To say that Robyn rewrote the rules on being a pop star in the 21st Century would be to underestimate just what a feat the Konichiwa Bitch pulled off.  To go from 90’s pop-puppet to one of the driving forces of modern pop was quite an astounding accomplishment, not least because her 2005 comeback "Robyn" appeared to arrive from nowhere after years of used-up Europop obscurity.  The album was a somewhat DIY opus of electronic synths, released under her own label - Konichiwa Records.  If Wonky Pop was the pop movement of the 00’s (thanks for that one, Mr. Robinson) then "Robyn" is undoubtedly its showpiece.

 

So, five years on, it should be no surprise, really, that Robyn would attempt to innovate once more with her followup release “Body Talk”.  For “Body Talk” is a lot more than just another pop album; it’s three!  Robyn is attempting a ‘new modality’ (hello, I’m Fiona Wallice) – three mini albums, released throughout the year, that make-up a series.

The first of these mini releases, cleverly titled “Body Talk Pt. 1” (we see what you did there, Robyn) is an 8 track collection, available now.  Pt. 2 will follow in late summer.  And, thankfully, it doesn’t move too far away from the hook heavy, electronic formula Robyn established on her last major release.

Body Talk Pt. 1 is undoubtedly a good pop album, especially if you are going to compare it to the slew of similar releases this summer (*cough*Bionic*cough*).  The melodies are pure pop with instant hooks, and the line-up of collaborators - Royksopp, Diplo and Kleerup (who gave Robyn her 2007 mega-smash “With Every Heartbeat”) – makes for an enticing mix of dancehall, dubstep and electronica tracks. 

The lead single, “Dancing On My Own” – a heart-wrenching tragedy in which Robyn sings about failing to get a guy to notice her, over a pulsating electronic track – has already gained the project attention, and with good reason;, it’s very good.  Not a million miles away from “With Every Heartbeat” the track builds towards a climax that is at both times melancholic and euphoric, with a fabulous stuttering electric snare before the finale.

And there are atleast two other club worthy electronic anchors to this album in the form of the massive-chorused “Dancehall Queen” (produced by Diplo) and the dirty bum-shaker “None Of Dem” (produced by Royksopp).  But this is where the Robyn magic seems to end, and things start going a bit wrong.

The other tracks on this album feel a bit lost, like they floated in from various other sessions and projects to make-up what is, undoubtedly, a promising sampler of demoes.  “Fembot”, the bouncy Klas Åhlund track in which Robyn monotonously drops computer references is a great, but somewhat misplaced, song.  Next to the superior dance songs, it sounds cheap, and with its ‘technical’ references feels somewhat like it would have sat better on “Robyn”.   Meanwhile opening track “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do”, inspite of it’s fabulous title, comes up short in being little more than Robyn chanting a list of things that are ‘killing her’ over a thumping backing track; her email, her boss, her boyfriend, her shoes. The track itself is quite seductive, but lacks that big euphoric moment to make it a genuinely attractive dance number, while the lyrical content makes it feel like a half-finsihed demo that Robyn forgot to add a melody to.

On a more concisely A&R’d pop album, I have no doubt that “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do” would not have made the tracklisting.  It falls flat as an album track, let alone as the opening to Robyn’s much anticipated followup to “Robyn”.  And this really is the crux of the issue with Body Talk Pt. 1, despite being only 8 tracks long it’s slightly too schizophrenic and contains too much 'filler'.  The final two tracks, an acoustic rendition of a song called “Hang With Me” (a somewhat retread of the “Handle Me” hook) and a creepy Danish lullaby titled "Jat Vet En Dejlig Rosa”, seem completely at odds with the dance focused tracks that precede them.

What makes this release even more galling is that Robyn will be bringing us two more of these in 2010.  Pt. 1 feels patchy and unfocused as a collection, which would seem to indicate that Pt 2 and Pt 3 will follow a similar pattern.  And this leads us to the inevitable question; why was Body Talk not just released a trimmed down 12 track album?  It’s a bit ‘traditional’, but hey, if it ain’t broke…

 

I commend Robyn for trying something new.  It is undoubtedly true that in the age of iTunes music listeners have a severe case of ADHD when it comes to their consumption habits.  It’s better to have more out regularly than it is to throw out one massive landmark collection once every three years.  But Pt. 1 could have been so much more, if it were given more focus as a dance album, or followed a true lyrical theme (while a thread no doubt exists, it’s not given much of a chance to develop).

 

Pt. 1 is hardly the first 8 track album to be released – indeed, before the advent of the CD they were quite common.  But the key to making them work is some good A&Ring.  If the CD gave the artist anything, it was the ability to bury their self-gratifying indulgencies between huge bloody singles.  At 8 tracks, every misstep is more pronounced and makes Pt. 1 feel uneven.

 

It would be wrong to knock Robyn for this release, and I would be lying if I said it weren’t worth a listen.  As a format, I hang on to my reservations, but with 3 single-worthy floor fillers and atleast 3 above average ‘album tracks’, Body Talk Pt. 1 is 2/3rds great.

 

Perhaps when parts 2 and 3 are released, we’ll be able to edit down the collected tracklisting into a worthy follow-up album to “Robyn”.  Certainly, if they feature tracks as great as “Dancing On My Own” and “None Of Dem” there is hope.

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