Continuing my look at the albums of 2005…
This album was released in 2005 in Sweden but didn’t make it to the U.S. until three years later. I’m considering it a 2005 release for the sake of this installment of Decades.
Robyn started her career as a teenage pop artist in her native Sweden, releasing a trio of lightweight dance albums influenced heavily by her label. After a three year break, she left to start her own label and make the music she wanted to make.
Robyn makes her second appearance on the Pazz & Jop poll, tied for the #18 spot. ‘Missing U’ was the first single released from her album Honey.
This track sums up what’s great about Robyn. It’s a danceable electro pop song that also brings the feels. She lends a vulnerability to her songs that you usually find in more traditional balladry, but dresses it with a techno sheen.
Over the last several years, I’ve featured songs from the top of Village Voice’s annual Pazz & Jop poll, which compiles the picks of hundreds of music critics into a master Top 100 Albums and Top 50 Singles.
Well, Village Voice closed up shop last year, first moving online only and then ceasing new content creation entirely. It looked like a sad end to a poll dating back to 1974 that gave a fascinating glimpse into the changing popular music landscape.
Swedish dance-pop star Robyn hasn’t released a new album since 2010, when she dropped her Body Talk series of records. That release consisted of two EPs, Body Talk Pt. 1 and Body Talk Pt. 2, followed by a full-length album (Body Talk) that included tracks from both EPs plus a few new songs.
Today’s random SOTD, ‘Hand With Me,’ appears on both EPs in very different versions. The version embedded below was the lead single from the second EP and it’s an upbeat dance track.
Swedish electropop star Robyn doesn’t seem to know how to capitalize on her success. In 2005 she released a self-titled album (her fourth) that broke internationally and landed her on the charts as well as countless critics-best lists.
Five years after that she released a pair of EPs (Body Talk 1 and 2) that were equally well-received. But in both instances, she faded away rather than taking advantage of the spotlight.
Meet Me In Montauk 