Robyn is Here

(Whoops... the photo program isn't working. But at least there's a video at the end of this post!)

Okay, you guys, we've got to talk about Robyn.

For those who don't remember her, she had two catchy hits in the late 90s: "(Do You Know) What It Takes" and "Show Me Love." The video for the former showed her driving a van in rush-hour city traffic, seeing a hot guy on the sidwalk, and pulling her car across three lanes so she could climb on top of it and sing to him. It made her look impossibly cool.

But since those traffic-stopping days, Americans have heard little from the Swede (who writes her own songs) She's had albums released in Europe, but nothing has materialized here.

Earier this year, however, her new, self-titled record appeared on iTunes. This is noteworthy because it features the song "Be Mine," which is one of the most exquisite pop songs I have heard in a very long time.

But it takes a minute to realize that. "Be Mine" has such an unusual sound--all those slashing violins, that strange crescendo of backing vocals in the bridge, the spoken word segment--that I didn't quite get it the first time I listened.

However, since so many European critics (and Fred Bronson at Billboard magazine) were raving, I decided to ignore my befuddlement and give "Be Mine" another chance. And it finally clicked. Now the song has laid eggs in my brain like a tuneful parasite. It's just. Always. There. Its constant presence is pretty exciting.

So let me encourage everyone to give "Be Mine" a chance. You can purchase the song at iTunes, and you can watch the video just by scrolling down this post. And the video is CRAZY. What's going on with my girl's eyes? Are they mirrors? And did she shave her head, or is that latex?

Anyway, I'd love to know what you guys think of this song. It's been stuck in my head for months, so I figured it was time to share.