The last time we heard from Robyn, it was 2008. The diminutive Swede was riding high after top ten hits with bittersweet, orchestral-pop hit Be Mine and anthemic dance ballad With Every Heartbeat. The latter song went to number 1 in the UK, shortly after the album Robyn was nominated for a Grammy. Not only did these feats provide a brilliant backdrop to the Platinum selling album from which they sprang, but the success of Robyn was the high point of a comeback which saw the one-time teen popstar reinventing her career on her own terms. Three years later, and the singer is set to release a triple album in three instalments. Body Talk Pt 1 picks up where Robyn left off, with the emphasis on those sweeping, emotional dance tracks and the biting, quirky rap-pop with which she made her name. The album's title reflects the singer's love of dance culture, having spent three years promoting her last album in clubs across the world. It also reflects her personal intrigue with the disconnect between what your body does and what your mind wants.
1. Don't F**king Tell Me What To Do | | 2. Fembot | | 3. Dancing On My Own | | 4. Cry When You Get Older | | 5. Dancehall Queen | | 6. None of Dem (ft. Röyksopp) | | 7. Hang With Me (Acoustic) | | 8. Jag Vet En Dejlig Rosa |
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So, opening track Don't F**king Tell Me What To Do sees her sardonically running through a check-list of guilt-inducing vices- "My drinking is killing me, my smoking is killing me" against a propulsive, glitchy backbeat. It's half manifesto of what the singer represents and half slacker rant. "It's like everyone wants you to be perfect and you're dreaming of a world where you can do what you want. I guess it's about the modern world and the stress I think most people in it feel sometimes. It's a pretentious message so I tried to make it as simple as I could. I'm talking about how I felt when I came off my tour, she explains. Similarly, the rowdily cute Fembot sees Robyn projected as a cartoon character, one who raps that "Fembots have feelings too", and who suffers the blight of the hormonal desires which conflict with what her brain is telling her to do. Dancing On My Own is the one which will bring a lump to your throat, and the natural successor to With Every Heartbeat. Against an industrial techno beat, Robyn depicts a scene familiar to many: the man she loves is dancing with another woman, oblivious to her presence as she looks on. It is, as Robyn puts it, a song inspired by her love of inherently sad, gay disco anthems such as Ultravox's Dancing With Tears in My Eyes, Sylvester and Donna Summer. Again, it plays on the title Body Talk, because "it's the contrast between dancing, which is such a happy form of expression, and feeling heartbroken. I think those songs get to people because heartbreak is such a lonely feeling but you can share that sadness so easily with the right song." Robyn also hooked up with Diplo for the track Dancehall Queen, her semi-satirical homage to European mid-90s chart rave and rap acts such as Dr Alban, Technotronic, Leila K and Neneh Cherry. "Sweden had these great pop groups who brought African heritage to Europe and combined their influences with Techno. It turned out Diplo and I were both fans of this period of music, one which a lot of people think is quite cheesy. So when he said he wanted to make an Ace of Base song I burst out laughing, but I loved the idea." |
