Vanbot - Update

Vanbot will probably be getting a little tired of all the Robyn comparisons by now, but her fizzy, bubbly, high-octane soda pop tunes do in many places sound undeniably similar. Thankfully if we’re going to compare we have in at least one of the songs below a second reference point.

But first have a listen to Ringing, taken from the Vanbot album, which has now been released on her own label Lisch Recordings. Complementing the song we posted the other day - Lost Without You - it probably draws to mind the girl who claimed that ‘Fembots have feelings too’ again. But then there’s the minimal Bad Day, a duet featuring Sebastian Forslund. On this song another fellow Swede comes to mind – Nina Persson of The Cardigans – as Ester (who is Vanbot) croons sadly of heartbreak and loss. “And the worst thing is that you left me when I was wounded,” she laments. Unless you’re incredibly cynical and think the whole thing is just a little clichéd then all you will want to do is to hold her and tell her everything will be OK in the end, but that’s kind of hard with just a download. But maybe downloads have feelings too?

If you fancy listening to the album in full, then why not click here.

Bad Day by Vanbot

Ringing by Vanbot

Vanbot - New Waves

There’s something a little bit valuable about Robyn. She somehow manages to straddle hip club-bound hedonism and commercial electro-pop sounds with a certain sort of cool underground knowingness that means that whilst she’s never become a massive household name, she’s managed to stick around long enough to be appreciated.

So it probably comes as no surprise to find that as the pop-clock ticks on towards yet another year of nothing-lasts-forever dreary X-Factor contestants (Joe McElderry where are you now?) that a number of Robyn sound-alikes have popped up. We’ve already featured Neon Hitch and now here’s another. Her stage name is Vanbot, and she very much falls into the imitation is the highest form of flattery camp, but that’s fine, because in terms of pop, we’d rather have 100 Robyn-a-likes than 1 Joe McElderry.

We’ve done the mathematics for you and really all you need to know about Vanbot is this simple equation: Vanbot = Ester Ideskog + From Sweden + A lot like Robyn = A very good thing. Her new single Lost Without You is a free download, which for the sake of one click on the arrow on the player below is possibly the best thing you will do today.

Lost Without You by Vanbot