Robyn, the Swedish electropop singer-songwriter, has make a international come back with her latest self-titled album. And the video of "Cobrastyle" (a remake of the "Cobrastyle" by Teddybears featuring Mad Cobra) recently premiere in the US with great visual presentation. It does show a great influence from the art world in the video, like Piet Mondriaan, and Jackson Pollock.

Also in a related news, Robyn reveals that she has been banned from talking to Madonna, "We were told not to approach Madonna, not to speak to Madonna and, above all, no pictures. I hadn't expected any glamour, but it's strange that they assume that the first thing you're gonna do is run after Madonna and ask for an autograph," she says. "My worst nightmare would be to turn into Madonna. Madonna is constantly chasing the latest trends."

Word.

Segundo a Blitz:

"Eu não esperava glamour, mas é estranho quando as pessoas assumem que a primeira coisa que vamos fazer é correr atrás da Madonna e pedir-lhe um autógrafo", disse Robyn. Apesar disto, a sueca garantiu que não acha a rainha da pop uma pessoa terrível mas que tem medo de ficar parecida com ela.

A mim parece-me mais um motivo para apaecer nas páginas principais. A vida não está fácil, tem que se vender discos... mas segundo parece a rapariga até não tem um repertório assim tão mau.

(um à parte) Agora já sei onde é que o José Castelo Branco foi buscar a inspiração para aquele movimento de braços "alternativo"...

Thankfully it's not for joining Madonna and Angelina in adopting African orphans to raise as her own. They have enough problems of their own already. No, instead Britney is going to be back on out televisions, but in more revealing detail than every before (unless you've seen those pictures of her coming out of a limo).

Continuing her latest comeback into fame (and sanity), Britney: For the Record is a 90 minute documentary for MTV set to explore all about Britney's rather complex personal life. Set to air on 30 November, Britney promises to answer that most simple question of all, “what the hell was I thinking?” I doubt 90 minutes will quite cover that though.

It certainly should be interesting though, with Britney offering up this tease in the trailer. "So much has gone on over the last couple of years and there's a lot that people don't know about me that I want them to know." But what is this unknown information she is so desperate for us to know? Some might guess it's her hell in coping with the media spotlight from such a young age, when she is only human herself, with those failings and insecurities shared by us all. However, I think it's her past in Greco-Roman wrestling.

Away from Britney, and female pop is in good hands. Sweden's delicious Robyn who is back with another fantastic pop dance effort to follow Be Mine and With Every Heartbeat. Cobrastyle is similar upbeat brilliance that doesn't need a 90 minute documentary to get people to pay attention to it.

"Boy don't try to front / I-I know just just what you are / ah-ah"

I ain't gonna front; I've played this song at least 4 times already today.  What I want to know, Brit, is just who you be talkin' to?  I ain't frontin': I'm just another gay Britney fan. Just... another... gay...... Britney fan.  Fuck.  Aren't I supposed to be over this shit?  What is this? "Sounding the alarm"?  Sexy hoochie robot vocals?  The lame synthy distortion with a 2006 sheen?  "S.O.S." by Rihanna?

Schaffel?

"Too bad for you / You just can't find the right companion"

But damned if I ain't gonna try like I used to. This shit makes me want to go back to college and bust out some jello shots with my bitches!  Girls, what's happenin'?  All my girls and bois, I gotta know, where da clubs at?   This here meditation on the inner-diva slink has Club G.A.Y. written all over it.  Bop, bop, bop, bop, snap, flip... Wait, what were we singing about?

"Womanizer / Woman-Womanizer/ Oh, Womanizer / You're a womanizer, baby"

Oh, right. Well, it's not that hard to see what you're doing, Brit.  Womanizer, woman womanizer, nah nah nah poo poo, womanizer.  Pointing the finger, laying the blame, tattooing someone's reputation, and faux-flirting with him all at the same time; essentially hollering @ a boy repeatedly with vague irony of objectifying the womanizer.  I can see beyond the front, Britney.  I've done all of the above to the prettiest of closet cases. But are we really talking to the same gay boy who doesn't want to admit how much he likes this song?

