- Just what is it with Sweden and pop music? Sure, Sweden, and Scandinavia in general, have a lock on the heaviest of heavy metal music (definitely connected to the seven months of the year when the daylight is much less, the sun being an only occasional visitor, and temperatures in those months much more suited to indoor activities raging against that dying light outside.) So, why are Swedes equally adept with the sunnier sounding pop tunes, frequently fronted by female singers with an uncanny knack of matching heartbreak lyrics with uplifting, catchy melody lines and complexly beautiful harmonies?
Yes, ABBA and their influence cannot be denied, however, their last release was 35 years ago (notwithstanding, as yet unheard, forthcoming material). True, they’ve won the Eurovision Song Contest 6 times (only one behind Ireland, who have seriously gone off the boil this century while Sweden have thrice won the pop-fest.) And, now, the US Billboard charts are regularly dominated by Swedish artists, or vocalists with DJs (either or both being Swedish), even American acts who have made the trip to Stockholm to have the pop gold dust sprinkled by the Svengali of producers, Max Martin and his army of disciples. Though he isn’t as ubiquitous as he once was, however, there are dozens of similar crafters of the pop sound, even if they aren’t Swedish born themselves, they have adopted the “Swedish Sound” as if it was their birthright.
Robin Carlsson, better known by the single moniker Robyn (in the style of Cher, Madonna or Björk) is both indicative of this “Swedish Sound” and outside of it. Starting her career as a precocious pop starlet type, by the mid-2000s she had parted from her record label and went solo in every respect. Honey is her first album in eight years, since the chart-friendly Body Talk trilogy and starts where that collection ended with the first single (and opening track) “Missing U” which is everything you could want from a Robyn song. It’s drenched with a looping, cascading synth run and an infectious beat topped off by her fragile sounding vocal about a love that’s long gone but not forgotten. Rarely can a singer manage this trick – singing with a cry in the voice that captures the listener and lifts them up and down the emotional rollercoaster. (Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA could do that over and over again.)
However, the rest of Honey doesn’t sound like Body Talk Part 4. The title track is a lush piece of pop that smothers you like being drowned in the most luxuriously soft of substances. Elsewhere, Carlsson with a wide collection of collaborators - Joseph Mount of Metronomy, Klas Åhlund (a long time creative partner), Adam Bainbridge, Mr. Tophat, an-d Zhala, though the bulk of the work was done by the artist herself, which shows a very intimate, almost transparent look into her heart and soul, such as on “Baby Forgive Me” which morphs into “Sent To Robin Immediately”, featuring a sample of the1989 house track "French Kiss" by Lil Louis.
There is less of the out-and-out “banger” tracks on Honey - which is its strength, as it allows the listener to explore with Carlsson more terrain beyond the pretty pop dance princess world. “Between The Lines” is very funky and goes well with “Beach 2k20” which has a late 80s throwback vibe sounding as if it’s from the coolest lounge on the planet. The album ends on a semi-stripped back, self-affirmation pop mantra “Ever Again” which sounds like the neatest book end to the broken-hearted opener of “Missing U”.
Tack så mycket, Robyn, tusen tack…
- Blair Martin.