanese instrument) there was always a high probability that any subsequent releases wouldn't quite live up to those impressive yet amateur beginnings. So it is with delight…
More >
At the beginning of December, the BBC posted their ‘Sound of 2009‘ list. Their predictions have been pretty on top so far, they include White Lies, my band of ‘08, Passion Pit, my band of ‘09, and La Roux, and I can’t wait for her album to come out. Top of the list was Little [...]
More >
Little Boots' 1st ever music video! Thanks JD, I love you!Here's another sick remix, this time by super-cool British chick GoldieLocks."New In Town (Goldielocks Remix)" | download Little Boots on new single:"i wrote the song one of the first times i came to LA and was feeling a bit weirded out… quite fitting i am now back in LA to shoot the video, and maybe still feeling a bid weirded out, alth
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Little Boots’ “Remedy,” is by far, my favorite song off her full-length debut album Hands. It’s going to be a sure-fire hit. But in the meantime, Little Boots has recruited DJ A1 Bassline to remix “Remedy” and turn it into a dance-floor burning 5-minute smash. Download it here Little Boots – Remedy (A1 Bassline Get [...]
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While updating the Upcoming Releases section, I came across news of Little Boots' latest album, Hands, which drops June 8th. The first single "New In Town" is a fantastic thumper with a glaze of gritty and synths that certainly grabs your attention and makes you want to hit that electro-disco floor with all the nonchalant sass you have to offer. It was produced by Greg Kurstin (The Bird & The Bee
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I'll admit that this is better in the beginning than where it ends up, but Little Boots' latest single "New in Town" is one of those sugary euro-pop treats that I enjoy so much. As noted on her Myspace blog, you can pre-order the song on CD or vinyl and she would reallyXinfinity appreciate it. [...]
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Apparently, I'm late to the whole Little Boots party, well maybe not that late, considering her debut album "Hands" has not even hit U.S. shores yet. (the U.S. got the "Illuminations" EP, instead). She's been dubbed the next Lady Gaga, which could be viewed as either a good or bad thing, but really, the only similarities the two singers share is that they are both blonde and both make dance musi
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Little Boots readies big boots as she quickly rises to fame!
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Victoria Christina Hesketh, aka Little Boots, has a new video out for another song, ‘Earthquake’, from her debut album ‘Hands’ released in the UK in June. Directed by David Wilson, the Little one is sat with her synth in her lap, and she is set off by a brilliantly glowing moon and some rad [...]
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 "Hands")
