Swedish native Vanbot, aka Ester Ideskog, dropped her debut, self-titled album "Vanbot" last Friday to mixed interest. Her Swedish heritage, along with her prolific use of synthesizers and sweet vocals, invite comparisons to acts such as Robyn and newer Danish singer Oh Land. While these likenesses are definitely founded in aesthetic similarities, Vanbot will probably not live up to their reputations.
The music scene seems to be filled with female singer-songwriter acts at the moment, all of whom are keen fans of either piano accompaniment or the synthesizer. Vanbot is definitely an enthusiast of the latter. Her songs are catchy and, for anyone who is already a devotee of the indie pop revolution, her album will be worth a listen and perhaps even a download. Unfortunately, most people will probably use it for background music at a boring party.
"Numb," the second track, is a particularly nondescript, mediocre pop song, and the lyrics are extremely apt: "As you roll/ You make me feel numb/ You make me go back." Vanbot is correct in this; the listener would most likely rather skip back to the previous song than get through the entire track.
"Vanbot" as a whole is quite upbeat, which makes "Well Done Girl" stand out, albeit in a negative way. It is a short, minor-key, piano-based interlude that just manages to be confusing in the midst of the rest of the album.
This isn't to say there aren't highlights on the album, though. Certain songs stand out from amid the bland meld of synthesizers and icy vocals. The opening track, "Ringing," is a good example of the pop-style beat and themes of past love that permeate the album's sound. Although these stylistic choices start feeling stale after such repetition, on "Ringing" they're still fresh and effective.
The next standout song is "Maybe", which can be found halfway through the album. It appears Ideskog put more thought into this slower song, as it has a more careful melody and a unique (to this album, anyway) sound to it. As Ideskog sings, "No one else will make these changes/ No one else will set the price/ I'm doing good now," it appears she is taking her own advice. The song is a step up from the previous ones, bolstered by the backing harmonization and not even from Ideskog's own vocals.
"Make Me, Break Me" is probably the catchiest song on the album. While it is another power pop song, the pace of the synthesizers and drums is faster and Ideskog's crisp vocals are actually refreshing. It's the sort of song that would be remixed beyond recognition and then played at indie clubs.
Since all Ideskog does is sing over synthesizers, "Vanbot" does not appear to have any depth to it. Granted, the lyrics may have some meaning to Ideskog herself — she stated on her website that she thought of the lyrics while bike-riding around Stockholm. But the music is such that each song sounds too similar to warrant much attention to the lyrics.
The pop singers being mass-produced in Scandinavia all seem to have the same fresh outlook and, by proxy, the same sound. Robyn may only be so successful due to her trail-blazing efforts in this trend. Other bands or singers, such as Le Kid, Tove Styrke and the aforementioned Oh Land, all employ this similar method. It sort of makes you wish that the current musical exports from Scandinavia would revert back to when bands such as The Knife were starting their musical careers.
Vanbot certainly blends into the current pack and, along with producer Sebastian Forslund, does little to distinguish herself as a new artist. Her music isn't bad, per se — some of it is even good — but it is far from memorable.
