Robyn

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (1311 of them)

the good news: i finally tracked down the full album

the bad news: apart from the stuff i'd already heard (and i had reservations about 'konichiwa bitches' anyway), it basically sucks. thoughts here

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 24 October 2005 15:33 (eighteen years ago) link

(i still think 'be mine' and 'who's that girl?' are two of the best pop songs i've heard this year though)

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 24 October 2005 15:34 (eighteen years ago) link

I've really gone off her cos of the voice. O fickle me.

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 24 October 2005 15:35 (eighteen years ago) link

Wow, talk about overanalysing the fun right out.

― login name (fandango), Monday, 24 October 2005 16:00 (eighteen years ago) link

tom otm

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Monday, 24 October 2005 16:34 (eighteen years ago) link

it might also be because i was driving incessantly for the two weeks i really fell in love with it

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Monday, 24 October 2005 16:35 (eighteen years ago) link

What don't you like about her voice? I think it's cute. Too cute, maybe?

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 24 October 2005 16:46 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't understand what's to complain about on the voice front. Well, I guess just a superficial 'rubs me the wrong way', but the same could be said for bits of just about every popstar, for me...

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Monday, 24 October 2005 16:53 (eighteen years ago) link

God, this music is weak. Kind of like Abba for the new millenium: American R&B passed on through mainstream culture to Scandanavians. If Britney Spears hadn't made R&B palatable to white people, would any Scandanavians listen to it? And the comparisons with Kate Bush? Gah. Please don't accuse me of being joyless. I'll admit to cynical and bitter, but I like some fun, as long as it isn't a watered down, formulaic appropriation of black culture by nordic folk.

Listening to this made me really appreciate the internet. There was a time I may actually have paid to listen to this kind of crap. Thanks to miracle of technology, I can now listen to crap for free!

― viborgu, Monday, 24 October 2005 17:07 (eighteen years ago) link

If Britney Spears hadn't made R&B palatable to white people

get one history that extends beyond the millennial mark

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Monday, 24 October 2005 17:09 (eighteen years ago) link

so, basically, viborgu, yr problem is that she's swedish?

― marc h. (marc h.), Monday, 24 October 2005 17:14 (eighteen years ago) link

also, sir, her debut was released in 1995. r&b/palatable/white folks...

― marc h. (marc h.), Monday, 24 October 2005 17:15 (eighteen years ago) link

also, Lex way over-reacting to the (barely there) "appropriation of hip hop slang" in 'Handle Me'. Jesus, she's just foolin'! Do we have to bring race into this??

I'm hardly convinced she's taking cues from 'electro-house' either. And oh no! ACOUSTIC GUITAR!? It's hardly the main instrumentation, just a tiny melodic frill on that song. Are you really that allergic? The strings are acoustic too as far as I can tell...

The beats are a bit thin & wonky sure (these 'poptimists' have actually heard pop music before haven't they?), but I think they're deliberately so & well used. Every suggestion I've heard to 'improve' Konichiwa Bitches sounds like something that would remove an equal amount of charm & lightness in the process.

The other criticisms just annoy me because I can imagine other scenarios where they'd be totally flipped or disregarded "oh look another boring ballad" (this isn't an r'n'b record!)

― login name (fandango), Monday, 24 October 2005 17:34 (eighteen years ago) link

Britney Spears? Dude, it was the BACKSTREET BOYS! Come on!

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 24 October 2005 17:42 (eighteen years ago) link

(Honestly, on ILC, I bring the funnies non-stop.)

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 24 October 2005 17:42 (eighteen years ago) link

haha does lex really hate on acoustic guitars in that review? (i havent looked)

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Monday, 24 October 2005 17:44 (eighteen years ago) link

My problem isn't just that she's Swedish. It's that she's making weak R&B that probably wouldn't make a dent if she was a black American. I haven't heard her debut album- sorry, but I'm not versed in her entire discography. Is there anything that doesn't suck on it? She is hot, I'll give you that.

OK- I'm off on my history of the white appropriation of R&B. Backstreet Boys? Hmm...
http://www.musicobsession.com/Pictures/c/o/colormebadd340764.jpg
Oh wait, there's a black guy there. I guess they pass the cool test.

― viborgu, Monday, 24 October 2005 17:48 (eighteen years ago) link

They even had "color" in their name! I think "Colored Me Badd" would have been better. Or "Negro Me Badd"?

― viborgu, Monday, 24 October 2005 17:50 (eighteen years ago) link

can i make negro me badd my new login name? please?

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Monday, 24 October 2005 17:50 (eighteen years ago) link

Fandango I think the beats etc. are fine - I love skinny pop beats. But I think her voice is awful, she sounds horribly pert and pleased with herself.

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 24 October 2005 18:06 (eighteen years ago) link

Viborgu seems to be overestimating the impact Robyn's album's actually having / had, aside from a few folks on the interweb. (I love her voice. And her. Sigh. Point me to the jacuzzi, plz.)

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 24 October 2005 18:31 (eighteen years ago) link

It's still not even released in the UK/US afaik. There was that import copy available at CD-WOW posted upthread, but I think I've used them before & had problems so I passed.

― login name (fandango), Monday, 24 October 2005 18:41 (eighteen years ago) link

xpost for Tom - Fair enough :)

I guess I don't mind her twee/cute-ness, especially when the lyrics mostly subvert the weak girly-girly factor. I can't really add any more that that. I mean I absolutely loathe Rachel Stevens for similar "pert and pleased with herself" reasons, but can (now) see how they might not be so far apart from some subjective angles.

― login name (fandango), Monday, 24 October 2005 18:42 (eighteen years ago) link

"Be mine" is really really nice in an unplugged piano version too.