"I know what you are / What you are, baby"

This gay boy thought he was done with Britney by "Gimme More".  Talk about been-there, done-that.  When I say I liked Blackout, it's in the same way that I had so much fun last night when I was really fucked up -- it's all kind of a blur, but there's a vague sense of good times had. "Piece of Me" was vaguely cool because Robyn (my very own forrealz socially-deemed-unironically-ok-to-like robot hoochie) co-wrote it and sang backup.  And yeah, "Get Naked (I Got A Plan)" was pretty fucked up.  But really, how many of us were really kidding ourselves with that shit?  The meta semi-irony of Blackout getting a lot of widespread indie cred there was at least a little entertaining; I mean, it was a fun album, but it's no Britney (bitch).  At least, not the Britney we thought we knew.

Anyways, when it comes down to it, "Womanizer" is a PRODUCT^TM.  The choppy edits, the processed vocals (can we even call them that anymore?), the relentless 18-yo sass. Kinda sounds like the theme to Inspector Gadget.  Oh and the disturbingly trancey aspect of "woman, womanizer" and "ah ah" on spin cycle. Add the makeup, the glitter, the grinding, the fake pole-dancing, the runway-offs with your bitches while this song is playing in the background.  Either I'm dreaming, or this song is campy as shit. And I'm takin' the bait gladly.  (BTW, I'm glad us gays still have a claim on the market share.  We're a lucrative bunch!)

Max Martin is on songwriting duties for Circus, and claims his new Britney track is the best work he's ever done.  In case you're not aware, that's setting the stakes pretty fuck-loving high: Martin wrote "As Long As You Love Me" by BSB, "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly, and yes, and perhaps the most classic of classics by Britney, herself... "Lucky" (okay, and "(Hit Me) Baby Me One More Time." Whatever.) Now, we all know how high the second-Britney-single to first-Britney-single ratio usually is. If "Womanizer" is the "Baby" to "Sometimes," the "Oops" to "Stronger," the "Me Against The Music" to "Toxic"... holy fucking shit. This is going to go gay-stronomical.

"I call 'em when I see 'em"

I love that there's already, like, 9 remixes out there already by the way.  Awesome.

Na minha opinião, a melhor música do último CD dela. Que é um cover do Teddybears, que também é ótimo.

Home -where I took off in May 2008

...Starting off from Chicago, US...

...First stop in Italy with Robyn, romantic waters of Venice...

...On to Casey in France, pausing by the the Chateau...

...Spending time with Nina in Northern Sweden...

...Surviving harsh storms in Glen's England...

...Calm waters through the rest of England to Vivien...

...Anchoring at Ronell in France, turning back home...

I've been to the concert in Berlin. Had regular tickets and made it to the second row in the golden circle. I could decide where to stand so I went to the right side of the stage, right after the top of the catwalk ended. Its more or less the same spot I went to on the Confessions tour in Hannover two years ago. The stage in stadiums is pretty high, although the catwalk is a bit lower and that is a bit frustrating for the neck. I remember the catwalk being much lower in London for the Confessions tour.

Anyway... The two hours passed by really fast. I was in the line since 10 am and as I arrived in front of the beautiful Olympia stadium I found just the really hardcore fans that had spent the night in tents in front of the stadium gates. There were not many there.

The access to the stadium was "granted" at 17:50 aprox. and we all ran like crazy...
Some Hot ticket holders entered first and some didn't... I had many hot ticket people with their special bracelets standing behind me during the show... I guess it all adds up to who runs faster through the stadium towards the stage and golden circle during the first couple of minutes after the gates open.

The concert itsself passes very quickly... typical for Madge to fill it up as much as possible so that we never get bored. I was not a fan of the Gipsy part. That did border to boredom. In general I had the impression that the four sections were not really blending well into each other and that she was lacking a clear and strong concept in this tour.
In fact she always had to sweat more during the hard candy songs to make us participate more... that was not the case wih the other songs.

