Superb

A cast member of Saturday Night Live recreates Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend" video dance move, by dance move, completely accurately, in its entirety. Flawless.

So, this happened.

The other day Robyn did live lounge again, because the gods are smiling on her and clearly someone at Radio 1 still has good taste (lord knows it can only be one person because 90% of the stuff on the playlist right now is ear-breakingly horrid). She performed a rather hesitant "Call Your Girlboy" that didn't particularly improve on the studio version (where was the synth sexplosion in the bridge? She should have recreated it vocally at a quarter of the speed and in the style of baroque devotional music... no...? Only us?) but she also did a cover of a Coldplay song...

*epic tumbleweed made of crickets cascades silently across entire world and then back the other way 3 times*

Yeah, Coldplay aren't... popular in these parts. We mean, some of their songs are aesthetically pleasing (until Chris Martin starts singing) but we can never ever seem to get around their trite, earnest, straightwhitemiddleclassman musical preaching. All that guff about lights and stuff because they have no life experience to draw on so epic rock clichés are the meal of the day.

Anyway Robyn made the song not only sound bearable but sound pretty increds too. We even went and listened to the original in case it was any good but we can't get Robyn's imitable vocals out of our head. She, in X Factor speak, MADE IT HER OWN. Well, she enticed it behind the sheds, stripped it naked and showed it the time of its melancholy life, thus, making it her own bitch. WHAAAAAAAAT. BUUUUUUUUURN. NO YOU DI'UNT.

Anyway it was good.

Stuck In Our Head: "Never Will Be Mine" - Rye Rye (feat. Robyn)

We forgot to post about this, mostly because we were so hypnotised by the first outfit you see Robyn wearing, that we erased it from memory in the hopes that the glory of the dress wouldn't wipe our brains with its brilliance.

That's total bullshit, we're just lazy. But this is fun and diverting and Rye Rye is cute and has a lovely listenable and punchy flow and we'd probably sing the praises of a song made of cow farts as long as Robyn had released it under her name, so yeah. Stuck in our head, too.

Oh hey 2010

The most killingest pop star in the world was Shiny & New's Artist of the Year last year, for a plethora of incredible reasons. If you got a copy of our zine, you'd have read why, and if you didn't, tough titties - just make sure you grab the next one in December. Since the release of Body Talk Pt. 3 closed the best pop trilogy of all time y'all, we hadn't really heard much from Robyn. We just assumed she was taking a well-deserved breather. Oh, and she re-scheduled the gig we had tickets for in Manchester, which we now can't go to cos we're in New York bitches. What a cow. Anyway, all of a sudden, a video for one of the most stellar tracks she put out, "Call Your Girlfriend", surfaced yesterday. We really weren't expecting anything from her for another few months, and certainly not a video for a song which came out last November. Regardless, we're glad she did - it's fucking mint. (lol)

This is the kind of video we have in our head when we imagine ourselves-as-popstars. Just Robyn in an enormous warehouse, wearing a fluffy tit top, Neneh Cherry tights and Mel B wedges, dancing incredible moves and giving it relentlessly for four minutes. The disco lights in the chorus are beautiful, everything just fits like a puzzle. Definitely our favourite Body Talk video, and it probably couldn't have been much more simple. She always gets it spot on.

*files under evidence for upcoming court case re: why isn't Robyn the biggest pop star in the world*

Mildly and momentarily diverting...

Oh hey!

This here writer hasn't written for S&N in 'a bit', and we feels like we've been neglectinz ya. Luckily you've not been short of quality stuff to read, but we feel like a bad parent. In turn, we feel a tad neglected by Ms. Carlsson. After twelve months of Robynness, it's safe to say we are experiencing the sort of pangs one only receives from a loss of new Swedish pop. Lykke Li's return is softening the blow, but we've had to make do with scouring YouTube for interesting live videos - and boy did we find one.

At a recent show in Minneapolis (Princeville), she covered one of the Purple One's finest ditties, "When Doves Cry". Stripped back to almost just a beat and her voice, the synths kick in at the end imitating the original's characteristic melancholy (something Robyn knows all about). Launching straight away into an amazing cover of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" but as "Dance Hall Queen", the track followed into her live version of "Show Me Love". It's moments like this that Robyn fans beat their fannies thinking about.