― David L., Monday, 24 October 2005 19:46 (eighteen years ago) link

Viborgu seems to be overestimating the impact Robyn's album's actually having / had, aside from a few folks on the interweb

Well yes, and aside from Sweden of course (entered the album charts at number 1 there).

The album is still the business. The pleased-with-herself voice is part of the appeal, in fact. And acoustic guitars? In the hands of beardy men with earnest Coldplay ballads - dud; over electronic beats - total classic.

― vinegar (Koens), Monday, 24 October 2005 20:34 (eighteen years ago) link

I find the production rather matched up (thin voice, thin beats) but I could see being turned off by it being too girly or whatnot.

I also think this album is making more waves as a great pop album rather than a great r&b album made by a scandanavian white girl.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Monday, 24 October 2005 23:24 (eighteen years ago) link

i think this "it's pop so therefore it has thin beats" defence doesn't really hold up - what recent pop has thin beats? the best pop beats are massive, pounding, unstoppable things which aren't necessarily mutually exclusive with the light charm of the 'konichiwa bitches' vocal. if it was just beefed up a little (a la 'who's that girl?' in fact) it would be awesome.

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 25 October 2005 10:04 (eighteen years ago) link

I think if it was beefed up the production would overshadow/overpower her thin voice. But perhaps people want that :)

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Tuesday, 25 October 2005 12:14 (eighteen years ago) link

Fandango I think the beats etc. are fine - I love skinny pop beats. But I think her voice is awful, she sounds horribly pert and pleased with herself.

I had to get used to the super-kawaii voice, but I prefer it over, say, Gwen S. Yes, it is over the top pert/purty but those beats/the music needs that. I don't think it would have worked any other way. I really like it.

― nathalie, a bum like you (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 25 October 2005 12:22 (eighteen years ago) link

i think beefed-up production could work with her voice quite well - thin singers like aaliyah, kylie, even rachel stevens have benefited from it after all. or at least if it's going to be a sparse beat make it catchy in itself a la lumidee or kylie circa 'slow'.

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 25 October 2005 12:23 (eighteen years ago) link

i really like that this is a lees OOMPH production clickity tinkly warm pring-pah, instead of a WHOA POP LOCOMOTIVE rachel stevens/girls aloud kinda thing. it's different.

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 25 October 2005 12:30 (eighteen years ago) link

The most OTM part is the header of Lex's LJ post.

― BARMS, Tuesday, 25 October 2005 16:35 (eighteen years ago) link

Would I like this "Robyn"?

― knife (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 25 October 2005 16:39 (eighteen years ago) link

near the end of the song, during the bridge, it sounds like a sample. anyone know what it is. its killing me.

― zak, Wednesday, 2 November 2005 02:51 (eighteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

This album just puts everything else in the shade. Don't know what people are complaining about with her voice, she chokes it off a bit too much maybe, but it fits with her music perfectly. This record just goes in so many directions, unlike say, certain records by certain shchaffel stomp queens where every song is more or less the same ahem.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 21 November 2005 18:57 (eighteen years ago) link

this album is totally fighting with a few unlikely competitors (smog, broken social scene, final fantasy, herman dune) for my totally-doesnt-matter-to-anyone-but-me "album of the year". i've been listening to it for a few months and am just wondering if it's going to get stale pretty fast. it hasn't yet, but pop records don't have good track records with me. and longevity matters to my mental "best records" list.

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Monday, 21 November 2005 19:22 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't have one of those.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 22:52 (eighteen years ago) link

Which sounds really aloof or something, but seriously, I have "THIS IS THE BEST ALBUM THE ENTIRE WORLD HAS EVER PRODUCED" lists, which have one thing on them, and this record is currently hanging in there effortlessly.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 22:54 (eighteen years ago) link

Lex doesn't like pop music, ignore his views on it.

The "I just miss you, that's all" part of "Be Mine!" is like a butcher's knife to the heart.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 22:57 (eighteen years ago) link

Yes.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 23:02 (eighteen years ago) link

hm, just heard her version of 'fire..burning' and I'm surprised to say that I think Bev still does it best despite her near-total lack of personality. Robyn's vocals just don't *yearn* as much.

-- Affectian (niche_ia...), June 23rd, 2005 7:16 PM.

nichey any chance you can send me Robyn's version of this track??

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 23:06 (eighteen years ago) link

Personally, I'm confused by the Lex's views on this record, because I see Lex as one of our pop standard-bearers, in a way.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 23:06 (eighteen years ago) link

Robyn's voice is terrific on 'Crash And Burn Girl' - this is my favourite track personally.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 23:12 (eighteen years ago) link

Has anyone heard the Meatboys remix of "Be Mine!" GREAT.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 23:31 (eighteen years ago) link

If there's any thing I've learned from reading Lex's various writings over the past year, it's that while he is very pro-pop and that's all well and good, he tends to have incredibly bad taste in the stuff. So nevermind him.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 23:42 (eighteen years ago) link

i've read that Lex thing again and I think he's largely OTM apart from being a little too hard on 'Handle Me', 'Anytime You Like' and maybe 'Should Have Known'. The acousticy ballads really are the weak links here, while 'Be Mine', 'Who's That Girl' and 'Crash And Burn Girl' are three of the 50 best pop tracks this decade without a doubt.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 23:50 (eighteen years ago) link

How have I managed to avoid earning Lex's bad rap despite having near identical tastes?

OR HAVE I?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 23:57 (eighteen years ago) link

I love "Bum Like You" a ton, though.

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 00:00 (eighteen years ago) link

Lex likes "pop", but he doesn't like "Pop".

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 00:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Diff being?

(I'm not sceptical, I'm just dense)

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 00:21 (eighteen years ago) link

Skipping 1211 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.