Pop Pilgrim's Hopes For 2015

We all have hopes and dreams of what 2015 will bring and I, like most people, hope that by this time next year I'll have hysterically shit myself when my Euromillions numbers come up trumps. However, this isn't a blog about being rich, how much you want your life to improve, blah blah wah wah. It's about music and most of the time it's about pop music, music you'd have been bullied for liking in high school. So here are ten things I plucked (rapidly) from my head that I'd love to see and post about in 2015:

10. BRITNEY SPEARS CONTINUES VEGAS RESIDENCY FOR ANOTHER TEN YEARS

Britney's last album Britney Jean was a cockup. Let's face it, it was a fucking disaster and she needs to learn from this mistake. It's unlikely she will because she is still completely 'hands off' when it comes to her music (not that she's ever been hands on). The only way to avoid another catastrophe is for her to continue miming in Vegas for another ten years and leave her ageing fans to enjoy the diamonds of her back catalogue without this 'modern music' nonsense.  

09. A NEW JANELLE MONÁE ALBUM IS OVERDUE

There's never an unsuitable time for a new Janelle Monáe record and right now I feel very much that I would enjoy such a thing in my life. Her music gets better and better over time which surely means her next installment in the Suite series will be perfect? If you've not immersed yourself in the world of Monáe you need to do so post haste. 

08. RITA ORA GETS ON WITH IT AND STOPS COLLABORATING 

That money from Katy Perry penned collaboration 'Black Widow' with Iggy Azalea won't last forever so Rita needs to get a move on with her next studio album. Her debut album ORA wasn't perfect (no it wasn't super Ora fans!) and really only had a few brilliant tracks on it, which ended up being the singles. So, my point is confirmed. The lead single from her sophomore album, 'I Will Never Let You Down', narrowly missed out on my Top 30 songs of 2014 and is actually very promising stuff.

07. SAM SMITH GETS OVER HIS ONE NIGHT STAND

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Sam Smith's In The Lonely Hour and I'm sure everyone can relate to the material in some way. However, as beautiful as mega single 'Stay With Me' was/is, it's time to move on, dump the jonny and look to the future. I anticipate a new album by the end of 2015 because I'm certain Sam is probably at the eye rolling stage when he's asked to perform said single. 

Rated Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend

To accompany her brilliant new single, 'Call Your Girlfriend', Swedish synth siren Robyn has popped out a one-take wonder. The video is pretty much Robyn's own 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)' and has one of the funkiest breakdowns of the year 75% of the way through. The song itself is just one more slice from the delicious, sumptuous Body Talk cake.

Other Robyn Posts. I do love a bit of Robyn y'know.

Rated Robyn - Why did I miss you?

Devastated that I missed out on a performance like this last October. She is, truly, one of the greatest artists around at the moment. Utter awe.

Rated "Accrocher avec moi."

 

One of my favourite songs of 2010, twice. It doesn't get much better than the top quality morsels from Robyn's Body Talk series and 'Hang With Me' is just one of many. I loved the acoustic version and then my work started playing the single remix, which is just as wonderful. It's a shame it didn't set the charts alight, because this is far better than some of the drivel we were fed from the likes of desperate Dixon and Aggravating Santos. Bleugh.

ENJOY.

Rated - Indestructible.

Body Talk parts 1 and 2 were brilliant mini albums, bursting with electro pop dance beats and some stunning productions. The upcoming Body Talk is part 3 of the trilogy. It reigns in the finest moments from its children and forms a full length album with 5 new tracks. The lead single from this ultimate album is the gorgeous love anthem 'Indestructible'. With one of the catchiest choruses in Robyn's repetoire, this song is deserving of much chart success. It probably won't get it, due to zero promotion, but will be a fan favourite along with the epic singles 'Dancing On My Own' and 'Hang With Me'. It's just as lovely as the acoustic version featured at the end of Body Talk Part 2 but this remix gives the song the edge it needs to gel with the themes of this album series. Pretty damn nice.

5/5

Rated Robyn: Body Talk Part 2.

