In her own curated Spotify playlist "The Music That Inspired Honey", Robyn has put together more than a handful of tracks that helped will her long-anticipated sixth album into existence. Opening with the celebrated Soviet pianist Emil Gilels' rendition of Mozart's Piano Sonata No.14b In C Minor, K457: II Adagio, the playlist encapsulates her wide-ranging taste in music as it flits from the funk/soul/disco of the 70s (Gwen McCrae, George McCrae, Sylvester, Mary Clark) to a full spectrum of electronic music ranging from ambient and IDM to house and techno (Brian Eno, Aphex Twin, DJ Koze, Bicep, Roman Flügel). Listening to the record, one could almost trace all of these influences which are strewn across its nine tracks, precisely making up 40 minutes of thoughtful, unadulterated pop exhilaration.
The 39-year-old Swedish pop mainstay has announced her return with Missing U, a throbbing mid-tempo opener/lead cut that reckons with the loss of her longtime producer and friend Christian Falk and split (and, later, reunion) with her boyfriend. "There's this empty space you left behind/ Now you're not here with me," she sings in the chorus which could also read as the appeasement of her fans. "I keep digging through our waste of time/ But the picture's incomplete."
Described as the disco version of Bruce Springsteen's Streets Of Philadelphia, Baby Forgive Me showcases the submissive vulnerability she's rarely displayed until now ("You got the power/ You set the price/ But baby, be fair, be nice"). Further on the understated the title track and Send To Robin Immediately, which samples Lil Louis' house hit French Kiss, she allows her sexuality to drip ("At the heart of some kind of flower/ Stuck in glitter, strands of saliva/ Won't you get me right where the hurt is?") like it's nobody's business.
Because It's In The Music glistens with sublime melancholy disco. Once again, she turns misery into something so hopeful, so glorious: "Because it's in the music/ Heavenly bodies moving/ I'm right back in that moment/ And it makes me want to cry"). Elsewhere, there's also a 90s house throwback (Between The Lines) and Beach2k20, an oddball whose drum pattern is reminiscent of Timmy Thomas' Why Can't We Live Together.
Quotable lyrics: "All these emotions are out of date/ I know it's hard/ No peace of mind, but don't shut me out/ You know we're the same kind/ A dying race" (Human Being).
The verdict: A resounding yes! to the above question. Listen to this: Missing U, Honey, Because It's In The Music, Send To Robin Immediately.
The Playlist
Toro y Moi / Freelance
"Nothing's ever worse than work unnoticed/ Freelance now, yeah I guess you earned it," Chaz Bear comments on Freelance, the latest offering from his Toro y Moi project. In a succinct way, it makes for a perfect introduction to his new body of work, a forthcoming record Bear himself has described as "a response to how disposable culture has become and how it affects creativity". Accompanied by four-to-the-floor beats and a scrumptious funky groove, he further sings about being burnout ("You don't know that you're rust and not belong so much") and essentially going full Walden ("Down for whatever, I think I let go/ No more shoes and socks, I only rock sandals"). While the use of Auto-Tune, combined with the cool funkiness of it all, is pleasantly redolent of Daft Punk's 2013 retro-referencing Random Access Memories, it's Bear's innate knack for injecting lo-fi vibes into the overall production that makes it a verifiable ear worm.
The Whitest Crow / Feather Bureau
To say that The Whitest Crow make one specific kind of rock music would be an epic cop-out because the Thai quartet have over the years shown that they're capable of dabbling in just about any rock subgenre. Preceded by the Madchester-inspired Mai Pen Rai, Feather Bureau finds vocalist Patiphan "Tle" Suwannasingha and co further expanding on the concept of "colour wheel". The song, assigned the tag "red: madness of life", reflects the frenzy of the colour as well as being alive via a hybrid of prog- and glam-rock. "White me/ Oh, I'm afraid of being stained," Tle croons before namechecking religious figures including Krishna and Jesus. The best moment, though, arrives in the form of an anthemic chorus where he savours the uncertainty in life: "I might kiss, I might cry/ I might live or I might die/ I might turn to something new/ Life will turn you to something new."
Beirut / Corfu
Although Beirut's fifth studio album, Gallipoli, won't hit the shelves until February next year, we have the gorgeous instrumental piece, Corfu, to tide us over until then. Released after the title track, the song keeps singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Zachary Condo's fondness for faraway lands alive and well. And just like its title suggests, we're immediately transported to the Greek island, thanks to vibrant electronic guitars, piano keys and percussive elements. As it inches toward the end, Corfu kicks into a slight sonic dissonance -- nothing too jarring, but enough to keep us on our toes.
Violette Wautier / Smoke
Since moving on to self-release her own music, it seems like The Voice Thailand alum Violette Wautier has truly found her calling as an indie artist. Her second English-language single, Smoke, shares a lot of similarities with its predecessor, Drive, so expect a moodier branch of pop in the same vein as Banks, Låpsley, MS MR, and Broods. "I don't smoke/ But I'll go outside with you," she sings in a glacial tone, hoping for some alone time with her squeeze. "Baby it's kinda cold/ You can hold me if you want to."
Miya Folick / Premonitions
Given the strength of her previous two EPs, it's easy to see why there's a serious buzz surrounding rising Los Angeles singer-songwriter Miya Folick and her just-issued debut LP, Premonitions. Here, we're treated to the title track, which blends breezy indie-pop with the singing that straddles the line between folk and country. "Don't make it easy on me/ Don't let me slide… I'll force myself to take it/ Swallow my pride," she implores her lover not to let her misdeeds go unpunished. If this isn't a sign of emotional intelligence and maturity, we don't know what is.