Technology hasn't advanced much since the confessions tour and we can see that by a total lack of new props and effects in sticky and sweat... it all seems to be a miniature version of the confessions tour... I guess we will have to wait a couple of years for the next tour to see new types of screens and machines on stage. The cube doesn't top the disco ball entrance!

A big new thing in my opinion is the fact that Madonna ends the show more pimped up then she is in the beginning... Usually she starts off very sophisticated in looks, posture and outfit and ends more loosened up, hair and looks closer to who she really is... remember RIT (holiday) or DWT (Music)... and to some extent also Hung Up in (CT)... this time she ends the show transformed into something more complex and sophisticated and that is good for me. The new like a prayer was impressive.

The fourth section of S&S seems to be the best and freshest. Love the wig! And in the fourth part... right after the slow gipsy thing, she involves us more by taking requests, pointing the mic at us several times, boosting energy into the public and really dancing her shit off! That's what I expect the whole concert to be like.

I think this tour is more suitable for video. it is full of special details that, if filmed properly, can really be great on a DVD. There is a lot happening on stage and many details cannot be seen live but could be given proper life if zoomed in by cameras. If they don't ruin everything by cheesy digital effect in post production, the concert might be a real pearl on video!

The small stage is a plus in my opinion because it makes everything seem more intimate. Nice feeling... coming from Madonna...

The merchendise in Berlin was sooooo expensive... tourbook 30 Euro, Confessions coffee table book 50 Euro and the S&S tour jacket 90 Euro!!! Crazy! Its 86 dollars on the wbsite...

The hot ticket people did not have an apparent extra entrance, but did ask the staff working at the doors how all would be regulated and were eventually allowed to step first in the line before the gates opened.

Robyn (Madonna's "warm-up pre band) had to fight a lot... poor girl... I think it must be terrible being Madonna's opening act. I love Robyn, but if you play in a stadium with around 60000 people in it and all are there to see the pop goddess... chances are nobody will give you the proper attention you need or deserve. Robyn tried hard to involve the publc but it was energy draining... but I guess it is also great training for her...

So the atmosphere was intersting. The Madonna anticipation was good but not as magical as right before the confessions concert beginning. Maybe because in the past tours we were used to see the dark Steven Klein videos of madonna before she entered the stage. I think that seeing her on huge screens before her actual appearing is a plus for her because the public gets a boost of star power... she seems so etherial and unaproachable... and then, a couple of minutes later she appears in flesh and bones. Thats a good kick! Like a drug!

S&S starts with a pretty cheap 3D animation of gears and candy and a flipper game simulation... and then the box moves and madge is on stage.... what the heck... I mean really... she CAN do better then that. The entire beginning is just not serious enough and not worthy of none the less than M herself! The beginning is indeed a bit lazy. So the atmosphere is lazy too...

I don't know... but my favorite song from Hard Candy is "Incredible"... and it seems to be the least popular among fans. It is the most experimental song on the album and with it's energy twists and changes and rhythm turns really had the potential to be her opening number! It has a strange long length and the lyrics are simply... well... incredible. Could you imagine her kicking the show off singing "sex with you is icredible"... that is Madonna!!! Not the "let's always stay young and be a nice fun girl" act.

So the atmosphere was weird whenever one would stop to think and realize that there is a 50 year old woman on stage dressed like a teenie girl (reference to the third section of show in particular), moving among dancers more then half her age...
really wanting to be like them... it was a bit embarassing. As much as I love her, I still felt awkward seeing her enact youth in that way... it was too simple... she could have worked harder on that kind of paragon and could have come up with a more mature way to show it off.

That's why the mood and quality of the last part of the concert were so good, because I had the impression Madonna got older again and took the part of an intelligent and strong woman on stage... transforming and projecting towards the future and not simply holding on to the past.

The fans in the golden circle were tired... well, I was... after waiting a bit more then eleven hours just to see her... I needed a kick! And that kick came in the last part of the show, when she started comunicating more with us. I guess the seated audience had much more energy because they started arriving at five thirty in the evening and were therefor more tollerant.

