[...music...]

2011-02-01

last thursday, i went to the robyn show with my cousins. turns out she has a good following here: the show was sold out, and i heard the scalpers were trying to sell tickets for $60 (originally $27).

the first act was natalia kills. i had seen shows with circus acts before (dresden dolls, emilie autumn, devotchka), but i think this was my first time seeing backup dancers:

this was perhaps the shortest set i've seen. she performed four songs, where the fourth was actually a dance version of the first. sure her songs are catchy at first listen, but not my kind of thing.

next act was diamond rings. i had seen him open for owen pallett last year, and was pleasantly surprised. this time, i was looking forward to his set. his outfit this time: fuchsia jacket, pink tank top, gold chains, and gold leggings. so glam.

almost all the songs he played were from his album "special affections", so i recognized them. he punctuated his set with fist pumps and skinny-white-boy dance moves. so kitsch.

finally, robyn appeared on stage, with a band consisting of two keyboard players and a drummer. her outfit: black bomber jacket, stringy white vest, black top, floral print leggings, platform ankle boots.

wow, she was so full of energy, dancing a lot, all over the stage.

she performed all her hits from the self-titled and "body talk" albums. the crowd was really into it. she kept it electro-pop, closely like the album version, so it was like one big dance party. i had a lot of fun: dancing and singing along, generally acting silly. eh, who cares.

for her first encore, she did a mellow version of "u should know better", without the snoop dogg parts, followed by more badassery with "konichiwa bitches".

she ended the set with a "dancing queen" medley that transitioned into her classic 1997 hit "show me love", re-worked for 2011, of course.

setlist posted here.

even though this was my first show of 2011, i think it will be one of my favourite for the year.

~~~

Labels: diamond rings, metropolis, natalia kills, robyn, shows

2010-11-22

body talk

robyn's third and final output of the "body talk" series was released today (on a monday?). i got it on my way home from school.

it feels like a bit of a rip-off, since it contains 5 songs from each of the previous releases and only 5 new songs.

i wonder why part 1 has an alternate cover in north america. it doesn't fit with the series...

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, robyn

2010-09-07

body talk

robyn's new mini-album "body talk pt.2" was released today; i got it on my way to school. it's more of that cool pop-electro stuff she does so well.

standout track for me is "indestructible (acoustic version)"; the strings in the beginning is so lovely. and i love the tough girl act on "u should know better".

robyn - indestructible (acoustic version)

robyn feat. snoop dogg - u should know better

[side note: i am still continuing my challenge. i am at the blood brothers' releases right now. i haven't listened to this stuff in so long that i'd forgotten how much i love it.]

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, robyn

2010-06-17

scandinavia

yesterday, while procrastinating from school work, i browsed the new releases at hmv.ca. ah, so robyn has released her new mini-album "body talk pt.1". i checked out the songs online. sounds like pop goodness.

i went to the megastore after school to pick it up. they've recently changed the store layout: all the punk/metal/electro sections have been moved upstairs, next to the classical/jazz sections. before leaving the store, i decided on a quick stroll upstairs, out of curiosity. it was deserted; i was the only customer there, with one employee behind the counter.

while browsing, an interesting song was playing in the store. i asked the employee what it was; she said "trentemøller". what? "it's his new album," she explained.

she showed me where the release was located (in the electro section), and told me i could sample it at the listening booth. she even suggested his debut release as her personal favourite. i sampled a few tracks from the new album "into the great wide yonder". i was sold.

i am listening to the trentemøller album now. it's layered, atmospheric electro with some interesting sounds. the soundtrack to an experimental dark film, perhaps. new discoveries with multiple listens. i am liking it so much more on second listen already.

i found out that the track playing at the store was "shades of marble":

i can't tell what my favourite track is, because each one conveys such a different mood. this is definitely the type of music to be listened to with quality headphones.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, robyn, trentemøller

2008-05-14

johnny hollow, robyn

i had my weekly meeting with my advisor today. not sure if my thesis is progressing. i will need to begin on my two conference papers soon. i am kind of nervous about that; i haven't written any kind of paper in a long time, probably since i had to write that english exit exam back in cegep.

after the meeting, i passed by hmv to check out the new releases. (my weekly fix).

i recently heard johnny hollow's recent album "dirty hands", and really liked it. i went to get it today. i first heard about them when roxanne introduced me to their music, a couple of years ago, when they had released their debut self-titled album.

listening to "dirty hands", i like this more than their older release. on "dirty hands", they've continued with the slightly gothic ethereal feel from the first album. on some songs, their use of stringed instruments mixed with electro elements reminds me of rasputina, which is good.

i love their album art. their website is also very pretty. they've a flash game; every completed level unlocks a track from the album.

at one of the listening booths, i spied robyn's most recent self-titled album. it was at a bargain price, so i got it too.

ah, memories... her debut "robyn is here" was one of the first cd's i bought, before i started to build my cd collection. it's good to see how she's doing her own thing now, with her own style, rather than become an aging has-been pop princess (like some others from that period).

this album was first released a couple of years ago in sweden, and now finally released here, a couple of weeks ago. the songs don't sound dated at all. very pop, kind of electro, with some hip-hop elements here and there. there are a few very good stand-out songs; the rest are filler and uninteresting.

my favourite tracks: "cobrastyle", with those dance-able electro beats. "handle me", the typical pop song. "be mine", the opening bit is my favourite part of the whole album. "with every heartbeat", another electro song.

although i don't care for the songs, "curriculum vitae" and "konichiwa bitches" have some kooky lyrics.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, johnny hollow, robyn