My choice of Bjork may seem a little out of place with my previous selections for this blog, but she is one of the most underrated female vocalists of the past 20 years. At times her voice possesses the qualities of this fragile heavenly being, then almost suddenly she transforms into a bold and empowered heroine. I am hypnotized by her.The eclectic mix of musical styles she explores on each album are never out of place, as her voice is the binding agent that brings these bold compositions to life. She's not only a singer but a composer; like many Icelandic artists, she has tendencies to build these very sweeping an atmospheric pieces. Her early background in punk music manifests itself at times in very jarring fashion; the flipside to that, is her classical piano training that is brought out through her synthesized and electronic arrangements. I am also drawn in by her very organic and animalistic lyrics that play into the mythic nymph character she embodies.
Unfortunately, she is never mentioned in the conversation like a Christina Aguilera or Beyonce when it comes to outstanding modern female vocalists. I hope this week sheds some light on a woman deserved of those praises.
Not featured in this weeks listening is one of my favorite tracks, here she is performing Joga live on British television with some accompaniment:
suggested listening:
Debut - '93
Post - '95
Vespertine - '01
I literally knew nothing about Bjork before this week, other than the fact that she shows up at award shows wearing crazy stuff, and that her music is apparently “out there.” I was interested to see what this strange music was all about, and what makes her different from other artists.
ReplyDelete“Debut” starts off with “Human Behavior” and I have to say that on first listening I was not interested in this song at all. It just seemed like a bunch of weird noises in the background. However, upon repeat listenings this song actually grew on me quite a bit. Bjork does have a very nice voice, it is has a very soft undertone, but she can get loud when she wants to. “Venus as a boy” has very beautiful orchestration to it. I can’t help but get lost in some kind of dreamland when I am listening to it. “There’s more to life than this” was not very appealing to me. I think this takes on more of a club/techno vibe, and I was really starting to enjoy the atmospheric sound. “Like Someone in Love” gets right back into what I like to hear. The harp is superb on the track, and although the track is a little all over the place, it brings a nice ebb and flow to it all. “Come to me” reminds me of a Koop song. It has a jazzy undertone, yet has the strings going to make it more of a symphony. I can see why Justin likes Bjork’s voice, it is very smooth and yet the way she says her lyrics is unlike any other female artist I have ever heard. “The Anchor Song” was particularly painful for me. The horns kind of sound like what would happen if Madden got a hold of a trumpet, just random noises. “Play dead” is a triumphant song, it is very powerful and I think Bjork’s voice is quite elegant. All in all, it was every other song for me that stood out. Having said that though I can say that Bjork is very different from anything I have ever heard and am intrigued by the next two albums.
“Post” starts off with the song “Army of Me” and it reminds me very heavily of the Chevelle song, “Comfortable Liar.” The intro to both of these songs is so similar, I am wondering if Chevelle borrowed this from Bjork. I think this song is harder than anything else I have heard from Bjork yet. “Hyper-ballad” is a pretty dark song, talking about throwing things off a cliff as if she is to say she is contemplating throwing herself off the cliff. I think the backdrop to the song is quite beautiful, but with the dark lyrics it makes me hard to get into. “Its Oh So Quiet” shows just how strange and quirky Bjork is. This song sounds like something straight out of the 1940’s, and while it starts off with a mellow beginning she hits you in the chorus with that loud big band vibe. I actually really like this song for the fact that is pays homage to that era, yet keeping it so strange. “Isobel” is another standout track for me, and while I am still not accustomed to the way Bjork delivers her vocal, I am hypnotized by the backdrops to songs like this one. “I Miss you” is a very catchy track, and I love the yearning in Bjork’s voice, she hits some pretty high notes in this one and it only goes to show her amazing capabilities. This album was just as impressive as “Debut,” and while I am still trying to figure out what mood I would need to be in to listen to Bjork, it is making it all the more of an intriguing week.