The entire show was full of glitches though and she did apologize for that right before the requests part. Her mic came off right after she tore the wig off the cone bra Madonna... she stopped for a moment, went into total panic and a technitian tried to help her but it seemed as though she stopped him... I could recognize her saying "Fuck!" as she was on her knees struggleing with the thin mic cord hanging from her back.

The screens went on pretty late in human nature and the mic was off or not connected to the guitar at the beginning of ray of light... so we all missed her nice entrance at the top of the catwalk because no sound came from there... she was already on stage and singing but nobody heard her... these were the biggest messups... there were minor ones like the volume going up and down during other songs... but all in all I like those messups... they make everything seem more human and give us the impression our pop queen is also like we are... you know... mortal and all that stuf But I know it's just an impression

She never gave us the impression she was happy to be in Berlin. She never stopped to say something like: "good to be here"... she just asked us twice if we were having a good time and also told us: "come on Berlin!", trying to make us participate more during the hard candy songs.

I think this tour really could work on video. If they don't ruin it with special effects... like most parts of the CT DVD... remember when she goes down the little square hole at the top of the catwalk... why on earth did they have to fill the gaps with cheap filters in post production?!?! And then they did it almost only for her disappearing acts... almost never for the dancers... that was not consequent at all... and all the fade-ins and fade-outs of background videos over Madge's close-ups... NO! This tour should be edited on video old school style... it's already so pimped up as it is live... no need to add more stuff.

Another thing is the fact that Madonna really gave me the impression (in Berlin at least) of doing it all waaaay too fast. The woman should calm down and not be so concerned or worried about having to fill up every possible gap there might be visually, soundwise and materially on stage. I wouldn't mind at all seeing her closer to who she really is, when she actually enters the stage. If something actually fucks up during the show... let it be, deal with it and improvise... unfortunately she is the worst improviser ever...

she needs to have everything under total and, at times, dictatorial control. That obsessive control will ultimately be her undoing because the more you grow as an artist and the more you risk to fall into the trap of having to prove to everybody that you get bigger and better with every step you make. I say relax Madge, stop the music and the huge screens, panels, videos... and just for a moment be with us: your fans, and just let go of having to prove and show off anything... that would be a magical moment. So simple and at the same time so impressive and deep.

I want a human madonna... not a wonder woman from Mars. There's too much confusion... so let's focus
and as for Mr. Jamie....it's time the Queen parted from this "King".

kisses to everyone

I've got the dreaded lurgy - bronchitis - and I'm feeling very sorry for myself!  but as soon as I feel up to getting to the post office Robyn's book will be on its way to Ronell.  

There is some really lovely work in it from Robyn's lovely atmospheric olive grove, through Casey's beautifully free sketches of France, to Nina's well observed  people interwoven with great backgrounds and Glen's intensely busy figures on the beach - and now I've added ....

Well apart from this bit you'll have to wait and see when it arrives at Ronell's :>)

I wonder if my book has arrived at Glen's yet?   I must check.  I'm dying to see it!

Wow - Glen's book has been here over a week, and I'm going to have to say goodbye now.  It's been great having it around - it's been no trouble but very entertaining.  I was a little shy at first when I saw Robyn's beautiful entries, but, having after all been through this 5 times before, I quickly pulled myself to gether and got on with it.

It's becoming something pretty substantial.  Here it is spread out on my dining room table.

Robyn's work in it is up to her usual high standards.  Here it is, up close.

On the last page, you can see the beginning of my work - it's fun to see the contrast between my style and Robyn's, and all of the other interpretations of the flower theme. This gets more interesting as the books grow.

It's exciting, but sad to see that this project is drawing towards a close.  While I can't wait to see my book again, I hate the thought of not doing this anymore. Who's up for another round?

First of all Lindsay's book:

her rocks ended in a ragged shape - the blue seas of Sennen Cove that I added were a welcome sight for Lindsay's little red canoe after that wild storm :>)

and then in Robyn's book:

those busy busy people on the beach :>)

Glen continued with a scene of people on the beach in Guernsey - she says to tell you that they are in front of the windbreaks in one scene and behind in the other.

