Body Talk Pt 1 - Robyn

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by: etc. reviews (Long Island, New York)
on: Saturday, 10-July-2010

She started out a teen pop star. She created tunes that everyone would dance to at their Middle School Dance. But, just like anyone, she had to grow up. But instead of doing it like todays pop stars, she did it gracefully. Transitioning from her debut albums sweet, pre-teen songs to deep and meaningful songs (in her second album My Truth Robyn sang about an abortion she had in her earlier teens). She gracefully transformed from sweet, poppy Robyn to Robyn, a woman whose songs can make you laugh and shed a tear all in 35 minutes. A woman who mixes sweet vocals with ridged, techno beats. Instead of screaming and dressing up like a slutty Big Bird (Miley Cyrus, no offense to fans of Miley) she started to show how wonderful she can really be (not that Robyn wasnt wonderful to begin with). Her comeback album Robyn (2005-2008) mixed cheerful, upbeat music with reluctant, amazing ballads. And now the dance hall queen is back to show us why she sits in that throne.

The albums opener Dont F***ing Tell Me What To Do is Robyn simply complaining about lives everyday, annoying, true problems. If it were anyone else I would say shut up, stop complaining but Robyn tells us about these troubles in such a simplistic and truthful way that it almost sounds like shes speaking for the rest of us, not just herself. Then comes Fembot. Robyn talks about how women are treated like robots, which in many cases is true. She raps about how she is fresh out the box, shes the latest model with automatic booty applications. Its a fun, catchy, feministic proclamation that she does have feelings, shes not made out of metal. Next on Robyns Body Talking Lineup is Dancing On My Own. In this song Robyn describes a situation many of have been in. Watching the person we want with someone. She sings about the tough fact that no matter how hard she tries, this wont change. But she will press on, shell dance alone, and in the end smile. Then comes Cry When You Get Older. your sites review sees this song has a sister to sibling point of view. But in a way, I see it has a note to self. Shes telling herself that this is not the end, somewhat of a follow up to Dancing On My Own.

Dancehall Queen is a song that may also relate to Dancing On My Own or Fembot because in a way she is saying that you did this to yourself. Leave me alone, its not my fault you broke my heart. Maybe you forgot, but this is my space, and youre not ruining it. Remember, Im the queen of my own land, and my own heart. And youre not entering either. None of Dem is a song from the point of view of an outcast. Almost like a kid entering a new school, where no one understands you or youre personality. Where none of dem get your style or can dance at your standards. Hang With Me is a song that finally shows Robyn opening up her heart, but not too much, just enough to hang with her. Finally, Jag Vet En Delig Rosa is a song that reminds us where Robyn began, Sweden. She reminds us of her Swedish roots through her version of this Swedish version.

All in all, Robyn has made yet another musical masterpiece. Robyn has some news for us: shes still at the top of her game and wont be falling off anytime soon.

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by: G. Mitchell (Los Angeles, CA United States)
on: Saturday, 3-July-2010

The above line from Robyns latest amazingly addictive single DANCING ON MY OWN could ironically all but describe her predictament in the US: she deserves to be a huge star in America in the ranks of Gaga, Xtina, and todays other pop vixens, but for some reason, i.e., long delays between albums, label issues, lack of promo/marketing support, being too quirky/unique for her own good, etc., Robyn hasnt had her major breakthrough here yet - hopefully that will change with the release of BODY MUSIC PT. 1 and make her the global star she so truly deserves to be. This hybrid between an EP and/or short album features several catchy songs: the simultaneously soraring yet sad first single DANCING ON MY OWN (echoing her last hit WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT) is on auto-repeat on my stereo and I cannot stop listening to it - while Robyns lyrics/mood are plaintive & poignant, even melancholy, the propulsive electro-pop production works on both dancefloor and radio - if theres any pop justice, DANCING ON MY OWN will be a #1 hit in the U.S., but I wont hold my breath, as typically cr*p (not cream) usually rises to the top of radio/retail in the States. And thats part of Robyns problem if she has one at all: shes an authentic, risk-tasking ARTIST, not just a faceless pop product/brand like al the rest. She refuses to dumb it down and/or dilute for America - and I love her for it all the more. Other great tracks include FEMBOT, NONE OF DEM, CRY WHEN YOU GET OLDER, and more. This is one of those rare albums that ends too soon and leaves you wanting more - so cant wait for Parts 2 & 3!!

by: El Steve (Long Beach, CA 90814)
on: Thursday, 24-June-2010

The best song on the album, hands down, is Dancing On My Own. It reminds me of With Every Heartbeat. Theres a driving beat, and shes singing with such languish and despair. its beautiful, and its the type of song that taps the emotions pretty deeply.

The song Fembot took a bit of listening to get into it. The intro to the song is like being on a rollercoaster, going over the top and getting pulled along into this electro-heavy song. Its actually one of my favorites now.

