Robyn Can Dance All by Herself, Thank You Very Much

Here is the first of the promised Pitchfork reports! Aren’t we excited!

Photo by Sanchez and Kitihara

Robyn (that’s her toughened mug above) played to a good-sized crowd on Friday afternoon, and it was a highlight of the festival for me for two good reasons. First, she has slogged through many years of not being able to do what she wanted as an artist, and now that she can, the results are fantastic. Second, her music allows the taste-conscious to give in and enjoy some straight-up pop music, no apologies. It has more than enough sonic edge, deft emotional lyricism, and genuine personality  to keep it from landing in the laugh-off bin with, say, Ke$ha. Not to mention the fact that as a singer and songwriter, Robyn far outclasses the majority of pop songstresses gracing the radio waves. Her sense of melody and style is informed by her Swedish sensibilities and is uniquely her own. So there I found myself, in a crowd of “hipsters” and the like (who goes to Pitchfork anyway?) who seemed to be actually enjoying the show.

Thanks, Leigh Ann Hines

Robyn played the hour-long set like she meant it, bringing intensity to every song with nearly pitch-perfect performances, backed by a high-energy band including two drummers.

But there’s a reason that your little sister doesn’t know who Robyn is, or that karaoke machines wouldn’t be able to pull up any of her tunes. And the reason is that Robyn, hemmed in and shaped by big-studio interference for the early part of her career, is now doing exactly what she wants, how she wants to do it. If her performance at Pitchfork is any indication, she absolutely loves where she is and is content to let the career play out as it may, even if she never becomes the next Gaga. Actually, never mind; she’s too tasteful for that anyway.

I’m a dyed-in-the-wool pop lover, and I understand if not everyone can get past some of the more overt nods to dance-pop music. But at least try to understand how a song like “Dancing On My Own” could become a personal anthem of mine for a few days. The tune is practically a personal mission statement for Robyn, telling a story of being overlooked but soldiering through to be content as she is. And it’s a jam.

“Dancing On My Own” from this year’s (highly recommended) Body Talk, Pt. 1:

Dancing On My Own

And for those who wish to delve a little further, the recently released video for her new single “Hang With Me”:

Cheers,

Lincoln