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May 2, 2013It sounds fantastic throughout; there's just the right mix of intense dance floor dynamics and reverential sounds.
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MagnetMay 10, 2013All but gone is the glitzy, retro-leaning synthpop maximalism that dominated her first record, replaced here by a remarkably expansive sonic palette and a newfound poise that hardly falters from start to finish. [No. 98, p.57]
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May 16, 2013Nocturnes points the way out, with Hesketh having demonstrated not only the willingness and the ability to grow and develop, but also to retain a sense of her individuality and a keenness for what may set Little Boots apart from the rest.
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May 3, 2013There's plenty of interesting stuff going on throughout.
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May 3, 2013It’s fun, but accomplished too, and shows how Hesketh has taken her knocks, used them and come back bolder, brighter and better.
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May 2, 2013It’s a foot-tappingly bundle of disco-pop that is not ashamed of its influences and refuses to bore for even the shortest of moments.
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UncutMay 2, 2013Too many of these frictionless Eurodisco makeweights only prove that great, urgent, heart-tugging electro-pop is easy to stimulate but difficult to pull off successfully. [Jun 2013, p.75]
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May 2, 2013Hesketh and producer Tim Goldsworthy (of DFA fame) keep the choruses and the fidgety effects coming through the closing Satellite, by which point it's inarguable that Nocturnes is one of the pop records of the year.
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May 7, 2013Little Boots knows how to write a hook.
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Jun 25, 2013While Nocturnes doesn’t have the immediate impact or supremely sticky quality of Little Boots’, AKA Victoria Hesketh’s, high-caliber dance-pop debut, Hands, it does display a slow-growing (Or is that glowing?) charm that rings true to the album’s muted title.
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May 17, 2013Some of these tracks feel a bit like filler, and Nocturnes could probably use a bit more variation, but if smart, restrained disco pop puts a smile on your face, Nocturnes should do the trick.
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May 10, 2013While maintaining her space as neither and sexpot diva or a grossly doe-eyed ingenue, Little Boots remains unapologetically sincere in her words, and the crowd will still mainline the disco beats and, save for a few lulls, dance until we die.
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May 7, 2013Hesketh's shrewd choice of collaborators is often squandered on rather rudimentary song structures and lyrical ideas. That doesn't make Nocturnes any less enjoyable of a dance-pop album, but it's ultimately what will keep Little Boots from becoming the next Madonna, or the next Robyn for that matter.
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May 6, 2013Ultimately, if Hands was Little Boots' booty-shaking call to the dancefloor, then Nocturnes is the afterglow, post-party soundtrack for the ride home.
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May 6, 2013Only the more straightforwardly poppy numbers disappoint, with power-ballad manqué “Crescendo” a particular anomaly.
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Alternative PressMay 2, 2013The second half of the album loses momentum due to the overly long, soggy pop of "Crescendo" and "Strangers," although Nocturnes recovers nicely on the flawless synth-pop jam "All For You," where Hesketh shows off her dramatic, emotive vocals. [Jun 2013, p.98
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May 8, 2013Nocturnes finds her settling on one that aspires to the distance of Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell or Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She’s not quite there, and when her approach doesn’t work, it really doesn’t. Nocturnes is a big improvement over Hands, though, where even the biggest singles' hooks were made of saccharine, not sugar.
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May 7, 2013The trouble with Little Boots’ choice in house music is that there’s little room for experimentation. At times, lyrics rhyme just to be adhesive and the beats drone on and on and on.
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May 6, 2013Little Boots’ hooks rarely fall flat but can’t fully take off, either--they’re chained to the dance floor.
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May 2, 2013The results here feel somewhat less spirited.
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May 30, 2013Nocturnes rates better as an album that sounds better with time, as opposed to Hands’ sugar rush appeal. However, it also retains an uneven quality that can make getting through Nocturnes feel like someone trying to drag the party on a little too long.
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May 23, 2013It’s Nocturnes' two sleek singles (“Motorway,” “Broken Record”) that manage the best in dark electronic allure with shiny, hook-driven choruses.
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May 7, 2013Album two features some catchy and classy electronic dance music.... Unfortunately though, ‘Broken Record’ sounds like a Eurovision-endorsed soundtrack to Cassack dancing and ‘Satellites’ is a limp version of Madonna’s ‘Ray Of Light.’
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Q MagazineMay 13, 2013Choruses fizzle, lyrics fail to engage and every song is at least a minute too long. [Jun 2013, p.102]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 26 out of 32
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Mixed: 3 out of 32
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Negative: 3 out of 32
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May 19, 2013
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May 16, 2013
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May 7, 2013