Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 2

Tagline: ‘You know when in Rome I sat down with the Romans / Said "We need a black pope and she better be a woman” (she better!)’

‘She is Robyn. The most killingest pop star on the planet. A pint-sized atom bomb dosed to the tits on electric and dispensing wisdom in three-minute modernist pop bulletins on the post-adolescent condition.’ It is what her site bio read in the days of ‘Robyn’, her self-titled fourth studio album, released in 2005. An album through which the Swedish singer stepped out of the teen pop box and showed that she had what it took. It shows a sense of humor and an undeniable cool, two qualities that characterize Robyn. So when Simon Amstell read the words to her during a 2008 episode of Nevermind The Buzzcocks she got away with it. That is because Robyn’s attitude is not just a pose, it is reflected in her music, which made a complete 180 with the release of ‘Robyn’ via her own label Konichiwa Records. Robyn is one of those rare pop artists who makes pop music – traditionally on the bottom of the critic’s ladder – interesting and edgy, proving that a pop album can make it to year end lists.

At the start of that same episode Amstell introduces her as ‘a chart topping pop phenomenon whose album is still nearly full price in many shops’. It’s a pretty good analysis of Robyn, undoubtedly one of today’s most exciting yet underrated pop stars. In 2005 she turned her back to the flavorless pop tunes that made her a star in native Sweden and even garnered attention in the United States by taking her sound in her own hands and leaving the mainstream behind – marked by a thrilling collaboration with her compatriots from The Knife (‘Who’s That Girl’). In 2010 she announced the release of no less than three albums. The Body Talk series ended up being one full album preceded by two mini-albums, but the effort is no less impressive, given the consistent quality and the fact that she produced some of the most ‘killingest’ pop songs of the year.

Body Talk Pt. 2 has to be my favorite, containing all the classic Robyn elements. The same irresistible satiric coolness from Robyn intro ‘Curriculum Vitae’ is displayed in ‘Criminal intent’, in which Robyn picks up her own defense in Court after being accused of . ‘I admit, I can get somewhat X-rated on the floor’, she takes off, ‘But your Honor, how's that something you get incarcerated for?’. Pop music doesn’t always have to be about something, but at least with Robyn it’s never about nothing. On Snoop Dogg collaboration ‘You Should Know better’, Robyn takes on every institutions and authority in the world in a dynamic, scorching electro-tirade, warning them all not to pick a fight with her. The Russians, the Vatican, even the CIA knows better than to fuck with Robyn.

True, Body Talk Pt. 2 is less versatile than its predecessor. On pt. 1 Robyn explores genres touching on dancehall (with Diplo) and club (with Röyksopp) whereas pt. 2 is a pretty straightforward electro pop album. But instead of becoming just another pop album, Robyn takes it to a whole new level with a near-perfect production, strong vocals and heartfelt lyrics. ‘It is really very simple, just a simple pulse repeated at a regular interval’,  she sings on ‘Include Me Out’, a song so energetic and upbeat you can’t help not singing and dancing along. The whole Body Talk series shares that optimistic feel, even in the vulnerable yet happy love songs, perhaps Robyn's biggest trademark. ‘Hang with me’, in acoustic version on part one, gets an electro pop coat on Pt. 2, with good result. And Body Talk pt. 2 concludes with a another acoustic song – ‘Indestructible’ – which features on Pt. 3 as an irresistible dance track, with a pop beat perfectly complimenting the song’s classical strings. Those

After more than 15 years in the business she has come to be an artist defining pop music. Nobody combines heart ache and attitude the way she does. She left the safe road to do her own thing and in doing so she’s shown that pop music can also push the envelope. For some reason she has not really found her way to the mainstream but one thing is for sure: the whole world should know better than to fuck with Robyn.

1. In My Eyes

2. Include Me Out

3. Hang With Me

4. Love Kills

5. We Dance To The Beat

6. Criminal Intent

7. U Should Know Better (ft. Snoop Dogg)

8. Indestructible (Acoustic Version)