Our latest guest reviewer is Little Boots, aka Victoria Hesketh.
Hesketh’s recently released second album, ‘Nocturnes’, has won itself a fair spread of positive reviews, and has so far spawned no fewer than four singles. So she knows a thing or two about this sort of thing.
You can read Clash’s verdict on ‘Nocturnes’ here, and check out Little Boots’ opinions on some of May 13th’s single releases below…
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Fryars – ‘On Your Own’
“I was a big fan of Fryars back in the day – ‘Olive Eyes ‘was a massive tune – so I’m glad he's back, even if all his new songs seem a bit sad. I think he's a great songwriter and the video is lovely; the Dief & Baker edit of this tune is excellent also.”
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Woodkid – ‘I Love You’
“Woodkid is an interesting artist, but I'm not sure if his music could quite exist without his videos, as the two seem so intertwined. This song is so cinematic it just makes me think there's a film playing in the background somewhere; it’s a pleasant enough tune but it's only with the epic video that it really comes alive.”
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Jessie Ware – ‘Imagine It Was Us’
“I'm a big fan of both Jessie Ware and this track's producer, Julio Bashmore, but I think I actually prefer their separate outputs. I like the groove of this track, but something about it feels a bit thrown together in time for the deluxe edition of 'Devotion' (Clash review).
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Wretch 32 – ‘Blackout’
“I actually really surprised myself at liking this. It feels a lot more substantial and creative than some of the other UK urban music around at the moment. The production is great.”
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Hurts – ‘Blind’
“I was a fan of Hurts’ first album: it kind of sounded like a cool East 17 at points. But I don't really get the new record’s more industrial direction. I can only guess its directed at their huge German and eastern European fanbase – they even have their own Hurts-themed hotel suite in Berlin. I prefer this track to some of the others, and it has some nice melodies; but the video is completely ridiculous.”
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Sub Focus – ‘Endorphins’
“I feel like maybe there was a Sub Focus song I liked at some point, but I'm pretty sure it sounded nothing like this. If I hear another of those naff synth lines I'm gonna scream, and Alex Clare’s voice just makes me think of Microsoft ads – and who still buys Windows?!”
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Mint Royale – ‘GTFU’
“Well I like robot voices, so it’s already an improvement on the last track. It sounds kind of lo-fi in a way to me; I can't figure out if it’s meant to or not? It sounds interesting and quite fun, but a bit repetitive. Wow, I can't believe I didn't know they did a song with Lauren Laverne… I'm into this one…”
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