ReplyDeleteI really like the techno vibe on “Hidden Place.” To me this is Bjork’s strong suit, because the weird noises that are going on in the song go along quite well with her unique vocals. “Undo” follows along the same techno soundings as “Hidden Place.” I love the choir singing in the background, it sounds like the kind of music you would hear upon entering heaven. I was telling Thomas that I think I would really love Bjork, but the way she sings/speaks her lyrics is a little put offish for me. I think if she actually sang a song (normally) I would be her biggest fan. She has a beautiful tone and a great vocal range; it is just how she goes about singing the song that bugs me. Alas, that is what makes her stand apart and so I am sure that is why her fans love her so much. “Pagan Poetry” has a very dark, somewhat medieval feel to it and I really like the yearning in Bjork’s voice on this one. “Frosti” was the first just instrumental song on any album yet, and I have to say it made me think of Christmas, so the name of the song goes very well with the feeling I gave me. “Aurora” has that same angelic feel that “Undo” had, yet it also has a bit of a tribal feel to it. You have to love the fact that she incorporates so many different musical ideas into each song. “Sun in my mouth” is Bjork’s best vocal showing thus far. Her range is all over the place, and she hits every note with such ease. This song is beautiful from start to finish. This album was probably my favorite, it had more of the atmospheric vibe to it, and Bjork’s voice was at its best.
I think Bjork’s music would be best to listen to when you are in a reflective mood. Having said that this has been one of the best week’s of Music Togetherness for me. It made me take the stereotypical view I had of Bjork and totally change it around. Her music is like a musical masterpiece.
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ReplyDeleteI haven’t ever listened to Bjork, but I do like female vocalists and usually appreciate weird, so I have been looking forward to this week. ‘Debut’ takes a few listens through to get comfortable with. At first it is so strange and unlike anything I have ever heard, that there is a bit of shock and puzzlement. After a few listens, the oddities wear off and some real beauty begins to reveal itself. The only artist I can really compare her to might be Imogen Heap, but more from the synthesizer and drum machine standpoint. Imogen’s vocals are much more tolerable, but Bjork is just as unique and takes more risks and liberties with her work. ‘Crying’ is the first highlight for me on the album. The intro sounds like something out of a 1980’s horror flick, and then transitions to a beat reminiscent of Ace of Base. There is a quality to her vocal that is very raw and filled with a passion that really grows on you. The constant cracking of her voice tells you she is ok with flaws and wants you to like her for who she is. That honesty is almost extinct in this era. ‘There’s more to life than this’ has a catchy chorus and pulls a Michael Jackson with multiple breaks mid-track. ‘Like Someone in Love’ is a very upclose and personal love song featuring both Bjork’s voice and the harp. ‘Aeroplane’ had a very strange arrangement and was the low point of the album for me. Fortunately the bassline and the violin in ‘Come to Me’ was right around the corner to pick the pace back up. This was a very entertaining album that I could easily picture playing in the background while hanging out in David and Laura’s basement.
ReplyDelete‘Post’ kicks off with a badass track in ‘Army of Me.’ This song really rocks out and gets me excited to see if this direction continues on the rest of the album. While ‘Hyper-Ballad’ does not rock out as much, it does show off an amazing improvement in her vocals. While I appreciated the flaws in her vocals in ‘Debut’, it is nice to hear something different and more polished. ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’ definitely sounds misplaced. It sounds like they recorded her live at a musical. Her voice is so theatrical in how she is telling a surprisingly interesting story. I am very please to hear the rocking commence on ‘Enjoy’. It is very reminiscent of how angry and sarcastic Alanis Morissette is in ‘Jagged Little Pill.’ We then roll through a very slow stretch of three tracks with a lone highlight in ‘Possible Maybe.’ ‘I Miss You’ is a very odd track in that there is a tribal beat to it, along with a horn section, a heavy synthesizer, and a whole lot of keyboard. Only missing the kazoo in this one. Overall, the album started with a bang, but only had a few standouts from that point forward. It’s good to hear some variety in her discology, just liked ‘Debut’ better.
