NEW ROBYN!!!

With established stars blown away (Britney) or befuddled (Christina) as the planet goes Gaga, thank heavens for Robyn. Pin-sharp yet driven by genuine emotion, she offers a superb synth-pop alternative for those who think the Lady doth profess too much style over substance.A follow-up to 2008’s Grammy-nominated Robyn, this eight-track set displays all the Swede’s virtues, hard-won over a 15-year career. Relentlessly catchy, “Fembots” is a satirical dig at a world where women are required to be “automatic booty applications”; “Dancing on My Own”, the thrumming club standout, matches the defiant yearning of classic Madonna; and “Hang with Me”, a highly-strung ballad, recalls Cyndi Lauper (always a plus in my book).
Robyn even emerges well from light-hearted dalliances with Jamaican dancehall (abetted by the hip US producer Diplo and Norway’s Royksopp), while the stroppy litany “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What to Do” – LCD Soundsystem’s “Losing My Edge” with PMS – is already an anthem in our house. Happily, for the first instalment of a triple album, Body Talk Pt 1 leaves you wanting more.