Enjoy!

Singles of the Year '10!

It took a year off last year, but here returneth our Very Fave Singles of the Past 12 Months. This was also a zine-only exclusive, but seeing as we don't anticipate printing any more off any time soon, you zine-slackers can get it right here!
"Better Than Love" - Hurts
The first song we heard in 2010 to a) give us full-on shivers and b) reassure our worries and tell us this year was going to be a good one for pop. Hurts are the injection of Pet Shop Boys-at-a-funeral that we all need, and this song more than anything else on the album gives the listener that rush of excitement and sheer joy that we so crave. The middle eight towards the end should be the standard to write all future middle eights by.

"Momma's Place" - Róisín Murphy
A strong contender for the funniest and fiercest songwriting of 2010, “Momma's Place” was Róisín's only foray into music this year but is a fine example of quality over quantity. A powerful bass-heavy opening leads into a “Mark my words, you'll see”-style ode to her child, providing an interesting alternative to the unconditional love of Kelis‟ “Acapella”.

"XXXO" - M.I.A.
Not the follow-up hit to “Paper Planes” that might have pleased her record label, but never mind. “XXXO” is a dark disco-ish R&B number, that, well… sort of defies description. Hooky, fun, and quotable as hell it'll go down in history as an underrated gem. Try not to fall for the lines “you're tweeting me like tweety bird on your iPhone” or “I can be the actress, you be Tarantino”.

"Your Love" - Nicki Minaj
We're ginormous fans of Annie Lennox, which is a factor we can only presume helped considerably when we first heard this track. We love “Your Love”, and if you've been with us for the entirety of the zine, you'll know we love the Minaj too. With lyrical themes revolving around samurai and geisha, we were more than happy to keep this beautiful mid-tempo ditty on loop for the majority of the past twelve months. If you don‟t like Minaj after hearing this song, you probably never will.

"Happiness" - Alexis Jordan
What happens when you put a quasi-Whitney-Leona-style ballad on top of a Deadmau5 sample? A fabulous wave-your-hands-in-the-air-and-feel-the-love anthem quite simply. We haven't even discussed this summer soundtrack on the blog, which is rather baffling, but if record labels continue to insist on using pre-pubescent popstars, we'll put up with it if we keep getting productions like this.

"Shampain" - Marina and the Diamonds
Marina hasn't had quite the stellar year she, or her team, probably had hoped for. She still hasn't broken into foreign territories and none of her singles went top 10. Never matter, though. On “Shampain”, she used the topic of drunkedness to sing about celestial angels, over a beat that practically glitters. Scathing sarcasm has never sounded so joyous.

"Dancing On My Own" - Robyn
Best song of the year, no further discussion needed. Tear-inducing, stomach-punching, throat
-grabbing; a Robyn-flavoured brand of desperately sad euphoria. Has been known to actually make people burst out crying in nightclubs. Which we believe, was the original aim. That synthesised pounding heart-beat will stick with us for years to come.

"Teenage Dream" - Katy Perry
Either Katy Perry is a brilliant, brilliant songwriter capable of moments of pure pop genius, or the team behind her is. Either way, “Teenage Dream” took us all back to the most romantic moments of or adolescence, whether they happened or not. Giddy, wide-eyed, euphoric, almost flawless. If Ms. Russell Brand ever releases another song as good as this it’ll be a full-blown miracle.

"Tightrope" - Janelle Monáe (feat. Big Boi)
We defy you not to dance to this. If you can get from start to finish without even tapping or shuffling your foot about, then you’re clinically dead, or something. And that horn section! Exhilarating. Monáe released one of the most bemusing and epic albums of the year, but as this song proved, she could shine in short form too.

"Acapella" - Kelis
Never one to do what’s expected of her, Kelis worked with some of the world’s most ubiquitous dance producers (David Guetta etc.) and then came out with… this! No one else could or would release it: a pulse-quickening house anthem about the wonder of life as seen through new motherhood. At first we weren’t sure if the minimal production worked, but we soon realised it was perfect.

Albums of the Year '10!

