Rebecca & Fiona – “Hard”

Haven’t heard of DJ duo Rebecca & Fiona yet? You probably have in some capacity, but sit down and get cozy anyway–you’re going to be glad you did.

The stunning Swedish twosome have been making waves in their homeland for over the past two years, beginning with the release of their debut single: “Luminary Ones.” “It’s been a long time since I’ve had some fun,” the girls chant listlessly above the song’s dark, throbbing pulsations, bringing to mind the electro-pop ferocity of Cat5 (“Stretch & Bend”) and the hypnotic trance beats of Kleerup (Robyn‘s “With Every Heartbeat,” for instance.)

Since then, the girls have only continued to be dominate on their path of reckless amazingness–from “Bullets” (which MuuMuse contributor Sam Lansky spotlighted in his first installment of Amazing Things I’m Listening To From Sweden) to an opening spot on Queen of Swede-Pop Robyn’s European tour.

They even snagged themselves their own reality show at some point based on their lives as DJs/producers (which I haven’t seen quite yet, but I’m going to assume it’s something like a Swedish version of The Hills. Which one’s Heidi?)

Most recently, the duo unleashed their manically delicious “Jane Doe” earlier this month; a song with enough bubbling electronica to have the Pet Shop Boys foaming at the mouth and enough chilly, echoed vocals to keep the ghoulish Halloween feeling alive well past October. It’s incredible–no, it’s absolutely EVERYTHING.

(But if the accompanying video above is anything to go by, you wouldn’t want to have this bickering duo as your new roomies. For God’s sake, learn to share a mirror you two!)

Rebecca & Fiona also made a guest appearance on “Turn It Down,” the searing collaboration found on DJ Kaskade‘s new album Fire & Ice, and arguably one of the best tracks on the entire record.

Oh, and by the way: Rebecca & Fiona released their debut album I Love You Man today in Sweden, and it’s easily one of the best records of 2011. I’m absolutely F-L-O-O-R-E-D. Swedish dance-pop perfection. Track it down now.

I Love You Man was released on November 16. (iTunes)

When Mini Viva announced that they were throwing in the glittery towel back in November of 2010, a nation of Xenomaniaphiles mourned. “But what about ‘One Touch’?!” cried millions.*

Nonetheless, hope lives on with Britt Love–one-half of the super cute pop duo–as she blazes her own electro-trail as a solo artist.

Yesterday, Love posted a brand new solo song for download on her official Facebook page: “Come With Me.”

The track, which was produced by Youth Kills, borrows heavily from the hypnotic pulsations of Robyn‘s 2007 Kleerup-produced worldwide smash “With Every Heartbeat,” including a progressive sad disco stomp and twinkling synthesizers.

“This love gets stronger with all these breaths I take / Just take me away,” Love cries above the gorgeous, throbbing waves of electronica.

If this is any indication of what Love’s got to offer, it’s safe to say that the Viva vibrations will live on a bit longer.

*Guesstimation.

Download Britt Love’s “Come With Me” for free from her official website.

Here we go again: The end of another year in music!

2010 may well be remembered as the Year of the Future (if not the Year of All Hearts–hint hint!): A year of fembots, androids, bionic women and time-traveling adventures deep into the 22nd century.

Space-age love stories and robo-dramatics colored a large portion of the year’s biggest releases in pop, no doubt a response to the reign of the machine on the pop charts as synth-pop productions continued to dominate the digital airwaves in 2010.

Below is the list of MuuMuse’s Top Albums of 2010, which was based on a variety of factors–from individual song and single goodness, to the complete album experience, to overall artistic integrity, to an album’s ability to ‘stick’ as the year progressed. Basically I’m trying to say that it’s a bit of a hot mess, but I tried my very best.

There’s also a rather controversial dishonorable mention prior to the Top 40 list that will likely blow my chances for that much coveted position as editor of Rolling Stone. DAMN IT.

Now…LET’S DO THIS.

Without further ado…the list!

Rawrrr!

I love me some Lykke Li–from the folkier stuff of her debut (2008′s Youth Novels) to her brilliant, chilly collaboration with Kleerup, “Until We Bleed.”

“Get Some” is Lykke Li’s brand new single, which finds the Swedish chanteuse now diving head first into grittier territory: “Like the shotgun needs an outcome / I’m your prostitute, you gon’ get some,” the singer taunts above crashing drums and swinging, ’60′s surf sounds.

Quite a change of pace from the sugary-sweet precociousness of “Little Bit” and “Dance Dance Dance”!

The single is currently available as a free download from Lykke Li’s website, as well as a B-side, “Paris Blue.”

DL: Lykke Li – Get Some

“Get Some” was released on October 22. (iTunes)

Photo courtesy of iHeartRadio.

If you didn’t already know from my manic, semi-nonsensical tweets, I trekked down to the city yesterday to attend a private performance by the one and only Swedish princess of pop Robyn for iHeartRadio, which was taped at the P.C. Richard & Son Theater in Tribeca.

The singer performed her killer set of seven songs for an enamored crowd of sequined super fans and tattooed hipsters alike, beginning with Body Talk Pt. 1‘s “Cry When You Get Older” and finishing off with her international Kleerup-produced smash, “With Every Heartbeat.”

While the show was consistently solid throughout, the highlight for me started off with an unfamiliar series of icy electronic beats stuck on repeat. As the music progressed, the singer launched into the song’s instantly recognizable lyrics: It was “Be Mine,” and this mix was seriously the business.

I’d later come to find out from Muuser and soon-to-be All Hearts concert buddy Eric H. that the song was actually a remix that’s been out for a while–the Verschwende Deine Jugend mix. (Try saying that one three times fast.) I’m telling you, get on that shit NOW.

Photo courtesy of iHeartRadio.

