“The Rakamonie EP” by Robyn
This Swedish spitfire wrote her first song at age 13 following her parent’s divorce. The child wonder was instantly scooped up by Swedish pop singer Meja, and her anthem “Show Me Love” made it into the top 10 on the charts in 1997. But working for a label wasn’t what she expected, and three albums later, she felt she had completely lost control of her artistic direction. So she started her own – Konichiwa Records – where she was free to create her own unique brand of electro pop.
Her voice is striking, her lyrics are downright naughty, but in my eyes the tracks still ended up a little weak from the simplistic layering of instruments. “Konichiwa Bitches” seems more like rap than electronica, consisting only of bass, beat, and spoken word. I found “Cobra Style” a lot more likeable melodically, but still felt like something was being held back. I wanted to hear a heavier beat come in at some point – some kind of swell or climax – but it never came.
The last 3 tracks on this CD crossed completely from electronic to acoustic. “Be Mine” and “With Every Heartbeat” turned into sentimental piano ballads, but “Jack U Off” added a kinky twist to the concept. This track sounds like something off a record from the 1940’s, yet Robyn sings “If your man ain’t no good, come on over to my neighbourhood, we can jump in the sack and I’ll jack you off.” Genius!
Track List:
1) Konichiwa Bitches ?????
2) Cobrastyle ?????
3) Be Mine (Ballad Version) ?????
4) With Every Heartbeat (Acoustic Version) ?????
5) Jack U Off ?????


iblamerobot
This Calgary-based band doesn’t have an official album out, however they sent me a demo CD and I really liked what I heard! With three out of four band members on our team, you can expect songs on familiar topics, as apparent in “You’re Just a Boy in a Dress” and “Dance Floor Drama”.
They describe themselves as follows. “Mix three cups German-style polka music with one cup of Czech music & a half-cup of country and you have NOTHING that sounds like iblamerobot.” Indeed they have a winning combination of electronic instruments, electric guitar, and rebellious female vocals that will get you hopping and head-banging.
You can hear samples of their music by visiting www.myspace.com/iblamerobot. Instead of a track listing, here is their schedule for upcoming Calgary venues:
Feb 4 Broken City
Feb 7 The Distillery
Feb 23 The Underground
Mar 8 The Stetson
Mar 15 Calgary Independent
Film Fest [Kensington
Theatre]