Originally this was printed in our INCREDIBLE ZINE (that we had many more orders for than we anticipated - thanks for that) but we thought for those of you who were too busy/forgetful/shy/lazy/stupid to order a copy, we'd let you browse our albums of the year anyway. We're nice like that. So here goes:

Swanlights - Antony & The Johnsons
If you thought it was impossible for Antony Hegarty's music to grow even more beautiful, you were wrong. Swanlights is so fragile, so delicate, so threaded through with a bittersweet despair, you find yourself unsure whether you should cry, smile or do both. The lyrics are especially and charmingly oblique, the album is like nothing else.

Flesh Tone - Kelis
A brave new direction from an artist previously well established in a rather rigid set of genre constraints, Flesh Tone reflects a desire for experimentation and new tastes… things we love. The music is certifiably incredible, with the very best producers in the field of dance moulding their sounds to fit Kelis‟ rather spectacular personality. The music is glorious, the imagery is exciting, the segues are wonderful. A brilliant album.

All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu - Rufus Wainwright
Wainwright may be one of the cleverest people in pop but occasionally his music is overcomplicated and his voice flat when set against his rich, ornate arrangements.
Not on this album, a pared down masterpiece borne from Rufus' grief at his mother's death. His piano playing is both modern and timeless, his songwriting: frenetic and heartbreaking.

Pink Friday - Nicki Minaj
We may still be a lil' biased due to this being the only thing we've listened to for a fortnight, but this was the biggest fresh breath of hip hop air we've taken in a very long time. Her raps are intelligent, funny, bossy and have something to actually say, while we must admit we're more than taken with her ridiculously trashy look. Her singing voice is pretty-bordering-on-quite-good, and her knack for sampling fucking good songs is more than endearing. The best vocal riff from “Don‟t You (Forget About Me)” (The Breakfast Club anyone?) is used to magical effect on “Blazin”.

Have One On Me – Joanna Newsom
How do you follow up arguably one of the greatest albums of all time? Triple it, apparently. This 3CD extravaganza is so expertly wrought it leaves you (literally) breathless. How does Newsom fold such spellbinding interlocking rhythms and melodies into eachother? How does she weave stories so meandering and heavy with meaning? An incredible achievement.

Head First - Goldfrapp
While (unusually for such musical innovators) appearing at the tail end of the brief but blissful resurgence of 80s synthesised dream pop at the end of the decade, Head First still manages to spin something new from used yarn. The soundscapes more than meet the expectations laid down by Goldfrapp's preceding reputation and body of work, with truly uplifting tunes being welcomed into their impressive canon. And the artwork is fucking gorgeous.

The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
Nostalgia for a simpler time is the theme for Arcade Fire's third album and it says a lot that it speaks so directly to someone only 20 years old. It says a lot about how fast our rapidly-developing world has changed. And it says a lot about the skill of Arcade Fire‟s songwriting – turning a semi-cliché subject from something potentially trite into something sumptuous and heartrending and bleak.

Here Lies Love - David Byrne & Fatboy Slim
We weren‟t especially knowledgeable about the work of David Byrne, Fatboy Slim or Imelda Marcos, but if you put them in a food processor (not literally lolz) and an incredibly captivating concept album featuring a plethora of fabulous all-female singers (just what we like) pops out, maybe they should work together more often. The insufferable Florence Welch becomes mildly likeable, while Martha Wainwright, Cyndi Lauper, Róisín Murphy and Tori Amos form just some of the remarkable vocal talent. “Solano Avenue” featuring the previously-unknown-to-us Nicole Atkins is a highlight.

