RECORD REVIEW: ROBYN

Reviews

Saturday, 11 December 2010 00:20

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ROBYN - Body Talk

Robin Carlsson is essential to indie music. Her take no prisoners, do it her way approach renders her unique in the world of the music she makes. Only the very top players in the pop and R & B world have some control over their artistic direction but Robyn, thanks to her courageous stand in 2004 to buy out her contract with a beligerent major has total control over all aspects of how her music is made, how it is released and how it is distributed and the end product is all the better for it.

It's been five long years since Robyn's last release, 2005's outstanding self titled and but in between this solo hiatus she has been busy collaborating with a stack of class acts, the likes of fellow Swede Andreas Kleerup and Norweigian electronic duo Royksopp to name but two. Indeed, this is one of Robyn's strengths, her ability to attract and be attracted by talented individuals in their own right to collaborate with her. It's an indication of the respect she has among her peers and the in-demand nature of her killer voice.

This year has seen the release of a three part series of albums, Body Talk, with even more standouts and even more esteemed genre hopping peers lending a hand (Snoop Dog, Diplo, Royksopp, Kleerup et. al.) the cream of which has now dropped as a fifteen song long player.The concept behind the three parts was that Robyn wanted immediacy from her recordings. The 'just in time' approach was about releasing songs as they were recorded and not waiting until she had completed an album's worth of material. Like Robyn, musically Body Talk contains a range of styles. Elements of pop, dance, electro, eurodisco, hip hop and dancehall are all present and there are enough singles across the album to chart five albums.

For all the fuck you attitude Robyn displays, there is an honesty and openness to everything she does that all who are honest to themselves can relate to and that speaks emotional intelligence. The souped up emotional dancefloor pumper, 'Dancing On My Own' has Robyn secretly following her beau to the nightclub to spy him with someone else and laments her invisibility in the club's dark corners.This is followed by the one two punch of 'Fembot' and the musically spartan 'Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do', Robyn lays down the law for what is to come and you'll get that law right between the eyes. The latter repeats the revelation 'my drinking is killing me' at its beginning ad nauseum, although it never gets to the number of times I've said it to myself over the years. And that is just it, there's a relational element that is central to Robyn lyrically. The pulsating remake of 'Indestructible', an acoustic ballad on Part 2, is defiant with its refusal to let past hurt smash the future while 'Time Machine' stomps all over you as Robyn wishes she could go back and erase past errors. Another reworked ballad, 'Hang With Me' warns a prospective lover of the possible folly of falling in love with her, telling them to just chill and enjoy the here and now in mutual respect.

Smack bang in the middle of this emotionally laid bare journey is the immensely powerful 'Call Your Girlfriend', almost the flipside of Dancing On My Own'. Robyn implores her new lover to be honest and let down their partner down gently. 'None Of Dem' is a standout track that ushers in the album's last third and breaks things up nicely with its slow beat throb while 'Dancehall Queen' captures the dancehall feel nicely within a pop paradigm. She's off dancing on her own again. 'Get Myself Together' speaks about the importance of seeing the big picture in temporary heartbreak while closer 'Stars 4-Ever' is a catchy kickass self-confident ode to the power of relationships and memories.

Robyn is an artist quite clearly at the top of her game and Body Talk reminds us that honesty and accessibility in dance music can be combined. The raw nature of the lyrics and raw power of the music are proof of this. But this is exactly what will combine to prevent her from reaching any sort of superstar status. In the music 'business', tracks that contain even an ounce of honesty rarely break though big. It's a porous, air headed world out there in commercial land and Robyn's much admired independence in indie circles and refusal to play that music game means that this spectacularly exhilirating set of songs is still unlikely to be heard by as many people as it deserves.

James Stocker - December 11, 2010.

Dancing On My Own

Robyn (SWE)

From the album, 'Body Talk', Konichiwa

Download here

Official Video

Live Performance

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