ReplyDeleteLike ‘Post’, ‘Vespertine’ has a really great opening track. This is one of the first songs of hers where the lyrics are just as strong as the vocal and the music itself. The whole song is very mysterious and the lyrics help paint a very clear picture . ‘It’s not up to You” has the best vocal to date from Bjork. It also has the first real noticeable hook which the track kind of leans on. ‘Pagan Poetry’ was another awesome track with a beat that reminds me of DJ Shadow week. With the exception of ‘Heirloom’, the last half of the album was a bit too slow for me and omitted any form of substance. That lone standout was another example of the lyrics now being the focal point of the track which has really been the only piece missing for me this week. This album was one of those albums Justin mentioned during Phoenix week (I think) where the best song is placed first and the rest of the album has a hard time catching up.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned before, I was excited about this week, and Bjork lived up to all the hype. I got to hear a lot of cool sounds and a really amazing vocalist. Bjork albums are always in the $2 section of Half Price Books, so I will certainly have to pick those up from now on.
Also, that video of Joga is incredible
ReplyDeleteThere's obviously something in the frozen water in Iceland, because between Bjork and Sigur Ros there has been more insanely beautiful music come out of that place in the last 15 years than most countries have had in their entire histories. I've always thought that the natural beauty of the place (along with the highly liberal society that they've created) rubbed off on those with artistic natures, and these three albums (along with 'Homogenic', which is my favorite Bjork album and also contains the song "Joga" which is my 2nd favorite song of the 90s) are perfect examples of that beauty.
ReplyDeleteBjork's aptly titled debut album is a little bit different than her later works. It's just a bit more organic than the others, and therefore has a some warmth that's lacking in most of her later music. "Human Behavior" was a minor hit at the time of this album's release, and was a very good choice for introducing the strange, wonderful voice of the singer to the world. It's interesting that the first song on her first album is a critique on the behavior of humans as seen from an outsider....for a long time I've thought of Bjork as being different than the rest of us, so maybe she has a good perspective on the subject. It's really weird, but every time I hear the song "Crying", I instantly think of the X-Files. I think there was an episode in the first season that had a song that sounded really similar or something...either way, the production is really dated, but Bjork's voice is so great that she's able to turn the song into a winner. "Venus As a Boy" is my favorite song on the album. It's a very sexual song, as MANY of her songs are, but the lyrics kind of flip the subject on it's head, with it's references to the goddess Venus being male, and obviously knowing everything that would work for a woman. Bjork's English isn't perfect, obviously, but her ability to convey intelligent, thought-provoking commentaries is amazing for someone who wasn't born speaking the language. "Big Time Sensuality" is another minor hit off of the album, and features some of the strange, growling vocalizations that Bjork would use so effectively throughout her career. The production again is a bit dated, but it actually still sounds pretty good to me at the same time. This song kicks off the best stretch of the album, particularly with the song "Come to Me". The production on this song is really laid back and beautiful, and is easily one of the more all-around mellow songs in her catalog. The juxtaposition between this song and the next one, "Violently Happy" is pretty great. The latter song takes us out of the easy chair and drops us right in the middle of a rave, with thousands of people crowded all around you. It's about a feeling of love that's so strong that it drives her into insanity, and the tense, nervous music around the words fit the feeling exactly. This isn't my favorite Bjork album, but it's still a wonderful introduction to her work, and serves the purpose of introducing her magical voice in a more commercially palatable way before the more experimental music that was to follow later in her career.
'Debut' Album Rating: 85%
'Post' is where the Bjork that I've come to know and love really arrives. The electronics take the forefront right from the beginning, with the harsh industrial sound of "Army of Me". Bjork seems to be calling out the lazy on this song, and challenging them to talk back to her....she actually does sound a little fierce on the track, so maybe I'd listen to her. "Hyper-Ballad" is a really introspective song, in which the singer figuratively tosses all of the problems of her life off of a metaphorical cliff so that she can enjoy each day with the one she loves without the weight of the burden of those problems. Once again, she uses the language beautifully....and the strings at the end of the song give me goosebumps every time I hear them. "The Modern Things" is sort of of a piece with the song that preceded it, as it's all about those things that Bjork tossed off that cliff before, and how all of those modern conveniences have been biding their time throughout history, just waiting to be invented to make our lives "easier"....or to just irritate us. "It's Oh So Quiet" is a unique song not just within this album or Bjork's other work, but it's unique in all of music history. It sounds like it was taken right out of some sort of psychotic version of a George Gershwin production of the 1920's. I love Bjork's vocals in this song....she just takes her voice everywhere it can possibly go, in the process doing things that no one else ever would. "Enjoy" is the first taste of the coldness that we'd get with Bjork's next album, 'Homogenic'. The harsh electronics make their return here, and to me this kind of sound fits her like a glove. "Isobel" is the first of my two favorite songs on the album...it's a story about a girl who lives all alone, and is afraid of anything that's even remotely related to human civilization. The epic string sections that have quickly become the hallmark of any great Bjork song appear here, and as always they've left a lasting impression on me. I'm not sure if anyone else notices it, but we've heard bits of my other favorite song on the album on another of Justin's picks for Music Togetherness. The warm synth tone that starts off "Possibly Maybe" was featured heavily on DJ Shadow's "Mutual Slump", and having heard the Bjork song first, it caused me to immediately love the Shadow song as well. My favorite part of the song, and of the whole album, is where the beat kicks in and you can hear the vinyl crackle....it's just one of those little things in a song that to me are enormous. "I Miss You" is dated in a way that's not as good as some of the other songs we've heard to this point (although the horn finale is pretty insane...and great), and in all the final three songs aren't quite up to the standard that those before them had set. Regardless, though, this is one of the better albums of the 1990s, and kicked off what I consider to be Bjork's classic period, which carried on through 2001's 'Vespertine'.