The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III) - Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe careened into our lives with her stunning and effortlessly inventive EP, Metropolis (Suite I – The Chase Suite), particularly on the track “Many Moons” – a song so jampacked full of energy and a seemingly boundless set of ideas, it left us literally breathless the first time we heard it. Ohhh, we thought, what the hell was that?! It was like André 3000 had had a sex change and decided to cover Madonna's “American Life”, produced by Missy
Elliott and coached in vocal acrobatics by Kate Bush and Erykah Badu. Actually, we hate those sorts of descriptions, so totally ignore that and bear in mind that if you're not already familiar with Janelle Monáe (you should be), she's unlike anything else. Ok, one last comparison: imagine if Janet Jackson had 10 times the vocal range she does, was capable of orchestration, lyrical dexterity and obsessed with science fiction – then you might be able to picture just how incredible The ArchAndroid is…

That's the thing… Ms. Monáe is so inventive, her palette of references and influences so delightfully varied, and her voice so dextrous and skilled, that it's hard to find the words to do her work justice. This album is truly, something to savour (although not perfect, we hope future works might be shorter, with one or two filler tracks cut). The tracks blend into each other effortlessly, and especially since some of them are very long and contain many changes of pace, sometimes you don't know whether you've moved from one song to the next, or not. You enter an endless dream-world where symphony orchestras loom out at you, only to be replaced by punky guitar riffs (“Come Alive: The War of the Roses), hazy 70s prog-like ballads (“Mushrooms and Roses”) and futuristic funk.

Some believe that great music is music that does the un- expected: music that surprises. And nothing is more surprising than this album. One moment you're drifting away on a 50s “Tears on my Pillow”- style doowop ballad (the stunning “Oh, Maker”) and the next you're bobbing and writhing about to an almost pop-rock, uptempo (“Cold War”) . The album's crowning glory is its closing number, “BaBopByeYa”, the must sumptuous, stunning, sensuous, involving, dark, shudderingly good 8 minute track you'll hear all year .

There's supposedly a concept here, but as is often the case with superior concept albums, it's kind of besides the point – the music takes precedent here. Janelle Monáe's debut album is a work of such raw genius, it's hard to talk about without getting passionately speechless, it's the kind of thing you have to experience for yourself. Perhaps it'll date badly, perhaps it'll stale quickly, but one thing we know for sure: Monáe is an artist to watch and whose every move and experiment we will savour and salivate over. If you listen to only two albums from 2010 make it Robyn's Body Talk series, and this.

Body Talk - Robyn
Robyn has undoubtedly been the artist of the year, and unquestionably produced the single of the year (in the shape of “Dancing On My Own”). She's also released, alongside Janelle Monáe, the finest body of work in 2010, but her unconventional release strategy has put us in a quandary. You see, we have a chronic case of iTunes OCD, at Shiny & New towers, so Robyn's epic (in the traditional sense of the word) Body Talk series has caused us no end of grief - are they EPs? Is there an album? Is there a compilation? *head(s) explodes*

With the final, 3rd, instalment finally released, we thought that Body Talk could stand as one of the albums of the year. We wanted it to, so that we felt we had a big overarching cohesive body of work to tie 2010 together, but the officially released 15-track album didn't sound right – partly because almost every song is a heart-stopping, foot-stomping, pulse-quickening, euphoria-inducing, hip-shaking sobathon and 15 of those in a row is enough to send anyone over the edge (one needs light and shade lols)… but also because we had gotten used to each individual instalment, released as an 8 track mini- album, and their individual… erm… flavours. So this article is praising our preferred mode of listening to the Robyn songs released this year: the three separate EPs – Pt. 1, Pt. 2 and the digital-only 5-track Pt. 3:

Pt. 1 is the eclectic, masterpiece-riddled introduction to the series, veering wildly from disco (“Dancing on my Own”) to robopop (“Fembot”) to queeny reggae (“Dancehall Queen”) to dark electro (“None of Dem”), all deranged and knowing. Pt. 2 is
more cohesive, but with fewer standout highlights (although the incredible “Include Me Out” and “In My Eyes” are nothing if not memorable), much more sinuous and glitter- ing, like a gay James Bond's collective expeditions, at once dark, dangerous and intense (“Love Kills”) and then on the incredible “Indestructible (Acoustic)”, both melodramatic and romantic and yet somehow ice cold; Then the shorter and sweet(er), Pt. 3 is the poppiest, the most upbeat, jubilant , brighteyed, hopeful, not a mournful or self-pitying moment in sight – from the stompathon “Time Machine” to the heartbreaking pseudo-stalker anthem “Call Your Girlfriend”, via the über-romantic “Stars 4-ever”.

