Robyn :: Body Talk, Pt. 1

Swedish pop star Robyn has decided to take on quite the ambitious New Year’s resolution as she releases Body Talk, Pt. 1, the first installment of three albums, all to be released before the end of 2010.

Body Talk sees the 31-year-old continuing to move away from her mainstream 90’s pop roots. With her last album, Robyn, she gets you to move with what I like to call “Euro-Trash-Dance-Pop,” but with this latest release, she tones it down a smidge. This album still gets you to move at some points, though.

“Fembot” is the top highlight off of Body Talk. An anthem about female robots being able to get their hearts broken despite their metal parts, this fun track starts with a childish keyboard melody and has Robyn implementing monotone lyrics but still makes it fun with a plethora of electronic effects. With lyrics like “My super brains are binary/Circuitry and mainframes in for hair/I’m sippin’ propane topped with a cherry/In fact I’m a very scientifically-advanced hot mama/Artificially discreet, no drama/Digitally chic titanium armor,” it’s hard to resist the ensuing robot dance party in your living room.

The first single is “Dancing On My Own,” a story of a girl who follows her ex to a club to spy on him. The quick, thick, bass-y pulses bring back some of that Euro-Trash-Dance-Pop, but the song itself is a slower track. This pulsating occurs throughout the entire track in different forms and Robyn’s ailing voice tries to evoke some strong emotions from the listener. Honestly, you’d probably feel sorry for her if the song wasn’t so creepy. I mean, check out these lyrics: “I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her/I’m right over here, why can’t you see me?/I’m giving it my all but I’m not the girl you’re taking home/I keep dancing on my own.”

“None of Dem” is a Royksopp-produced track. You remember this duo from that Geico commercial that featured their song “Remind Me.” The fellow Swedes leave their mark all over Robyn’s song, which is very synth-y and has more pulsating sounds and tones. While the verses are quite slow and toned down to a simplistic sound, the choruses are very heavy and can be overwhelming. This back and forth battle between beats makes it hard to get a good dance rhythm going, but it’s a good track to appreciate with your headphones on.

As with her self-titled release, Robyn’s Body Talk, Pt. 1 starts off very strong but seems to taper at the end. Many of the songs are great dance hall and club anthems, but it’s almost as if Robyn misses those 90’s pop/R&B roots and attempts to squeeze a little bit of that in the end.

This first installment is a good release, but not as good as Robyn, which had 16 songs and clocked in at almost an hour. Body Talk’s mere 8-tracks totaling half and hour are okay but leave much to be desired, making the wait for the next two installments almost a nuisance! That being said, I’m definitely eagerly awaiting what she has up her sleeve for these next two installments.

Bonus: “Fembot” live at Skavlan

Buy the album at our record store on Amazon

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