Little Boots - Nocturnes

I must prefix this review with major aggrievance at the absence of 2012's marvellous disco single Headphones. Considering this record's so centred around the supposed strengths of house music I guess I can see its omission as necessary, as it's more of a discopop song, but, as I'm about to discover, it's far stronger than the majority available here.

It seems absurd in hindsight that the BBC awarded Little Boots - real name Victoria Hesketh - the 'Sound of 2009' prize. In a year that saw such indie-crossover juggernauts as Florence + the Machine, the xx, Mumford and Sons, La Roux, Passion Pit, Empire of the Sun and... oh yeah... Lady GaGa (!) it was a little bit of an odd decision to give the title to the rather safe, homely-looking pop protégé. OK, that's a shallow assessment, but who could honestly say that 2009's debut Hands took them by storm? Aside from the wonderful single Remedy, it's long-forgotten. What can Nocturnes do to regain our attention?

The small fact that both albums contain tracks that arrived slightly ahead of British revivals of trends that Hesketh has capitalised on could be seen as something of a kick in the teeth given the discerning lack of success she's endured, but the whole early-90s house rave scene that she teased way back in 2011 on Every Night I Say a Prayer has only gone and found colossal fame with the likes of Disclosure, AlunaGeorge and Azealia Banks. From the opener 'Motorway' we're thrown head-first into her pool of dizzying beats and fantasized escapism, and - rather uncommanding vocal performance aside (at times she sounds like a third, even less interested Minogue) - it's a rapturous return. It's followed by the slightly less convincing series of weird sound effects and banal lyrics (right down to rhyming "everything's changed" with "you're not the same") on 'Confusion' and the meta, Stuck on Repeat-referencing, drawl on 'Broken Record'.

When she drops the lover spurned act and heads for the dancefloor the effects, however, are often great. 'Shake', the other of the record's first two cuts way back in 2011, is arguably a career best: multiple hooks construct themselves around one another organically and it's a perfect dance track. The turn to funkier sounds on 'Beat Beat' are again savvy decisions given the return of the likes of Daft Punk this year, but you can't help but yearn for something a little more imaginative than "I'm gonna keep on dancing to the beat beat of your heart". As said above, 'Every Night I Say a Prayer' is a fine tune in itself - sort of a fine tribute to Saint Etienne - but again there's the slight problem that Victoria's voice doesn't quite command the masses in the same sense that, say, fellow indie dancepoppers Robyn or Aluna Francis do. It's a sweet and universal voice, but there's no distinction. Especially when followed by the rather twee and bland performance on 'Crescendo', a kind of Nicola Roberts offering with basic metaphors about lovers' tiffs.

She makes a pointed improvement on the husky, serene performance on 'Strangers', which, matched with its chirpy, summery backing, comes as a gorgeous comedown. The danger of a comedown at track 8 of 10 is that tracks 9 and 10 sound painfully drudgy, and 'All for You' is just that. A slow, unfocused bit of light industrial influence is buried somewhere beneath the most subtle drum machine you've ever heard. Thankfully, the (Usher's Climax writing) Ariel Rechtshaid-penned 'Satellite'  rekindles some of that energy and beauty for a memorable ending.

The end result is something like listening to one of Saint Etienne's more disappointing albums - and in a world where Saint Etienne are now making incredibly good albums, this just comes as a little redundant. It's a terribly fickle industry and although I feel rather rude for saying it, I just can't see much room in pop music for someone as unaccomplished, unrounded and uninteresting as Little Boots. Which is frustrating because, as Nocturnes suggests, there is potential.

Rating: 6/10
Highlights: Shake; Satellite; Every Night I Say a Prayer; Strangers; Motorway
Avoid: Broken Record; All For You; Confusion; Crescendo

Artwork Watch: can we stop with the ridiculous spacing between letters please
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