ReplyDelete'Post' Album Rating: 89%
What really strikes me about Bjork is the sheer beauty of her music. It's true, her voice is a little weird - but if you think of it more as an instrument rather than a person that can be hard to understand, the music can take you to a whole other place.
ReplyDelete"Debut" is a pretty solid album. I love the emotion you can hear in her lyrics right off the bat with "Human Behavior." On "Crying," she mixes a haunting melody with a poppy beat that's a great introduction into her "faster" stuff. The sharp sound in the background kind of creeped me out because it sounded like it could have come from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" soundtrack. "Venus as a Boy" might be my favorite track on the album - I love the way she mixes the deep, rich bass sound that sounds like blowing into a jug with the light airy triangle-esque highlights in the background. It's almost an attack on your senses, pleasing on both ends of the spectrum. "There’s More to Life Than This" sounds a little like a dance club anthem - makes me want to move. "One Day" has a nice feel and one of the smoothest beats I've heard on the album. ore to life than this” sounds like a dance club anthem.“Come to Me” has a really hauntingly beautiful vibe, but after all this, I'm not sure I "get" the closing track, "The Anchor Song." It's a little on the odd side for me, but not in a good way.
“Post” starts out on a high note with Bjork basically rocking out on “Army of Me.” The song has a hard beat and a dark feel to it, which I love. “Hyper-ballad” continues with the dark atmosphere but slows things down a bit. I almost hear a similarity to Imogen Heap on this track, so obviously I enjoyed this. “The Modern Things” pulls back a bit and focuses on Bjork’s voice, which certainly is what makes her a unique and beautiful artist. When the background music picks up a bit more, it almost sounds more vintage than modern, which is ironic. “It’s Oh So Quiet” sounds super familiar to me and is probably my favorite track on the album. It’s so… classy – it almost reminds me of Christmas. I think her voice comes off really strong in this type of music. She’s able to play to the listener’s emotions, build them up and release with little bursts of energy. And when she hits those high points, she sounds like a badass. “Isobel” has a pretty melody in the background. This kind of music, as Beth said, is really great for casual listening. It sooths. The quiet strings on “Cover Me” would be great for meditation. I do think I liked this album better than the first, a natural progression.
ReplyDelete“Joga” is on the album “Homogenic,” so it seemed only right that I cover the song and the video before moving on to the last album. This is the first Bjork song I had ever heard, because David put it on a 5-CD mixtape he made for me when we first started dating and he wanted to make an influence on my musical tastes. I love the colors in the video and found it interesting to actually SEE her perform one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard before. I mean, you can hear the emotion in her voice but you can really see her get into it. And although it’s a little weird, you feel a sense of authenticity when you can tell how much this music means to her. The colors and the orchestra are amazing as well. I love when she hits those points where she belts out the lyrics. Those parts are the strongest for me. I don’t think she’s mentioned in conversations about great female vocalists alongside artists like Christina Aguilera and Beyonce (barf!), not because she doesn’t have the musical chops, but because her actions and little quirks are so weird it kind of goes over the heads of a lot of people who listen to popular music. Not to mention that this stuff isn’t thrown in people’s faces like “Single Ladies” or “Genie in a Bottle.” Those songs are catchy and while the singers have amazing vocal talent, they aren’t very deep. They’re easy to listen to because you don’t have to think or feel when you hear them – you just go with it. That’s the beauty of pop music. But this is great on a much deeper level. I’m sure that if some of those same people who listen to shallow music on Z107.7 and hail Beyonce and Xtina as great vocalists heard some of this without seeing Bjork or her little quirks they would be able to appreciate it without the stereotype that her music is “weird.” That’s just my opinon, but I think the fact that all 5 of us came away this week with positive things to say, with our range of musical tastes, says something real.
