Robyn

its loveliness was very subtle; it really snuck up on me. i watched this video for the first time thinking, "kinda boring huh" but there was something entrancing about some of these shots that drew me back repeatedly over the next few days. i don't think i ever watched the "dancing on my own" video more than once or twice.

I just heard the new version of "hang with me". WOW. Robyn is BACK.

Her voice annoys me on this EP: that quaver underscores her "vulnerability" in too grating a manner.

there's something a little patronising about 'hang with me' but I've known girls like that

I'm starting to think that I like Chord Changes Robyn and am lukewarm on Ride a Vamp Robyn.

Body Talk Pt. 2 streaming at guardian.co.uk

What's the verdict?

Guilty.

Of?

...blowing my mind, again. I've only had one proper listen through, and whilst nothing has leapt out in "Dancing On My Own" style, Pt. 2 is another delight. It certainly made my walk home from work fly by, and seemed oddly apt for the blustery sunshine. I gotta get tickets for her show next month.

I'm sure we'll poll these eventually; in the meantime Pt. 1 >>> Pt. 2

Where is the love for "Love Kills"? It's the best song on Pt. 2.
BTW: Pt. 2 > Pt. 1

Part 2 is way better than Part 1 just for lacking 1's multiple cringeworthy moments. There will be an album of the year-quality EP when all three parts are said and done but she's sure drawing it out.

i think they're comparable. was pleasantly surprised - for some reason i had lowered my expectations for this one, but it's good all the way through. again, nothing super tremendous, but the combined 3-part thing is shaping up to very impressive.

"Love Kills" is weird - it made me cringe the first few times but now I look forward to it

It's impossible for me to grasp how anyone could like Part 2 more than Part 1. Part 1 is gripping, progressive, and perfectly produced. Take "Hang With Me" of Part 2 and it's barely worth your time.

Reasons why Part 2 is better than Part 1:

1. No 'Fembot'
2. Only one ballad, which is much better than any slow song on Part 1
3. Has some floorfiller disco tracks like "Love Kills" and "U Should Know Better".
4. Overall better songs, more coherent.

Part1 has one big advantage: "Dancing On My Own", but still.

Fembot chorus is A+ so shut up

"Fembot" is probably my favorite Robyn song ever, after "Dream On." The whole pop-diva/robot theme is becoming played out, what with similar work from Christina, Rhianna, Kelis, and Janelle Monae (not to mention Robyn's previous work).

"Fembot" has been the only track that's really stood out of the lot. The chorus is infallible, the way she makes the phrasing and rhyming work despite the odds. She rhymes "system," "condition," "transistor," "switches," "position," "ignition," and "demolition" by focusing on the "ih" sound instead of the final syllable. It's the catchiest thing she's done in her career. Then there's all the joyous little bells and whistles, like her moans throughout much of the song (which only become apparent in the outro) and the second layer of vocals she does in the final chorus ("heeee" / "Baby" / "AHH haaa"), which scream Michael Jackson.

More than anything else, "Fembot" serves as the perfect bridge between "Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do" and "Dancing on My Own." Which for me is why Part 1 destroys Part 2: it's pacing is perfect. The only track that doesn't quite stand up is the final Swedish ballad. I know why it's there, and I guess it's a nice nod to tradition, but it seems superfluous after the acoustic "Hang With Me".

I will agree that Part 2 seems more "coherent", but only in the sense that Part 1's array of producers didn't seem to do much to work towards one sound. But the notion that there are "overall better songs" on Part 2 is pretty much laughable.

i think this review is largely otm: http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-09-01/music/give-robyn-her-knock-back/

I don't think Fembot is her best song, but yeah, what he said. xpost

I adore "Dancing on My Own," didn't much care for "Fembot" and haven't heard the rest of the Body Talk stuff. Though, both are arriving in the mail this afternoon(!) from Amazon, so I'll be more informed in short order.

Indexed: I hope "Fembot" works as an effective bridge, I didn't really like it in isolation.

soooo

i have to admit. Dancing On My Own has really come together as a whole song for me, and it pretty much destroys everytime.