An incredible jostling busy tide of humanity!

We were originally going to be going to Houston to visit Robyn this week, but we had a few snags in that plan.  With Hurricane Ike hitting H-town recently it's worked out that we weren't able to go.  Hopefully the cleanup won't take too long.  Robyn, Daniel and Gina are fine.  They had a few broken windows, part of their fence blew down, and they didn't have electricity for about two weeks.  Concidering everything, that's not too bad...it could have been a lot worse.

In other friend news, Rose and Jack got married recently at City Hall in San Francisco!!  Woot!  Love! 

We went to Old Sturbridge Village tuesday.  Harry had never been.  Robyn would love it....It's sooooo New Englandy!  (and historical!)  I had not been since grade school.  We had a good time despite all the mosquitos.  Today we were being creepy with Missie and hanging out in a cemetary (Oak Hill Cemetary) all afternoon and having a picnic.  Other than that we've been having a relaxing week.  It's been raining a lot this week, too. 

I did get to knit a few rows of my brothers scarf.  I'm about half done.  Someday....

Well, I'm gonna go eat some leftovers, work on photos, and watching (more like listening) to some Angel.

Robyn har min udelte oppmerksomhet - til og med på dansegulvet. Jeg digger musikken hun lager og jeg digger budskapet. Dagens kvinnekonge holder på sitt i drakampen med plateselskapet og lar ikke kommersielle interesser korrumpere det hun har lyst til å kommunisere.

Her er et eksempel på artistisk standhaftighet og holdning over underholdning:

The album My Truth was released on May 17, 1999 in Sweden, with releases elsewhere in the continent following. The single "Electric" was a huge smash across Europe, and propelled My Truth to no. 2 in Sweden. My Truth was a poignantly autobiographical release for Robyn, and included the tracks "Universal Woman" and "Giving You Back" which emotively explained her secret abortion. The album did achieve synonymous acclaim, and critics remarked on Robyn's seamless evolution as an artist.

Robyn's record company, RCA, publicised their intention to release her subsequent efforts in the United States. However, following the release of My Truth in Sweden, her record company reconsidered as they didn't feel the market would be receptive to her new sound. Following discussion between RCA Sweden and their American counterpart, there were plans for My Truth to be partially re-recorded with US-radio friendly production. Robyn was uncomfortable with the prospect and valued her artistic credibility above her record company's advice, and so My Truth was not released in the United States.

wikipedia.org

'Handle me' også fra albumet 'Robyn' (2005). Singelen ble sluppet i oktober 2007.

'Konichiwa Bitches'. Også fra albumet 'Robyn' (2005) og var den første singelen hun slapp fra albumet. Herlig selvskryt.

myspace.com

I'm off on my Indochinese trip. I'll keep you posted.

Chào bà!

[..]"I just can't deal with the rules
I can't take the pressure
It's got me saying Ooo yeah

[Chrorus]

Who's that girl? That you dream of
Who's that girl? That you think you love
Who's that girl? What if I'm not like her
I know there's no such girl
I swear i can't take the pressure
Who's that girl?"[...]

Das Video zu posten hat sich ja als Kunsstück erwiesen! -.-

Dennoch viel zu wahr. Robyn go!

Nina's Flying Picture's Sketchbook is here in Tuscany. I've been feasting my eyes and senses on it for the last couple of days and getting totally stressed because I don't want to add something that will let down the stunning standard of work already done by Nina, Glen, Vivien, Ronell and now Lindsay. I'll try to find time to make a slideshow of the whole book, meanwhile It is worth exploring the older posts here to see all the beautiful paintings already posted from this particular book in our sketchbook exchange.

Nina's theme is Polychromatic Behaviour and it has inspired work of the most glorious colours. Lindsay's mixed media painting of Cambria Leaves knocked my socks off and I'm sure anything I put beside it is going to look 'faded' by comparison.

Could someone please send chocolate?!!!