AUTUMN PREVIEW MUSIC
Show her love Robyn has come a long way from her days as a teen chart-topper. She tells Jonny Ensall how her new album achieves pop perfection while staying true to her personality
R emember that song? The one that went, ‘Show me love. Show me life. Baby show me what it’s all about.’ Yep? Well that was Swedish popstar Robyn, back in 1997. And the track, ‘Show Me Love’, was an international hit, topping out at number eight in the UK singles chart.
And now, forget about it, because ‘Show Me Love’ is in danger of the becoming the albatross around Robyn’s neck. Her brilliant 2005 album, Robyn, blew away all dusty memories of that teen era in a wave of shimmering pop that was uniquely hers: commercial yet not cynical; slick, but still full of emotion.
‘I DON’T REALLY KNOW A LOT MORE THAN THE LISTENERS DO’
Now she finds herself in a very comfortable position. About to release a second album from her three-part Body Talk series (her sixth in total), she’s become incredibly proficient at producing hits. Like its predecessor, Body Talk Pt. 1, Pt. 2 is packed full of brain-tickling synth hooks, auto-tuned vocals and encouragements to the listener to ‘dance to the beat’ – catchy tricks that the record buying public enjoy as ravenously as IKEA meatballs. Yet the album still avoids sounding contrived, cheesy or dull. Robyn is simultaneously a calculating pop maestro – in charge of her own record label, even – and a tender singer- songwriter whose work never sounds processed or fake. She’s a consummate popstar, fully in control of her own talent. she’s not that enthusiastic when faced with my standard interview questions about the Body Talk series’ unconventional release pattern. Pt. 1 appeared in June, followed by Pt. 2 this month
So, understandably,
16 THEATRE It’s the 200th A Play, A
Pie and a Pint at Oran Mor in Glasgow. The secret double- centenary production from this Glaswegian theatrical institution will be running Mon 4–Sat 9 Oct. We can’t wait.
17 MUSIC Kelis will be bringing her milkshake to the yard at the O2 ABC on Mon 4 Oct – and damn right, it’s better than yours. Of course, she could educate you as to how to improve your milkshake, but there would be small fee.
18 DANCE Godmother of modern
19 FILM In the wake of the financial
dance Yvonne Rainer takes centre stage in an showcase of her dance and film work at Glasgow’s Tramway from Tue 5–Sun 10 Oct. Rainer herself will dancing the piece Trio A, aged 75. See feature, page 30. crisis, it seemed apt to bring back one of the 1980s’ most celebrated explorations of greed – at least, that’s what Oliver Stone thought, and thus we have Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps on general release from Wed 6 Oct. Michael Douglas (pictured) stars.
20 MUSIC Musical fact: legendary MC KRS-One takes his name from
the acronym, ‘Knowledge
Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone’. Feel free to impress your fellow concert-goers with this fact when you attend his gig at Liquid Rooms on Thu 7 Oct.
24 THE LIST 9–23 Sep 2010