We all have guilty pleasures. Mine is really well-done, modern day pop music. While most pop music is total and utter horseshit, the few songs that are good, are really good.
A few years ago I convinced my fellow music snob friend to give Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone a chance. She flat out refused to give one note a listen. I literally had to force her to listen to the song. When she finally gave in and let me play it for her, she fell in love. Lyrically, musically, vocally... this is the perfect pop song. Every woman on the planet can identify with the song. Hell, even Ted Leo loved it.
Why then is Robyn not as popular in America?
Last year I started noticing the Swedish singer's name pop up all over reputable music-related websites in response to her latest album, Body Talk. I recognized the name because her first single was really popular in 1997 when I was a senior in high school and... well... I love 90's music (even the not-so-good stuff just because it reminds me of being a teenager). Flash-forward to about 6 months ago when a girl who is practically half my age got hired at my work. She brought in a bunch of her CD's to listen to and while I rifled through her collection consisting of Justin Bieber and a shitload of other singers that I've never heard of, I stumbled upon Body Talk. I asked her if I could borrow it... and I fell in love.
Body Talk is a 3-part album, but there was also a Best of Body Talk that came out after all 3 albums were released. Her voice seriously reminds me of Kate Bush, specifically in the chorus of Dancing on My Own (and especially at the 2:20 mark) and the chorus of Dancehall Queen:
Body Talk Pt. 1 features a beautiful acoustic version of Hang With Me and Body Talk Pt 2, features the dance version. I love them both:
I decided to do some more research on her previous albums and have totally fallen in love with Robyn's songs. They're so catchy and good!! You MUST watch this video for Konichiwa Bitches. It's a GREAT song that reminds me of JJ Fad and ESG with an equally GREAT video. Unfortunately the "explicit" version won't let me embed the video, so you can watch it here or you can watch the bitch-free version here:
We can all agree that Myspace sucks, but did you know you can listen to almost any album you can possibly think of for free and virtually commercial free? Well, I decided to start listening to some other Robyn albums and can't stop listening her self-titled album that was released a few years before Body Talk. Here are some other great tracks off the self-titled album:
(here's the same song live on Letterman):
She's currently on tour, but not playing anywhere close to the west coast. She's also going to tour with Katy Perry this summer, but again, not joining her on her west coast dates. What the hell, Robyn? So.... WHERE MY GAYS AT? Looks like we need to take a road trip this summer...
Robyn rules!
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