These 3 EPs may seem like they'd all slot together, but somehow, they work best (in our humble opinion) apart. Body Talk may not represent a complete or coherent album, in the traditional sense, but that doesn't matter because it's an incredible achievement. The sheer quality here is outstanding! Which other artist could expel 20 pop masterpieces in 12 months across 3 mini master- works? No one. We make the rules, so we can just as easily break them. This may not be your typical album – it may be 3 separately released ones – but that;s what makes it great. It's one of our albums of the year: a glittering abundance of tracks.

Fascination

If you'd been impressed by Robyn's recent visual aids(!?)-slash-overall-aesthetic-splendour, you might want to check out the above video which explains the 'making of' behind the "Indestructible" video's incredible tubular dress. Here's some information that we have lazily copy and pasted from the designer's blog because it's been a long day and we ain't feelin' too eloquent:

This 'Making Of' video showcases a project that started over two years ago generating dynamic textiles made from liquid, air and vapor. 1.2 kilometres of transparent plumbing tubing was knitted with fishing wire to skin Robyn's body. 40 litres of glycerol pumps through over a kilometre of tube, powered by drill pumps that connect to valves releasing air intermittently between the liquid. Gradient colors pulse through the tubes at different speeds, the effect is a living, breathing dynamic skin that traverses the landscape of the body.

The Dream Team is Lucy McRae, Barnaby Monk, Mike Pelletier, Sanne Van Wersch, Laetitia Migliore and Amba Molly. Special Thanks to Mandy, Sofie, Froukje, Maaike, Honor, Loes, Ine and Branca. Edited by Ine van den Elsen

If you'd also been impressed by the cover of Robyn's latest album/EP/whatever Body Talk {Pt. 3}, you might be fascinated to discover that Lucy McRae was also responsible for that, and the effect wasn't actually created digitally sur un computer, but with a real life textile dress hanging (garden/basket - not really) thing. Pictures of the stunning contraption below. Here is Ms. McRae's blog where we have nicked things from, go and have a look.

A New Option

For those of you unhappy at the DAYLIGHT ROBBERY involved in Robyn's latest album campaign: here is a (sort of) solution. Basically, if you bought Parts 1 and 2 and are only interested in the new material, you will be able to buy Part 3 as a standalone EP. This still doesn't calm our qualms RE: the Body Talk 15-song album tracklisting, but whatever. Above is the Body Talk Pt. 3 artwork - slightly different from its parent album's cover.
,
This brings us two new problems:

1. Basically what Robyn has done is record an album, Body Talk, and officially leak it (release it) in drips and drabs as 8-track EPs. It's a bizarre approach to an album campaign, almost as bizarre as Lady GaGa's re-release-cum-second-album, but if it works IN THIS CURRENT UNPREDICTABLE MUSIC CLIMATEZZZZ then whoop-di-doo for Robyn. What will irritate us, however, is if Body Talk Pt.s 1 & 2 are treated as actual studio albums, and not EPs, because to be honest, if they're being re-released as a 15-track album, either that makes the 15 track album a compilation or the (THIS IS THE RAMBLING OF A MAD MAN WILL YOU CALM DOWN PLEASE AND SEE A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL ABOUT YOUR HORRIFIC CASE OF MUSIC-RELATED OCD - ED)
2. Secondly, it will annoy us if the standalone EP, Body Talk Pt. 3 has only 5 tracks, as opposed to the 8 on Parts 1 & 2. To flesh it out and make it complete they should include studio versions of her "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart" cover, "The Girl and the Robot" and (to really bring the campaign full circle), an acoustic version of "Dancing On My Own".

We'd like to see a non-Robyn fan try to make sense of this post - it'd be like advanced calculus or something equally baffling to ordinary humanz.

*Expresses disappointment*

It's been a shit week for music videos. Nicki Minaj decided to go with a wigless Days of Our Lives saga that had all the visual flair of a used sheet of Colour Catcher (but without the RED DRESS) and then got sidelined by will.i.am's obnoxiously inane irrelevance and poor choice of sunglasses (yeah, you heard us).

