Little Boots
Nocturnes

Little Boots is a bland and insignificant stage name. I can't quite understand why this girl publishes her albums under such a pseudonym, especially since her real name is Victoria Hesketh—a lovely name with an important and evocative surname, for those who know a bit about Formula 1 and motors in general, at least. But aside from this personal consideration, let's get to the point: Victoria Hesketh is a beautiful girl and she does dance-pop, and despite this, on the cover of her second album (mind you, it's her second album, and she is certainly not a well-established star), there are no alluring looks or fresh flesh on display as is usually the norm in this genre. A very important signal that suggests a genuine desire on Hesketh's part to shift the listener's attention from the typical bordelline image usually associated with this type of music to the actual content. What our dear Vic offers in her newly released second album may not have particular depth, it is certainly not innovative stuff, but it works well. Great electronic bases, a good voice, and a very solid and well-presented basic structure: "Nocturnes" proposes disco music revisited in a modern key, without going overboard, without complications and distractions, with no other pretensions. Victoria Hesketh is aware of her artistic inclinations and her potential, which, believe me, is considerable for the standards of the genre and beyond. This girl has class and good taste to spare. Her music does not pretend to be anything other than what it is, and she presents it in the best possible way, which is absolutely not easy.

One thing that certainly struck me is the voice of this girl from Blackpool, class of 1984: for the type of music offered, you don't need much range and technique, and in fact, Victoria is surely not a vocal prodigy. However, she is genuinely enjoyable to listen to: her timbre is intriguing, as it should be, but also elegant and measured, with the right amount of coolness. In short, unlike some of her much more famous colleagues (KM?), you always get the impression of listening to a real singer rather than a phone sex operator turned musician, and I find this beautiful and noteworthy. Victoria Hesketh is truly English in her soul; you can tell right away that she has that aura of refined and flirtatious stylishness that fits so well with dance, balanced by a great sense of elegance, good taste, and a balance and sense of proportion that do not allow for circus-like showiness. Her way of interpreting dance is almost entirely centered on electronics with some small funky parentheses inspired by the '70s, in any case, without any Madonna-like bastardization. Incredible but true, Vic Hesketh is never arrogant, never slutty, never unnecessarily pretentious, not even a small trace of vulgarity. The only similar record I happened to listen to before this was "Into The Nightlife" by Cyndi Lauper; V. Hesketh still has a long way to go to reach that level of personality, but she's on the right track, and a comparison like that is already a small victory in itself.

"Nocturnes" is a somewhat flat album, and this is both a strength and a weakness: great consistency, homogeneity, and unity of intent, but also no real spark, which makes it an album to "take or leave": either it pleases you wholly, or it doesn't at all. However, the listening is very smooth and light, it unfolds with sinuous nonchalance through very engaging and interesting grooves and intoxicating melodies. In any case, the sounds and the voice never attack the listener; rather they tend to put them at ease, gently coaxing them with a thousand kindnesses, smiles, and winks—an intelligent approach that works perfectly with me at least. The opening "Motorway" is enough to understand the quest for quality that permeates this record, the care in the arrangements, never too heavy or forced, enveloping atmospheres that manage to be vivid and elegantly muted at the same time. This repeats ten times, an absolutely perfect number, neither too many nor too few. The average length of the tracks is around five minutes, sometimes exceeding them; this is also a significant detail. Victoria Hesketh doesn't let herself be too constrained by radio-friendly durations, knowing that a song deserves its natural development, its right dimension, and that's also why "Nocturnes" shines so much in terms of pleasantness. As I've already said, taken individually, all ten songs are more or less equivalent, yet some particularly immediate exploits are recorded, above all "Broken Record", with its pleasantly nocturnal and slightly epic retro-futuristic atmosphere, enlivened by sensual electronic pulses, a great bass work that remains constant and characterizing throughout the album, assuming more robotic connotations in "Shake" or adapting to more frivolous and light-hearted atmospheres in "Beat Beat", a funk-tronic of Chromeo school in a female key. "Crescendo" is a bit of a special case; compared to the lively and chilly atmospheres of the rest of the album, it is warmer and more sentimental, it could be a decent pop rock ballad if desired, but the synths do their job here as well, adding momentum and vivacity, avoiding any saccharine drift.

In short, for me, this album was truly a revelation, a happy note, especially for the genre offered which, yes, I have no problems admitting, I like, but it is very difficult, at least for me, to propose it adequately. Being picky as I am, where just a detail out of place can ruin everything, Victoria Hesketh managed to convince me fully, which is almost like crossing a minefield unscathed. In any case, this "Nocturnes" demonstrates how, for those who can see beyond the disgusting boorishness of various Katy Perrys, Rihannas, and the like, there is a strong scene of many valid artists, not promoted as they deserve and relegated to clubs and discos. Regardless of the genre offered, it is a beautiful album in an absolute sense, crafted with great passion and professionalism; for me, it was a small but very pleasant love at first sight. I'd say it deserves a chance, given that chances are given to anyone these days, let alone a serious and talented artist like our Vic.