Since my friend and I were a bit, err…fashionably late for the performance, we ended up getting stuck towards the back of the venue. Standing at a whopping 5′ 4″ behind a general admission crowd, my view was limited at best. Nevertheless, I was still able to keep track of the superstar on stage by keeping my eyes trained the tuft of blonde hair gyrating about.

And in the short glimpses that I did catch of Robyn in performance mode–punching the air during the epic, rapid-fire synth breakdown of “Dancing On My Own,” hanging vulnerably onto the mic during an acoustic performance of “Hang With Me–I saw the same energetic, effervescent pop star that I’ve always known and loved.

Thanks to the magic that is today’s technology, you can now see the fabulous video of Robyn’s performance of “Dancing On My Own” last night on iHeartRadio right here.

It’s probably one of my favorite performances I’ve seen of the song thus far–and it doesn’t hurt that I caught it going down LIVE.

An amazing show, but this was really just a warm up session: The real fun begins when the All Hearts Tour hits NYC next week. Yeah…it’s going to get ridiculous. I’ll probably lose my pants.

Many thanks to my friend Charlie, who won tickets to attend the taping!

Earlier this year, Swedish pop sensation Robyn announced that her next album, her first original studio album in five years, would finally be arriving soon–in three parts.

Now known as the Body Talk series, the three EPs that make up the collection will be released throughout 2010. The first of which, Body Talk Pt. 1, sees its official release in America today, June 15.

On her latest release, Robyn has taken the winning synth-pop formulas from her essential 2005 self-titled record and applied them to her continuously adventurous nature in an effort to dig deeper–for bigger beats, more texture, and more complex rhythms.

Perhaps no song off of the record is more of a shining example of who Robyn is as an artist than the opening cut. On paper, the song isn’t much more than an endless barrage of complaints about the singer’s hectic schedule: “My phone is killing me / My email is killing me / These hours are killing me / My tour is killing me,” she sing-speaks over a deep, building synthesized beat.

Yet this is Robyn, an artist surrounded by a nearly tangible air of cool, assured energy reminiscent of Madonna circa True Blue. She doesn’t come off as obnoxious, which is why each complaint sounds more like one sick rhyme on top of another, all leading up to that deeply appreciated climax: “Don’t fucking tell me what to do!” (If you don’t get what I mean about sounding annoying, just try to imagine Ke$ha singing this song.)

There’s also “Fembot,” the track that ushered in the Body Talk era after its initial appearance on the singer’s website. Infectious and playfully boastful, the song finds Robyn in robo-mode: pushing buttons, flipping switches, and initiating “slut mode”–whatever that means. While it seems every pop star these days is dabbling in technological titillation, Robyn’s supersonic flow just makes the song feel that much more authentic.

Further on, the brooding anti-melodies of “None of Dem” and the bright, flashing lights of “Cry When You Get Older” symbolize the marriage between Robyn’s earlier pop sensibility with her current advances into layered, complex construction (see her collaborative work with Kleerup and Röyksopp). They may still be dance floor haunts, but construction wise, they’re much more than a simple repetitive chorus and a single bass beat.

Admittedly, the album does feel a bit unpolished toward the end with the inclusion of Swedish lullaby “Jag vet en dejlig Rosa.” While a pretty melody, the song doesn’t quite have the legs to stand as a track in its own right.

At its core however, it is “Dancing On My Own” that embodies the heart and soul of this mini-record; a 21st century reconfiguration of the classic discotheque record, colored by icy rapid-fire synthesizers and flawless Swede-pop production courtesy of producer, Patrik Berger. The song is the purest definition of sad disco, as well as the logical artistic progression after the success of her previous tear-jerking stormer, “With Every Heartbeat.” For this song alone, the album deserves all the accolades it will surely receive.

Then again, this is just one third of a collection. I have no doubt that when the Body Talk series is complete, we’ll have received twelve to fifteen stunning tracks that would make for a truly solid follow-up to Robyn–as well as a slew of B-Side-worthy extras and unfinished snippets to help line the package with additional goodies.

To preview and purchase Body Talk Pt. 1, click here.

It’s official: Lady Gaga is going to die on stage.

The singer has just announced a string of concerts in 2011 for her seemingly endless Monster Ball Tour Starring Lady Gaga, thus all but confirming my suspicions of her on-stage death wish.

I’m not trying to be rude. In fact, I’m being quite honest…she’s literally going to work herself until she can perform no more! Take a rest, for Alejandro’s sake.

Nonetheless, here are the dates:

2/19 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
2/21 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
2/26 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
3/3 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
3/8 Boston, MA TD Garden
3/10 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
3/15 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
3/19 Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena
3/25 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand
4/8 Houston, TX Toyota Center
4/9 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
4/12 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center
4/13 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
4/18 Atlanta, GA Gwinnett Center

Meanwhile, the “Alejandro” Remix EP is now out on iTunes. Look out for the Sound of Arrows mix, as well as the Bimbo Jones and Kleerup takes on the track. (Basically, let’s hurry up with it and get onto “Monster,” yes?)

To preview and purchase the EP, click here.

The heartbreak isn’t over.

Robyn‘s first single from her upcoming EP, Body Talk Part 1, finds the singer as solemn as ever, dancing alone and mourning the love she’s lost.

“Dancing on My Own” is essentially the sequel to her first collaboration with Kleerup, “With Every Heartbeat,” featuring a moody, plodding synthesized beat and a ceaseless burst of rapid-fire, machine gun electronica.

It’s quintessentially Kleerupian (EDIT: or not, as this track was produced by Patrik Berger) and undeniably Robyn at her most vulnerable, all tied together and topped with a big bow of Swede pop perfection.

This is sad disco at its finest, ladies and gentlemen.