Even Robyn seems preoccupied; she seems to have spent most of the 'Indestructible' video shoot on a golfing holiday/ suffering from an obscure viral illness/ just being generally grumpy, because it sure ain't her best work.In fact, she's hardly in it at all. Instead the video is dominated by slurpy foreplay and a weird beer-hat-straw-corset thing that's trying to insidiously take over the world/ eat people like some weird sartorial version of War of the Worlds... or something.

Things lacking:

• Gays
• Dancing
• More gays
• Some presiding sense of euphoria as detected in the melody/lyrics/production etc.etc.
• Cheeriness ( Robyn looks like she could do with a Prozac laced Oreo washed down with an ice cold Diet Coke.)
• Dancing
• Interesting things

Also, kittens. She is on tour, so having a good old (pointless) bitch is probs a tad unfair, but still. It has unsavoury visual echoes of "All the Lovers" - the musical equivalent of a swarm of helium addled gnats flying into a charged and deadly electrical forefield - and those deliberately slightly icky STI awareness ads where people have sex in alleyways with the names of genital infections embroidered on their pants. The only vaguely interesting bit is when the beer-straw-hat-corset-alienwormform-thing is pumped full of variously Vimto/Listerine/Limeade/Liquid Death and even then, judging from Robyn's look of discomfort, it just reminds us of a renegade catheter (sorry).

I suppose if you wanted to extend the mingy catheter metaphor (if it even is one) you could go on to say that it's all a tad sterile, uninspired and clinical (despite the intercut smooching). Robyn is either lying down on what looks like a hospital bed or in a corner looking uncomfortably immobile like she's attached to a drip/ playing a disapproving therapist analysing someone's anti-social behaviour.

Maybe with such a hospital reminiscent theme she did have a viral bug after all.

YES... AND NO

Robyn's final Body Talk tracklisting has been revealed along with the breathtaking and bemusing album cover and IT IS MADE OF FUCKERY. The final album, which will contain 5 new songs, 5 songs from Pt. 1 and 5 songs from Pt. 2, is out on the 29th of November in the UK. Let us take an analytical look at that tracklisting, then. Here it is in full:

1. "Fembot"
2. "Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do"
3. "Dancing On My Own"
4. "Indestructible"
5. "Time Machine"
6. "Love Kills"
7. "Hang With Me"
8. "Call Your Girlfriend"
9. "None of Dem (feat. Röyksopp)"
10. "We Dance to the Beat"
11. "U Should Know Better (feat. Snoop Dogg)"
12. "Dancehall Queen"
13. "Get Myself Together"
14. "In My Eyes"
15. "Stars 4ever"

So those 5 original songs:

1. "Indestructible"
   
2. "Time Machine"
3. "Call Your Girlfriend"
4. "Get Myself Together"
5. "Stars 4ever"

They sound amazing don't they? Those are song titles that instil intrigue and excitement. Are you buzzing like us? BUT THE REST OF THE TRACKLIST? Why is the dragging, filler-ish "We Dance To The Beat" on there in place of the mind-bogglingly good "Include Me Out"? And the omission of "Cry When You Get Older"? It could have replaced "Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do", which, despite its initial allure, grates quickly? We suppose this is what iTunes is for - of course we'll have to create our own playlist - but still. C'MON GURL USE YO HEAD.

Also: perhaps this is a saddo OCD problem, but do we leave the 5 new songs as their own separate Body Talk or Body Talk Pt. 3 album? Or do we have the 15 amalgamated tracks as their own standalone Body Talk album and leave the rejects on their respective EPs?

*head explodes*

I'M GONNA LOVE YOU LIKE I'VE NEVER BEEN HURT BEFORE!

It's out, and it's more than we could ever have wished for. The final lead single from arguably our favourite album campaign (possibly) ever, "Indestructible" keeps those gorgeous strings and turns them into one of many beautiful, heart-assaulting, throat-grabbing, tearduct-stimulating layers only Robyn can transform into glorious, glorious pop music. When Body Talk, Pt. 3 leaks soon (ti's released on this writer's birthday, woo!) we'll give our full appraisal of the entire campaign, beginning with the very first leaks which appeared at the beginning of the year and ending with Pt. 3 in November. The second time this era in which Robyn has teased us by ending an album with an acoustic version of the lead single from the next (a genius idea, why had no-one thought of it before? Tell us if they have!), we have right here one of her finest constructions ever. We're seeing her live next Tuesday, the second time this year, and we cannot wait. Turn those headphones up, you don't get to hear magic like this for the first time that often.

