BJORK
a review
by Billy Tweedie
Bjork is one of the most important musical artists of our time. From her
roots in punk bands to her forays in electronica, Bjork constantly
pushes the confines of what pop music can be. Her voice, a mix of
Icelandic and British, is wildly expressive. While music is her strong
point, Bjork has proven that she excels in other art forms as well: she
is a fiercely visual artist, an actress, and a fashion icon. This guide
is for the person who wants to explore the art of Bjork, but not sure
where to start. After all, it can be a bit intimidating.
I would recommend starting with 'Post'. This album is probably the best
place to start because its really just a eclectic mix of many styles.
It's like an electronica candystore. If you have any file-sharing
clients, I would recommend downloading "Hyperballad" or "Army Of Me".
If you enjoyed that album, I would move on to 'Debut'. This is Bjork's
debut album. It's much more of a dance-club orientated album, which
means its more conventional, but it will probably be more accessible to
the still casual-Bjork fan. Again, download "Crying" or "Big Time
Sensuality", if you have the resources.
Still with me? You're ready to delve deeper into the world of Bjork.
Next go for 'Homogenic'. This album is a lot harder to get into, but its
without a doubt the most rewarding. It's by far my favorite Bjork album.
It's a very confrontational album with hard industrial beats. Bjork's
lyrics reflect on explosions, emotional edges, self-critique - its very
intense. This album was the first one produced by Bjork herself. Check
out "Joga", "Bachelorette" or "All Is Full Of Love"
Next, I'd try out 'Dancer in the Dark'. It's a movie starring Bjork.
Directed by Lars Von Trier, its the story of a immigrant woman named
Selma (Bjork) who is slowly going blind. It's a very heart-wrenching
story and hard to watch, especially if you're a big fan. This movie
generated a large schism...either they hated it or loved it. All in all,
its still a worthy experience.
Now that you've seen the movie, check out the soundtrack - 'Selmasongs:
Dancer In The Dark (2000 Film)'. I recommend seeing the movie first,
because then the songs on this album make a lot more sense emotionally.
Still, this soundtrack can stand on its own two feet as a great album.
It's very creative in that most of the beats are derived from every day
sounds and rhythms. Many of the songs are in a big-beat musical style
reminiscent of "It's Oh So Quiet." Download "You've Seen It All" or
"Scatterheart."
Her latest album is definitely one to check out as well. 'Vespertine'. I
wouldn't quite recommend getting into this early on because well it is a
highly personal and intimate album. It's very erotic and sensual. If
you've heard and seen everything before this point, then this album
seems like a very logical extension of Bjork's talent. If you're curious
download "Unison" or "Cocoon".
If you're curious to see how other people interpret Bjork's music, pick
up her remix album - 'Telegram'. It's purely remixes from 'Post' but
unlike other shoddy remix albums, this one is really good.
By now you're probably ready to see other venues of Bjork's talents. For
example, pick up 'Bjork: Volumen' which is a collection of her music
videos from Debut to Homogenic. (Unfortunately, it doesn't contain
"Alarm Call" or "All Is Full Of Love". Still it is a fascinating video
visually.)
Don't make me list out all her singles to get...there are some worthy
ones. She also has a beautiful song called "Amphibian" on 'Being John
Malkovich: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [ECD]' and she is featured
in a song called "Lilith" on 'Not for Threes'
Other things to look into are the Sugarcubes, Kukl, Tappi Tikarass and
if you're really really interested her 1977 solo album. But that's a
whole different guide for me to get intro here on my site. Also check
out the Bjork book which is a collection of photographs from different
sources. Good luck and prepare to find out that the impossible does
indeed really exist.
Bjork's "Debut" CD helped me get well again as I was ill for a spell in
1994 and for this I am always interested in her wonderful talents!
Billy Tweedie
May 2002
©2002 BILLY TWEEDIE
