Robyn: Robyn : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Looking like David Bowie's little sister, Swedish starlet Robyn entered the arena in 1997 with "Show Me Love," a generic dance-pop smash co-produced by hitmaker/Britney Spears sculptor Max Martin. But sensing a future of head-shaving and How I Met Your Mother cameos, Robyn jumped ship to start her own label and work with some of her edgier homeys: electro-goth oddballs the Knife and freaky club fusionist Teddybears.

The result, released in Sweden in 2005 and now available in a virtually identical version here, is a shiny mainstream pop record with enough wit and weirdness to impress even jaded bloggers. YouTube fave "Konichiwa Bitches" nods to Missy Elliott, Eminem and a classic Chappelle's Show skit over hand claps and Eighties-style synth drums; it's such nasty fun that her dubious rap skills don't detract a bit. "Bionic Woman" quotes art-pop grand dame Laurie Anderson, while "Crash and Burn Girl" bites Buffalo Springfieldís "For What It's Worth" over fat party beats. Sexy without being pandering, arty without being pretentious, Robyn is a public service: a record that can make indie-minded geeks dance without shame.