Sunday, August 22, 2010

Girly

...And on the exact opposite side of the spectrum, I've also been listening to Girl-pop, of different stripes. I'm not trying to disguise my sexism, but I think I'm a bit of a feminist when it comes to music- I really like music made by women as much as I like music made by men, and I try to listen to it on its own terms.
The standouts, lately, for me would be the Electro-disco of Robyn, the indie-rawk of Ida Maria, and the retro-soul pop of V V Brown.

Robyn, I've liked for years. She writes and performs sweet little dance-pop songs with a mild bite, like Kylie Minogue. I've not yet really gotten into her latest stuff, the near-dubstep Body talk pt 1 and pt 2 ( though the video for "Killing me" is awesome) but her self-titled 2007 album is still just great. It's all lightweight pop, but with a sense of humor. Konichiwa Bitches is what Madonna should've done. If her cover of Teddybears' "Cobrastyle" doesn't get you moving, you are dead.
Ida Maria, though also scandinavian, does an entirely different style of pop from Robyn, but equally blessed with melody and humor. (Check out Oh my god ) The music is rich, and sloppy indie pop, like Pavement, but with more vibrancy and major chords than the slackers usually employ. She also has a great raw husky voice that she'll use every advantage it has.
But, speaking of using every advantage, VV Brown clearly has the machine working for her. There's nothing indie, underground, or alternative about her. Still, I think she has a rare voice and the songs are insanely catchy. Plus, she can really deliver, as proven on Late Night. It's probably an act, but there seems to be a real person under the gloss, unlike her contemporaries.

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