robyn-robyn music reviews Virgin Media
Superb pop with added sass from savvy, feisty Swedish semi-newcomer
Sweden's knack for knocking out irresistible pop knows no bounds. Think Abba, The Cardigans, Max Martin (producer of Britney's Hit Me Baby One More Time, amongst others), The Knife - all connected by their talent for moulding melancholy and yearning around glorious melodies.
The country's latest gift to the pop universe is 27-year old Robyn Carlsson. A star back home her entire adult life, Robyn is not a complete unknown - remember her 1997 top 10 hit Show Me Love? Since then, she sold well in Europe before leaving a major label intent on morphing her into a Scando Aguilera, in order to release the album she was always itching to make. Here it finally is, out on her own label two years after its release in Sweden.
And at last, Robyn explodes on these shores as a savvy, perfectly-formed bundle of sassy synth-pop dynamite. What's more, thanks to its 14 tracks' worth of gut-spilling, pretend-posturing and all-round sense of cheeky fun, Robyn is an unusually dense pop album that rewards with repeated listening. The electroclash of Konichiwa Bitches is like Peaches as cartoon hip hop superheroine, With Every Heartbeat recalls the wistful atmospherics of early St Etienne and The Knife-produced Who's That Girl packs the majestic synth-bounce punch you'd expect from the mysterious sibling duo. Robyn's vocals are soulful, emotive with a pleasing rasp and thankfully free of histrionics, combined with personal lyrics that can utterly startle - see "I should have seen it coming, I should have f**king known" on the gorgeous TLC-meets-Prince-style groove of Should Have Known.
While pop suffers a Britney vacuum and the likes of Justin and Beyoncé search for street-tuff acceptance, Sweden has once again delivered a saviour. Not quite a debut and sounding more like a Best Of, this may well be 2007's definitive pop album.
More to try:
Britney - ...Baby One More Time
The Knife - Deep Cuts
St Etienne - Foxbase Alpha
Annie - Anniemal
TLC - CrazySexyCool