Rich is absolutely OTM:

If you love her voice, great; if you don't, it will cloy you to death. Robyn's interpretive skills are minimal at best: She opens her mouth and smiley faces come out. Her perpetual upward lilt and limited range give her delivery a detrimental sameness

Really excited about Pt. 2 now. Does anyone know if their distribution in the US is to larger chains, or will I have to seek out a record store?

Indexed, I don't know how you can get that deep into internal rhymes and then ignore all the more important and obvious horrible stuff going on around it. Fembots have feelings too? What the hell is she talking about? "I'm sipping propane topped with a cherry"? "Once you've gone tech you ain't never going back"? Does she get a pass for this stuff because she isn't a native English speaker? The "I've got some news for you" tag is sing-song awful and her voice is extra cloying in the verses. She doesn't even sound especially robotic--the backing vocals do that for her. And not to turn this into Common People chapter 2 but the word "fembot" has a Rush Limbaugh meaning over here in the States that I can't ignore.

"Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do" is also a stupid song for anyone over the age of 13 despite the shoutouts to adult problems. Again the production is interesting but to enjoy it you have to hear a grown woman say "don't fucking tell me what to do" over and over again.

most lyrics sound pretty stupid to me so i don't pay attention to them. it's all fine by me.

skip, when was the last time a pop star was hailed for their meaningful lyrics? In the context of pop, I primarily care about two things: production + melody. The song isn't "about" anything. She probably just wrote down a bunch of words that somewhat relate to technology and computers and worked them into a song. My question isn't, 'What does she mean?,' it's 'Who cares?'

The production + melody equation stands up on the whole of Body Talk Pt. 1, but fails throughout much of Pt. 2. Here's where I take issue with the crux of Rich's argument: for the most part, I just don't care. I very rarely listen to this type of music for the quality of the voice. In fact, it is regularly the pop singers with the best chops (i.e. Christina and Mariah Carey) who put out the most bland albums. Say what you will about Britney's talent as a singer, she's had an incredible musical career due to her production and melodies (let's not start down the 'superstar'/image road).

The songs I dislike most on Part 2 are "Love Kills" (which has great production) and "We Dance to the Beat." They fall flat because the melodies aren't there. Let Beyoncé sing "Love Kills" and it'd still fall flat, because the melody is boring.

I'd like to say a couple more words on Robyn and what she's trying to do as a whole this year, which is really something that should be admired. Pop music is typically exciting because it comes in 3 minute snip-its. Try listening to a pop album released in the last decade, however, and by its 73rd minute, you'll be clawing your ears out. Then wait three years for the artist to tour and run out of singles to finally put out a new record. What Robyn's doing should be the model for pop. Release 30 minute albums, because who wants to listen to more than 45 minutes of this stuff? And release them often because it boosts your profile each and every time, and keeps the consumer/fan excited for what's next. I sure hope she doesn't quit at the end of 2010 and wait another 5 years to put out her next batch...

Try listening to a pop album released in the last decade, however, and by its 73rd minute, you'll be clawing your ears out.

rong

I like the idea of 30-minute albums as much as anyone, but my problem's with Robyn herself (outside a couple of really good singles).

when was the last time a pop star was hailed for their meaningful lyrics?

all the time? or at least, if not "meaningful" in the profound sense, then at least pithy or witty or evocative or any of the manifold ways pop lyrics can be good.

In fact, it is regularly the pop singers with the best chops (i.e. Christina and Mariah Carey) who put out the most bland albums

rong, both specifically re: xtina and mariah, and as a general rule.

Try listening to a pop album released in the last decade, however, and by its 73rd minute, you'll be clawing your ears out.

rong, so many counterexamples to even list (though obv most pop albums don't even make it to 73mins)

the three-part mini-album is a great idea, though labels have been experimenting w/pared-down mini-releases for a while, and of course if anything proved the legitimacy of this model it was the fame monster

Rich is absolutely OTM:

If you love her voice, great; if you don't, it will cloy you to death. Robyn's interpretive skills are minimal at best: She opens her mouth and smiley faces come out. Her perpetual upward lilt and limited range give her delivery a detrimental sameness

― Gucci Mane hermeneuticist (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 9 September 2010 16:09 (3 hours ago) Permalink

def the most otm thing i've heard about robyn, sums up my feelings to a T.

lol @ mariah putting out bland albums as compared to britney though. the idea that a good voice oft makes for bland albums is pretty laughable on the whole.