ReplyDelete“Vespertine” has a lot to live up to after that track. The first thing I notice is that she may be kicking up the weird a few notches. The unique pronunciations present on the other albums seem to be magnified a bit in the opening moments of the first track. “Cocoon” plays with an interesting sound that’s a bit like a record that has scratches on it or isn’t playing smoothly. It’s interesting. I like the buildup to the orchestration on “Undo,” and the creepy vibe put off by “Pagan Poetry,” possibly my favorite track on this album. For some weird reason I was also drawn to the instrumental “Frosti” that sounds like a windchime from start to finish. To me, it says something about the beauty in everyday sounds. It also serves as a great intro, flowing into the next song nicely. “Heirloom” sounds similar to Imogen Heap again. I love how both those artist use their voices as instruments instead of simply a means to convey lyrics. “Unison” has a nice little beat to it. Overall, I didn’t like this album as much as the first two, but I think that might be because it followed “Joga,’ which is impossibly strong. That and “It’s Oh So Quiet” from “Post” are my favorite two tracks of the week, and I will certainly be listening to Bjork again.
ReplyDelete'Vespertine' to me is sort of a sister album to Radiohead's 'Kid A'. Both albums have a very similar icy-cold electronic sound, but while Radiohead's classic is an ode to the mechanization that has overtaken our humanity, 'Vespertine' is the sound of real human emotions winning the battle in this struggle. This is easily Bjork's most intimate, personal record while at the same time being easily her most beautiful sounding album....she discusses sexual topics with a frankness that isn't typically seen, and throughout the album seems to be backed by a chorus of angels. Those angels appear right away on "Hidden Place"...which is one of the best opening tracks on an album from the last decade. The personal lyrics also show up right away....describing where the singer hides the love that she has away from the hardships of the world. "Cocoon" sounds a LOT like the title track from 'Kid A', but instead of featuring a vocal that's been ripped apart and then put back together, this song has what might be the most beautiful vocal that Bjork has ever delivered. It's subject matter is VERY personal, and she delivers it with a bit of shyness that sounds perfect for the words that she's saying. "It's Not Up to You" has one of Bjork's very best choruses, as her voice possesses a power that just completely consumes everything....along with that choir of angels. "Pagan Poetry" is a favorite song of mine, and is probably my favorite song of all time to feature the harp. Everything about the song is simply magical, from the vocals to the production to the lyrics. I meant to say this at the beginning of this write-up, but this is probably my absolute favorite album to listen to at Christmas time. The best example of this winter time feeling is on the one-two punch of the wind-chiming instrumental "Frosti" and "Aurora", which starts off with the sound of crunching snow and speaks of glaciers and mouths being filled with snow. The coldness with these songs is really intense, but Bjork's voice brings a warmth to the second song as well. "Heirloom" is one of my favorite songs on the album, and is probably the most "conventional" song on the record. To me it's all about the love of family, and how thinking about the love that your family provides for you can cure any fears or problems that you may have in your life, and help you to feel "so much better". "Unison" is the last great song on the album, and is a beautiful song about Bjork coming to the realization that being in unison with another person has made her complete, when once she thought that alone was how she thrived. Lyrically, this is one of the greatest albums that I've ever heard, and once again I must say how amazing it is that a person that's not a native English speaker has been able to use our language so much more effectively than any of us could ever dream to do. This album is the perfect combination of both the beauty and the intelligence of Bjork, and I will always love it.
ReplyDelete'Vespertine' Album Rating: 90%