Dancehall Queen is a great fun pop song, and that leads into my second favorite on the album, None of Dem. Its dark and dirty. Theres a tremendous amount of bass in this song and if you have it playing loud in your car, your mirrors will ripple constantly. Amazing song! Love it!

Hang With Me is beautiful and sounds almost like an acoustic version of Handle Me from the last album.

Im not much of a fan of Cry When you get Older (as it sounds a bit sing-songy, but its still good), and the first song is just a throwaway. Its interesting, but not something I would actively listen to. Its almost like an extended intro to the real songs. The Swedish lullaby (???) at the end is also interesting, but not something Id put on any mix tape. Reminds me of something from the MST3K movie, Jack Frost.

by: Douglas King (Cincinnati, OH United States)
on: Wednesday, 23-June-2010

**** 1/2

Robyn is the most exciting artist in the current pantheon of pop music ... its too bad that most Americans havent heard of her, or if they have, only remember her from the couple of hits she had here as a teenager in the 90s. The sweet little girl who sang Show Me Love has grown into a pop powerhouse, who can deftly meld various genres into her own glitchy, catchy, edgy concoctions.

At a scant 8 tracks, Body Talk part 1 still covers a lot of ground. Dont F*ing Tell Me What To Do is an unlikely choice for an opener, since its a hard electronica track that doesnt feature any kind of a melody, really ... and yet it works as an introduction to an album by an enigmatic pop artist who plays by her own rules. Fembot comes closer to a conventional pop song, with its twitchy beats and cutesy vocals, but the album really hits its stride with Dancing On My Own, which is the perfect 21st century pop song. With its throbbing industrial sounding beat and passionate vocals, Robyn takes on a familiar pop theme - the pain of seeing your ex with someone else - and reinvents it.

The album spends the rest of its five tracks packing in a lot of punch, with Robyn taking elements of techno, hip-hop, traditional pop standards, and reggae, and mashing into her own mini opus, which is supposedly only the first of three short albums she plans on releasing this year. With her penchant for borrowing from lots of genres and forgoing typical album formats, Robyn reminds me less of current female pop stars and more of pop oddity Prince in his heyday.

by: Lane Neuroth (United States)
on: Friday, 18-June-2010

Robyn is back and better than ever. All 8 tracks on this are great, cant wait to check out parts 2 and 3.

by: Antoine D. Reid (Durham, NC United States)
on: Tuesday, 15-June-2010

Robyns returned with new music on Body Talk, pt. 1. Something you may notice about this release is that it only contains 8 tracks. Robyn has said that she plans on releasing 3 of these mini albums through the year, with the second installment due out in September. That being said, I believe the length of this mini album (better called or considered an EP) is what makes it feel somewhat weak. Body Talk, pt. 1 feels a bit scattered: theres no real consistent theme or concept that pulls the tracks together. Each track is a different style and experiment of sorts, meaning there are tracks that really stand out and feel great while others leave much to be desired.

The Good: As stated, theres a lot going on sound and style wise on this 8 track release. The first track Dont Tell Me What To Do is different from anything considered pop music today. Its basically an entire track based around complaints and laments. While its devoid of any real singing, its a catchy track due to its lyrics that will have you laughing and both relating to Robyn. Fembot is probably the best track from the album: its very electronic with layers of mechanical sounds enveloping Robyns raps where she describes herself as a new generation model computer suffering from heartbreak and angst. Its definitely the Robyn were all familiar with and stylistically unique. There are other songs worth noting from the single Dancing On My Own which is an upbeat dance ballad, Cry When You Get Older which is somewhat reminiscent of Frankie Vallis music, the reggae-influenced Dancehall Queen, and the stripped-down love ballad Hang With Me. In all, theres a lot of different genres of music crammed onto this short release thatll give fans and casual listeners something they will like.

The Bad: Heres my gripe with the album - with only 8 tracks, there really should be no fillers and each track should be single worthy and exceptional. Thats not the case with Body Talk, pt. 1. In a way, I feel like its a ploy to get away with making more money off of one album. You get the sense that this release is a bit incomplete and unfinished because the songs dont really flow together well, the album feels like a music sampler and there are just some tracks that dont measure up, making you feel like even at a low price youre paying too much for all of the songs. Dancing On My Own is just okay, but probably comes off better in its music video form than it does within this lineup of music; I could barely make it through None of Dem, Dancehall Queen feels a bit like an unfinished demo and while pretty and typical of Robyn, the foreign language track/ballad Jav Vet En Dejlig Rosa just feels out of place considering 6 of the other tracks are all dance/pop. Yes, more new music and parts of this album will come out in the near future but with this being the only volume released thus far, it feels very incomplete and unfocused.

In all, average, if that. Id personally not feel comfortable recommending someone purchase the entire album because not all of the tracks are worth buying or listening to more than once. I hope that the future volumes of this album released are better put together because this one feels like a collection of random songs or demos - and thats not Robyns usual standard or quality of work.

Listen to These: Fembot, Hang With Me (Acoustic), Dont Tell Me What To Do, Cry When You Get Older