‘Hands’ by Little Boots was recently released and I decided to purchase it on the day of release after hearing incredibly positive things on the EP, Arecibo. I had been listening to the poppy sing-along ‘New in Town’ and whilst enjoying it, I couldn’t help but hope the whole album wouldn’t have taken this direction.
The album features tracks from Arecibo which is a clever move as they’re some of the best tracks on the album. ‘Stuck on Repeat’ arguably the best track from the EP and now the LP is the big stand out. The whole album feels influenced by people other than herself, based on what was popular around the time of production, but rather than producing something interesting and popular such as Ladyhawkes debut album, this album strays more towards Lady GaGa. I won’t pretend to know the reasons, but all I know is the disappointment I felt whenever one of the old tracks wasn’t on.
Focusing on the positives, which there are enough of to warrant some enjoyment. ‘New in Town’ is a big dance floor track, it’s catchy, sassy and perhaps creeping into the area of guilty pleasures with people saying ‘Actually, I quite like that’. ‘Stuck on Repeat’ has had over 3 minutes trimmed from it’s running time, to aid in it’s accessibility and I suppose for the demographic, a smart move. So for those who miss the EP version, just listen to the EP. ‘Meddle’ and ‘Mathematics’ also feature which I’d heard previously, and seem to blend nicely in as the album progresses.
It’s a grower, synth-pop tracks like ‘Remedy’, with a pleasant vocal and deep enough bass line keep you checking back on it every so often. I’ve been quite critical but I’ve not finished listening to it just yet, I’m just not sure how much longer I will be.
After hearing Dead Disco a few years ago, and seeing them live, this album probably leans more towards what I expected from them and to judge this album, as I have been, beside Arecibo is unfair, and as a single piece of work it’s a big pop record. If you’ve not already listened my recommendation is not to think about what you’ve heard already, but as if this is the first time you’ve heard Little Boots. It is full of strong pop singles, and you can’t blame anyone for wanting to reach a larger audience if it’s not overly-compromising.
New In Town
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Stuck on Repeat
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Remedy
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As most people will be aware, Phoenix released a free live album a few days ago of their recent performance in Sydney. It features the majority of tracks from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.
