Tracklist:

01 New In Town
02 Earthquake
03 Stuck on Repeat
04 Click
05 Remedy
06 Meddle
07 Ghost
08 Mathematics
09 Symmetry (feat. Philip Oakey)
10 Tune Into My Heart
11 Hearts Collide
12 No Brakes
12.5 Hands (Hidden Track)
13 Catch22 (Japanese Bonus Track)
14. New in Town (No One Is Safe – Al Kapranos Remix) (Japanese Bonus Track)
15. Stuck On Repeat (Acoustic) (Japanese Bonus Track)

Hands is Little Boot’s debut album, released in June 8th, 2009. I got my hands on it this past summer, and I have to say it was one of the new best album’s I’ve heard from this year. Probably it’ll end up being one of my favorites albums of 2009. The album starts with New In Town, also the album’s first single. I actually discovered Little Boots with New In Town, as I saw the music video playing on television. It was instant love, and I immediately had to find out who she was. New In Town is a fun upbeat track, whose lyrics just make you want to get up and have fun. It’s a pretty strong track, and makes a great debut single.

Earthquake follows up, probably my favorite song on the album. With very heavy synths, and a club feel the song just makes a perfect party track. Earthquake is also the album’s upcoming single, making it the third single from the album. Stuck On Repeat has more of a club-disco feel, very strong lyrics and heavy synths. I really like this song as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was made the album’s fourth single. Now, I’m not so psyched about Click, it’s a good song, and on here I feel she experiments more with her synths. But I feel this song isn’t that memorable. I think the only up side on this song is the chours, which is great.

Now comes the great Remedy, which is also the second single from the album. I absolutely adore this song, my top favorite song from the album actually. Very very strong lyrics, and the beats and synths are just perfect. We don’t usually hear strong electro-pop songs like this in the pop scene, and as her second single this album will get more and more sales.  Remedy is one of those songs that you will never get tired with, and will constantly have it on repeat. Meddle is nice, but I find it a bit repetitive, and it gets boring after a while, which makes me wants to skip it to the next track. It isn’t a bad song, but not a memorable one either. Ghost, starts with a creepy-like intro, and while the songs keeps going in you see that it’s main theme is very “mystery” like. Hence the title. Like Meddle I find it a bit repetitive, and after a while I get bored with it too. But hey, I think it makes a great Halloween Party track!

Mathematics is kind of similar to Stuck On Repeat. I adore the chorus and I love how she applies basic rules of mathematics in the lyrics. But in the end, not a very memorable song either. Symmetry (feat. Philip Oakey) is amazing, and it would make a great single from the album as well. The chorus is very strong, as so are the lyrics. Philip Oakey also has amazing vocals, and when singing with Little Boots they both sound outstanding together. The synths used in the songs are out of this world as well. It’s hard to describe them but they really have a futuristic sound to them. I hope that after Earthquake, this will be the next single. The song also adapts 80’s synthpop elements. The song is just plain epic, and one of my top favorite tracks in the album.

Tune Into My Heart also adapts 80’s synthpop elements, it’s a very nice song, nothing too special, but it doesn’t really stick with you. Hearts Collide is a more down-beat track, it has a club feel. Her vocals are gorgeous and this songs, and brings out more her mysterious side. No Brakes is one of those songs you like to keep playing in the background, but don’t notice it that much. No Brakes is not a bad song, but I find it the weakest track of the album for some reason. Yet Little Boot’s vocals on this song are outstanding. After No Brakes we have Hands as a hidden track. Honestly I’m not a fan of the song, and don’t really consider it part of the album as it doesn’t fit. Hands is Little Boot’s take on an acoustic song. It has some folkish elements as well. The only thing I really like about this song is the lyrics, which I find very interesting. But well, at the end it’s a song that could’ve have been left out of the album. But it’s okay, since it’s just a hidden track. Not a bad end to the album though, since we hear something very different from the rest of the album.

Catch22, bonus track found on the Japanese edition of the album, is another upbeat song. I actually really like this song, they should have kept it as an original album track than a Japanese bonus. The synths are great, and the chorus is even greater. Very catchy song, and would make a great single as well. New in Town (No One Is Safe – Al Kapranos Remix), another Japanese bonus track, is a experimental mess. I don’t like this remix at all, though it has some tolerable parts. But hey it’s just a bonus. I think they could have worked better with the remix, but at the end, I don’t really care for it. Stuck On Repeat (Acoustic) finishes off the Japanese edition of the album very nice piano acoustic take on the original.

In conclusion, even though I consider this album was great, it still has some flaws. Next time, hopefully she’ll make correct the mistakes she did on the album. But other than that the album was pretty great! And it easily makes it to my Top 10 albums of 2009. Unlike other electro-pop acts out there, I really feel that Little Boots is more unique than the rest. The rest really try hard to stick out and try to be different. But for Little Boots it just comes out naturally. You should definitely check her out.

Favorite Tracks:
01 New In Town
02 Earthquake
03 Stuck On Repeat
05 Remedy
09 Symmetry (feat. Philip Oakey)
13 Catch22

Album Score:
A-

Tracklist:
01 Don’t let you down
02 material girl
03 Don’t let you down (Instrumental)
04 material girl (Instrumental)

AYUSE KOZUE releases her latest single “Don’t let you down”. A very nice, happy, upbeat synth-pop song. Now it seems that her collaboration with electro-pop artist Aira Mitsuki has left an effect on her on wanting to use the vocoder. Even if it’s just the intro. When the intro started, I was very surprised. Expecting a very electro-pop inspired song, but I was wrong. Even though she keeps experimenting with her synths. I’m glad I was wrong though, she has a gorgeous voice and the vocoder would just hide that away.

Don’t let you down starts with AYUSE’s heavily vocoded voice, which makes a very nice intro. Then her normal voice kicks in. The song is pure “feel good” feeling if you know that I mean. It just makes you want to smile, even if you don’t understand the lyrics. The song has a kind of 80’s synth-pop vibe, which in my book is great. But there isn’t much to the song. The song itself is good, and makes you feel all good and happy. But it isn’t something I would listen to all the time.

On the other hand material girl goes back to her R&B roots, but still isn’t afraid to use her synths. I was expecting a Madonna cover honestly, but I’m glad it wasn’t. The song is down-tempo, and I find it relaxing. As I am not a huge fan of R&B, AYSUE KOZUE is one of the few artists that make me love the genre.

Favorite tracks:
01 Don’t let you down
02 material girl

Single score:
B