(PS Check out the fucking remixes too!)

BEAUDIFUL

To be honest with you, Robyn could probably present us with an indepth diagram of her infected molars and we'd still think it was aesthetically stunning so perhaps our judgement can't be trusted here. Still: AMAZING.

Thank the LORD it's Friday...

Indestructible (Max Sanna & Steve Pitron Radio Edit) by Max SannaThis isn't the final finished studio album version of Robyn's next single, "Indestructible", but it's a pretty toe-tappable remix, and as such, perfect for a sunny English Friday. Enjoy.

P.S. Nice how above Robyn looks like she's staring fondly, or perhaps patronisingly, down at the Soundcloud embed! Totally unintentional.

LOLz.

It was the Polar Music Prize Ceremony Awards Thingy last night and to honour Björk a.k.a. Flawless Goddess of All Music, Robyn performed a cover version of "Hyperballad". It's very sweet and well-intentioned, and the strings are lovely (it does pick up about half way through) but we have some other points:

• Perhaps not in the right key for Robyn?
• Very brave, but are there actually any good covers of Björk songs ever? You can't improve on perfection
• Björk's face throughout is PRICELESS. There need to be several gifs of that. She looks like her thought process is: "C'EST QUI CETTE PRETENDER BITCH TRYINTA STEEL MAH THROWN. SHE DOINA WHACK JOB Y'ALL"
• Or maybe she was just cringing at all the attention. Yes, that'll be it.
  
• Still quite pretty and definitely worth a watch.

Well done Robyn.

A video that is at least 1000% amazing...

Shiny & New Turns 2: #6 "Show Me Love (2008 Version)" - Robyn

"Never thought I would find a love so sweet / Never thought I would find someone like you"

We made it clear at the start of this project that these songs weren't their respective artist's best work, but work that was most meaningful to us. So of course, "Show Me Love", in any of its versions isn't necessarily our favourite Robyn song, nor do we deem it to be her best, but it means a hell of a lot. We always try to write this blog humorously ("WELL YOU FAILED" - the world) but also fairly anonymously and without letting our tumultuous feelings get too caught up in the proceedings. Well all that can go to hell right now.

"Show Me Love (2008 Version)" is so meaningful to me because just over 2 years ago, on the night this video was taken, I started talking to 'Lindy' (code name, not government name, OBV) and a month later was 'head-over-heels' in love (as I believe they say in the movies and in the trash fiction for the girlie girls). In an even bigger twist, he sent me this song (so obviously it reminds me of him) AND he took this video (above)! Yes that's his camerawork and I believe if you listen carefully you can hear him singing along in his melodious tones. We later decided to start a blog, despite it being the kind of thing EVERY music fan does at some point or another, and almost 2 years later it's more successful than ever and a glowing achievement we can both be proud of. I love Robyn, she captures almost every feeling I ever had between the ages of 13 and 17 and beyond, and in this song she captures the way it felt to be brave enough to fall in love.

If you're allergic to sop or slush you can stop covering your eyes now.

Yummy...

So this is Robyn's video for new single "Hang With Me". We have to be honest (it's always best to be honest), this sort of video, from most other artists, would frustrate and bore us. It's not mindblowing or particularly relevant to the song. But it's Robyn. She's so beautiful and charming, and this is shot with such verve and attention to detail (the little kid with the lollipop waving at her is a prime examp) that we really don't mind.

Of course it would have been nice to see her stomping around, all teary-eyed, in a series of ridiculous and aggressively styled ensembles, but surely that's what certain other popstars are for (notmentioninganynamesstefanijoannegermanotta). Robyn has the cool to carry it off.

'Body Talk Pt. 2'

Album cover of the year so far. No contest. Tracklist below:

1. "In My Eyes"
2. "Include Me Out"
3. "Hang With Me"
4. "Love Kills"
5. "We Dance to the Beat"
6. "Criminal Intent"
7. "U Should Know Better (feat. Snoop Dogg)"
8. "Indestructible (Acoustic)"