Robyn’s self-titled album hits the U.S. on the singer’s own label, Konichiwa Records, created in 2005 after a dispute with her former label. (Photo by Samantha Rapp)
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REBECCA ARMENDARIZ
Friday, May 09, 2008
Swedish pop star Robyn straddles the gap between pop and indie rock and, sometimes, poorly conceptualized rap on her latest, self-titled album.
It’s taken the artist a few years to get past label troubles and grace the U.S. with what her native Sweden and the rest of Europe have heard since 1999. Since the States saw “Robyn Is Here” in 1997 (with the blissfully radio-friendly singles “Show Me Love” or “Do You Know (What It Takes)?”), Robyn bought herself out of her contract and formed her own label, called Konichiwa, in 2005. Her triumph features collaborations with Swedish electro-rock sweethearts the Knife and Teddybears Stockholm’s (who have previously recorded with Iggy Pop and Annie) Klas Ahlund.
The ice-blonde Robyn deceives listeners with her first two tracks — the first, an intro of sorts titled “Curriculum Vitae,” forces us to hear Robyn’s convoluted accent talking on a cell phone. This leads into “Konichiwa Bitches” — didn’t Gwen Stefani already do this whole Asians-as-trendy-accessories thing? Plus, one of the lines is “Comin in yo’ mouth / Make you say ‘yum yum’.” Really?
Robyn needs to learn that guilty pleasures like these rhyming tidbits need to be saved for the end, or peppered throughout her otherwise enjoyable opus to avoid overload.
It’s not until track four, “Handle Me,” that we hear the melodic quality of her voice, though the use bad gramamar for the sake of a rhyme hasn’t been eradicated:
“Let me tell you how it be / You won’t get with this, you see / ‘Cos you can’t handle me.”
FINALLY, THE LISTENER arrives at “Be Mine,” Robyn’s perfect pairing with Ahlund. Her vocals soar from her throat, crying for unrequited love, over rapid string lines and a pouncing synthesized bass.
“With Every Heartbeat” is Robyn’s take on a ballad, and it’s a ballad for popping your hips. This is one for the clubs; I’m picturing replacing “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay” with this more modern declaration of pain.
Then suddenly “Who’s That Girl?” featuring The Knife, smacks down into the center of the album. The label hated this track, which led to Robyn’s launch of Konichiwa Records.
“They just thought I was weird,” Robyn said in a press release. “They just didn’t understand it. I guess they didn’t consider it to be pop music, which I think is crazy. It’s TOTALLY pop music!”
And it is. Layered and synth-driven, the Knife’s hand in this track is heavy and obvious. Popping snare drums lead into the chorus, which drops with a sigh before immediately picking up into dance tempo.
“Crash and Burn Girl” treads on disco territory and is followed by “Robotboy,” which uses a vocal “oh” as percussion.
Though Robyn’s pipes aren’t lacking, her voice isn’t enough to carry a track that’s missing the meat of backup instrumentation. “Eclipse” sounds like an attempt at Janet Jackson’s “Again,” but it doesn’t work as it stands, embedded in an album of upbeat gems.
Robyn attempts sexy, again channeling Miss Jackson, with “Any Time You Like,” but fails again. The rest of the album has prepped listeners for exciting, not boring, and her whispering during the breakdown just makes the song more awkward.
Once the album rounds out, Robyn is forgiven for “Konichiwa Bitches.” She doesn’t need to proclaim that she’s a fierce little blonde lady who’s not about to take any crap — she certainly showed the record labels who’s in charge — and she proves that more subtly with some of this album’s tighter tracks.
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