I'd say it's almost OTM but not quite, as I don't really hear smiley faces on "With Every Heartbeat" or "Be Mine". She isn't the world's most versatile singer but she also is not as monolithic/one-note as pre-Rated R Rihanna.

The "meaningful lyrics" standard is a bit of a straw man but I don't disagree with you on the general importance of lyrics in pop music. Parsing Robyn for deep meaning obviously misses the point. That said, lyrics can be bad enough that they distract, and the words on the Body Talk project are so in-your-face on that they are impossible to ignore. "Include me out", "don't fucking tell me what to do", "none of dem", "once you've gone tech you never go back" are cringeworthy and distracting.

Hang With Me is probably my track of the year and that's because the lyrics melt into the background and let me enjoy the songwriting and production. The combination of Robyn's distinctive vocal delivery, the front-loading of the vocals in the mix, the ridiculous lyrical content, and occasional moments when the melody itself highlights the ridiculous lyrical content make that impossible on much of the rest of Body Talk. I wish it were otherwise.

the idea that a good voice oft makes for bland albums is pretty laughable on the whole.

I think this statement is deeply OTM and says more about the laziness of listeners than anything else; if you want a reason for why a Mariah Carey album is unsatisfying, the answer is likely going to be found in some of the material she's singing, not because her voice is "too good" (not that anyone's saying that about Mariah these days)

xp: lol "Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do" is the only song on Body Talk vol 1 that I've played more than twice

"once you've gone tech you never go back" are cringeworthy and distracting.

Didn't even know this is what she was saying.

I got into Robyn at the same time I was into Rachel Stevens and Girls Aloud in a big way, so limited vocals are cool in my book.

Right, I don't think there is an implied correlation between "good" voices and "bad" albums (i.e., a good voice guarantees neither a good album, nor a bad one). The point is that there is NO correlation; and, that those listening to pop albums solely on account of good voices are not necessarily listening to the "best" albums, specifically because there is hardly any correlation between good voices and interesting pop songs.

xp to HI DERE

Though, I am hesitant to start talking about anything related to good voices w/ HI DERE, on account of the last convo we had on that subject...

i actually do think Hang With Me is a pretty great, wide-reaching pop song.

Try listening to any released in the last 10 decades, however, and by its 73rd minute, you'll be clawing your ears out.

50 mins then gtfo

Parsing Robyn for deep meaning obviously misses the point.

I can't even understand this. Criticism is "parsing" anything for "deep meaning."

, that those listening to pop albums solely on account of good voices are not necessarily listening to the "best" albums

That is entirely dependent upon why you are listening to the album!

If you primarily listen to music for singers' voices, particularly singers of a certain style, the intricacies of the songwriting behind them is going to be important to you only insofar as it shows off the person singing the song. One of the reasons why both Celine Dion and Beyonce get away with singing some of their more egregiously awful songs is because people really, really love the way they both sound on them. Delving into the songwriting is likely to remain the province of the minority of listeners.

That Voice review is good prose but obnoxious criticism. He's very self-important about taking down Robyn's fans (with exclamation marks to denote sarcasm!) and has a real bee in his bonnet about her perceived narcissism (again in relation to her fans). Does he think Dancing Is My Own is a true story? He's not a humourless writer but he's completely missed the humour in Robyn's songwriting.

Cuz she's not funny?

also she has the gall to appear in her videos.

It's one thing to not enjoy Robyn's sense of humour, it's quite another to pretend it isn't there at all. I hate critics who slam an artist for not being what their "loudest fans", "champions" and "music snobs" claim, without specifying what those claims are. I also hate critics who write lines like: "As she transitioned from Max Martin–molded tart to a dish of her own design…" Ugh.

It is coming across more like you hate critics you disagree with.