|
Putting out three albums in the span of six months is almost stupidly
ambitious. Robyn's three-part Body Talk series began in June with Body
Talk Pt 1, with a promise of two more 'mini albums' to follow. Against all
odds it looks like the blonde bombshell might pull it off. Body Talk Pt 2
arrives in September, which gives her three months to come through on her promise of Pt 3.
According to Robyn, the concept for the Body Talk trajectory emerged from
having a heap of songs from sessions over the past five
years. The cream of these were introduced on Pt 1, centred around
soon-to-be-classic bangers Dancing On My Own and Fembot. It was a
remarkably taut record for eight songs, something that sounded like a
particularly well-stuck-together greatest hits compilation.
Pt 2
doesn't have the same feel; it's as if Robyn may have exhausted her supply
of great songs too soon. It has its moments, but in general just
doesn't compare to Pt 1. But hat doesn't mean it's bad; it's still made of the
same lovable, danceable ingredients that has made Robyn such a perfect
pop star over the past decade, and anything remotely in that
ballpark is going to be at the very least listenable.
In My Eyes and
Include Me Out open the album with a double-shot of carbonated
electropop goodness that's sure to get a dancefloor moving; they fall
a little on the safe side in comparison to cuts like Don't Fucking
Tell Me What To Do or Fembot, but compared to the rest of the pop
landscape, they hold up pretty well. Even when Robyn isn't at her
best, she's still a force to be reckoned with.
Most of Body Talk Pt 2 is more of the same, but Robyn does
occasionally take some significant risks. U Should Know Better has the
thoroughly Scandinavian songstress trading verses with none other than
Snoop Dog, and she holds her own - chirping out her own
sing-songy flow like a profanity-laden school ground chant. We Dance
To The Beat takes Robyn out of the equation entirely, and puts the
entire focus of the song on, naturally, the beat - only occasionally
interrupting the chugging, synth-spiked dubstep with a few
meaningless (but effective) statements: "Dance to the beat of
silent mutation, we dance to the beat of your brain not falling fast
enough, we dance to the beat of raw talent wasted." These moments
aren't Pt 2's strongest, but they definitely show another
side of Robyn than what was evident on her other records.
Weirdly, Body Talk Pt 2 mirrors its predecessor in some
questionably blatant ways. Dancing On My Own, the centrepiece of the
last album, is a shuttering, lovelorn, insecure confessional set to
dance music. Hang With Me, the centerpiece of this album, is also a
shuttering, lovelorn, insecure confessional set to dance music, and
both eerily come three tracks in - the only difference really being is
how much better a song Dancing On My Own is.
Both albums end with
their sole un-electrified tracks Jag Vet En Dejlig Rosa and
Indestructible (Acoustic Version) - once again, with the selection
from Pt 1 exceeding in quality. It sums up a theme that seems to
plague Body Talk Pt 2 to its core - the record turns the same tricks
as its prequel, but never quite captures the same glory. It's more
electro-by-numbers and less moments of first-time euphoria.
Comments
|
Robyn MP3s or CDs
Robyn on Spotify
INTERVIEW:
