Björk is the largest living total work of art of the present and inspiration for pretty much all musicians who do artpop and avant -garde. The Icelander’s albums are often difficult to access – however, this is a misunderstanding.
Recommendations of the editorial team
You have to have
Debut (1993)
Debut’s debut is called Björk, which is not, so to speak, Björk Guðmundsdóttir had already recorded a record, a child sin, so to speak, that became a bestseller in Iceland. With her postpunk band The Sugarcubes there were also three indie-darling albums between 1988 and 1992. But debut is a debut, because this first adult solo plate is different from everything it has done before-and still the perfect start into Björk’sche œuvre. Contrary to all the calls to doom, how bulky and cranked Björk’s music is, debut, her greatest commercial success to date and was very accessible with mainstream producer Nellee Hooper (U2, Madonna). In addition, today you can hear what she has initiated with it: Without Björk, the work of Grimes, FKA Twigs and Tune Yards would be unthinkable. But also Robyn and Lada Gaga, who titled their album in 2013, which Björk already did exactly 20 years earlier: Artpop. The songs of this album have been matured in Björk for a decade, but she only grinded at the arrangements in her new home in London, whose underground club world she was anta. Debut is (like two years later the debut by Róisín Murphy’s band Moloko) House Clubby, is acid jazzy and a cancellation to the barren Grungs guitar one of the time.
Five stars
Post (1995)
Post is once again a postulate about the beginning of meaninglessness of genrebarriers- but even more offensive, aggressive, technoid, more uncompromising: it includes and exhaled the triphop of Portishead and Massive Attack (Tricky worked on two songs) and that in Telligent Dance Music from APHEX Twin. On the other hand, “real” instruments: slide guitar, Wurlitzer, harpsichord, trumpet, saxophone, bongo percussion, samba drums, trill whistles. Björk is not afraid of discounts; Her screams in the orchestral big band jazz from “It’s Oh So Quiet” make Ella Fitzgerald’s Bebop scat feel. Broadway on Breakbeats, schizophrenic shock, genre roulette-and thus the quintessence of Björk.
Five and a half stars
Vesperine (2001)
Vespertine says Vesper, dinner. Björk wanted to make a domestic album about the native stull smear (and happiness that is inherent); The result was a record about sex compacted eroticism, quite explicitly: “He’s still inside me”, she sings in “Cocoon”. The strings in the Prog folk opener “Hidden Place” have bond potential. There are also harp, Celesta (most of the Harry Potter soundtrack known today) and play cans. Magical. Essentially for Vespertine: Björk has created so -called microbeats for three years, for example from looped shots of melting ice or mixing a card stack. Martin Gretschmann alias Console, once a member of the band The Notwist, was at the side. Vesperine was created as a heart project, while Björk in the bread job screwed on her soundtrack to Lars from Trier’s “Dancer in the Dark”, in which she also played the leading role. It also uses high frequency sounds that also sound well. Chamber music in the age of Napster.
Five and a half stars
Vulnicura (2015)
With Volta (2007, three stars) about the financial crisis, Björk had trimmed himself without irrelevant, not only because of the unnecessary timbaland production. Biophilia (2011, three stars) was in terms of concept and with numerous accompanying apps on top over so that the sound pillars did not stand up for it. But with this album, Björk surpasses himself. The opener “Stonemilker” is likely to be the most urgent track that it has ever done. “Atom Dance” with Anohni is also fantastic. Björk first arranged the dramatic strings of the plate; Later, the Venezuelan producer Arca put an avant-garde beat on it. Vulnicura tells of the wounds of a separation, but also about the cure afterwards. This is important at Björk at all: As already in her hyperhit “Hyperballad” (1995), she often looks into the abyss, but (almost) never suits it in self -pity, but shows potential for healing.
Six stars
Also very good
Homogenic (1997)
Björk was a gravitational center in the mail. Homogenic is more homogeneous, emotionally deeper, more focused. That was necessary after the difficult years before: she beat a journalist after she asked her son; A stalker wanted to kill her by letter bomb. In Málaga in southern Spanish, she arranged the nostalgic drama violins on her Casio keyboard. A song like “5 Years” gives Lorde guessed. The album has less dance driv, but accordion and glass harmonica. Homesick to Iceland, the country where high -tech and natural mysticism are not a contradiction?
Five stars
Medúlla (2004)
Is it even more focused after Homogenic? But yes! Medúlla is almost an A-cappella album. If you refrain from some piano, synth bass and gong, we only hear human voices. But what does “only” mean? What sounds like a kit from the concept goes well into the ear. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and rising racism, especially in the USA, she is concerned with emphasizing the genuinely human, regardless of constructs such as nations and races. This is also why the Inuit singer Tanya Tagaq and the black beatboxer Rahzel are at the start. Furthermore: Mike Patton from Faith No More, a planned guest performance by Beyoncé failed on the schedule.
Five stars
Utopia (2017)
To a certain extent, the continuation of Vulnicura, without its class, fully reached: it is about re -falling after the suffering. You treat her, but the woodwind overkill with all sorts of flutes is sometimes as annoying as freshly lovers who smooch the penetrating.
Four and a half stars
Away from the solo albums
The Sugarcubes – Life’s Too Good (1988)
If you want to understand how Björk Björk became, you should also treat yourself to The Sugarcubes: you can hear the girl who drummed in a punk band at 14 – but also the Pretenders and Cyndi Lauper. The first of the three Sugarcubes albums is the first-it may also have inspired current postpunk bands from chai to Goat Girl.
Four and a half stars
Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Trio Guðmundar Ingólfsonar-Gling-Glò (1990)
A bizarre under Björk’s cooperation. We hear piano, bass, drums on the bar jazz plate. Björk’s vocals, Christmas bells and maracas. The songs also come from composers of the Great American Songbook, such as Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. The jazz in Björk’s work is often underestimated, but should be important for debut three years later.
Four stars
The Dirty Projectors & Björk – Mount Wittenberg Orca (2010)
The strongest community work by Björk is her EP with the dirty projectors, whose mastermind David Longstreth likes to deconstruct as Björk decides classic melodies. Longstreth and Björk sing the lead, accompanied by three projectors singers. What a consolation along with the then disappointing Biophilia!
Five and a half stars
The remixes
The Björk remixes are a science in themselves, there are so many-six official albums alone, but also countless (white label) singles. Electronic producers have always felt attracted to the avant -garde Björk, including some of the best of the present: The Haxan Cloak, Lotic, Juliana Huxtable and Katie Gately. However, the two remixed telegram (1996, five and a half stars) and Bastards (2012, five stars) are essential for understanding Björk: Telegram illuminates the post-album from a more rougher, industrial side and Bastards saves the much-solved Biophilia album with Hudson Mohawke, Peaches and Omar Soulyman.