Body Talk Part 1 was good, but it didn't have the bite I was hoping for. Body Talk Part 2 however, swallows you whole and it's a joyous ride down into a musical cyclone. This is what we've been waiting for, Robyn whipping out an album full of 'Dancing On My Own' (s). 

Track one, 'In My Eyes', is a luminescent number, escalating to a gorgeous chorus with perfectly executed harmonies and amazing production. It's more melodious than anything on Part 1 (bar the obvious) and sets the bar high for the remainder of this second mini collection. 'Include Me Out' revisits the attitude of 'Don't Fucking Tell Me What to do', this time merging big beats with the sweetness of 'In My Eyes' to create a pretty damn good pop song. 'Hang With Me' kicks in and we have this album's very own DOMO, which in places is almost better. It's got a shining chorus with some great vocals and a cute ensemble of melodies. 'Love Kills' forces the album onto a U-turn, as Robyn moves from being all loved up to singing about how shit love can be. It's a strong club song, but doesn't really go anywhere. I keep waiting for a climax and nothing happens. 'We Dance to the Beat' is so original, pretentious, arrogant and oozes so much cool that it's impossible not to praise Robyn's bravery for putting something so odd onto one of her albums. Next up we hit one of my favourite songs from the Body Talk series, 'Criminal Intent'. It's bloody superb. Set up like a court hearing, Robyn's justifying her antics on the dance floor to a suspiciously young, rapper-like judge. "Somebody alert the authorities, I got criminal intent, conspiracy to engage in lewd and indecent acts and events...", she semi raps over a club ready beat. Thankfully this album doesn't lose strength at the end, with Snoop Dogg jumping on board for the dance floor sound of 'U Should Know', followed by a stunning acoustic ballad called 'Indestructible'. 

Body Talk Part 2 is a colossal success, especially compared to its predecessor. It's bursting with high quality artistry and cements Robyn's status as the coolest, most talented Swede out there. 


4.5/5

Rated Robyn: Body Talk Part 1.

How many parts are there going to be exactly?

The Swedish goddess of electro-dance pop is back and she's proving on her latest album that she's here to stay. So this is a bit outdated, as we're now almost on Body Talk part 3, but I felt that it was appropriate to draw your attention to the wonderful talent that is Robyn.

Her first mainstream success Robyn, was brimming with charm. Hit single 'With Every Heartbeat' is intensely infectious, as are follow up singles 'Who's That Girl?' and 'Be Mine'. However, Robyn is doing things a bit darker this time round. From the almost rap opener 'Don't fucking tell me what to do', it's made clear that her latest offering is doing things a little differently. Everything still sounds 'Robyn', but it has an intoxicating twist to it that I can't quite put my finger on. 'Fembot' is ridiculously funky feminist pop (pump it up loud to gain full benefit). Next up is the glorious 'Dancing On My Own', which is now one of my favourite songs of all time. It's instantly memorable and has a fantastic hook and some lovely 'Ooohh Ooohh'-ing. "I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her... I'm right over here, why can't you see me...?" sings Robyn on this ode to unrequited, one sided love. Nothing else on the album quite matches the epic quality of this track, but all its brothers and sisters are good in their own special way. 'Cry When You Get Older' continues the electro-dance vibe, only for it to be interrupted by the reggae dance hall brilliance of 'Dance Hall Queen'. Furthering this change in sound, 'None of Dem (featuring Royksopp)' is a grower, but lacks the impact of the artists past collaboration on 'Girl and the Robot' which unfortunately slipped by the mainstream radar. Closing the mini album off is a beautiful acoustic version of future single, 'Hang With Me' and the rather random Swedish lullaby sound of 'Jag Vet En Dejlig Rosa', which seems a bit pointless and ostentatiously Bjork.

Overall, this is a brilliant little collection of songs. It's got no fillers, although there are a few shaky, random moments. It houses one of the best songs of 2010, if not the best and some classic Robyn material for future fans. The very good news is that Part 2 gets better, a lot better.

3/5