Hello everyone and welcome to the latest miniseries called Do I LOVE Bjork Yet? Over the course of the next week, I will run through all eight of the Icelandic singer's solo albums and determine if she is in fact more than just a weird little performer with an equally strange voice. This will also feature a continual ranking of each entry as well as various thoughts on the music and occasionally production of her work. This is all leading up to her latest album "Vulnicura," which has been receiving critical praise. But will I LOVE it? Tune in every day to find out.
Album: "Vespertine"
Released: August 27, 2001
Label: One Little Indian, Elektra
Running Time: 55:33
Track Listing:
1. Hidden Place
2. Cocoon
3. It's Not Up to You
4. Undo
5. Pagan Poetry
6. Frosti
7. Aurora
8. An Echo, a Stain
9. Sun in My Mouth
10. Heirloom
11. Harm of Will
12. Unison
Expectations: If the last album was her best, I am worried that this will be somewhat of a let down and I will not be all that much into it. While it supposedly has lyrical influences from E.E. Cummings and Harmony Korine, I don't know if it's going to really help. However, this album comes out the year after her work in Dancer in the Dark, which is a film that I really like and is likely what attracts me to her as a singer. However, I'm not quite getting the appeal entirely yet. She is raw and has become impressively polished in the time since "Debut," but I'm not understanding too much else about her. Fingers crossed that this turns things around.
Best Song: "Heirloom"
I am not entirely sure why I am both intrigued by this album and a little hesitant still. For what it's worth, I was really into the production and found the melodic simplicity to have been done in its favor. With this song, it manages to incorporate lyrics that grab the listener, adding a familiar feel while doing something that feels inevitably different. I like the atmospheric music and feel the Bjork has only gotten better at making the music compliment her voice. Early on, it was rough, especially as you could hear her voice break and run into various problems. Still, with one of the few choruses that actually have a distinct melody, it makes for a very good back half of the album.
Worst Song: "An Echo a Stain"
In an impressive move, this is the only that I flat out didn't like on the album. While I liked the others to varying degrees, there's something about this one that leaves an uneasiness. It could be the monotonous use of synthesizers, but it feels like it is going for meditation and lands somewhere on queasy. It is fine, but considering how majestic the other songs can sound, I don't really feel a strong urgency to revisit this one.
Overall Thoughts:
Consider this a form of retrograding albums, but as I get further into the catalog, I find myself more in awe of "Debut" and "Post." So while my grading here is a little bit higher than the initial grade, I still think it isn't nearly as good. This isn't to say that it's from lack of trying. It's just that the meditative qualities are admirable in ways that make me appreciate her roots more. I like that it has a chamber music vibe full of earnestness and open lyrics. She definitely fills the song with passion. However, it feels like an album you have to be in the mood to fully appreciate. I liked it, but I need to be more mellowed out when I listen.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Do I LOVE Bjork Yet?:
It is getting very close to liking. I find that she has a hindsight quality to her. She doesn't immediately strike you as being great, but the more that you think of the music, the more that you appreciate about it. She has the tonal aspect down and I'm sure that I am doing the lyrical component a disservice. There's so much atmospheric about "Vespertine" that makes me excited, even if I initially don't enjoy listening to the albums. If anything, I'm more curious to listen to them again to give a more proper take.
Ranking:
1. "Post" (1995)
2. "Debut" (1993)
3. "Vespertine" (2001)
4. "Homogenic" (1997)
5. "Bjork" (1977)
Track Listing:
1. Hidden Place
2. Cocoon
3. It's Not Up to You
4. Undo
5. Pagan Poetry
6. Frosti
7. Aurora
8. An Echo, a Stain
9. Sun in My Mouth
10. Heirloom
11. Harm of Will
12. Unison
Expectations: If the last album was her best, I am worried that this will be somewhat of a let down and I will not be all that much into it. While it supposedly has lyrical influences from E.E. Cummings and Harmony Korine, I don't know if it's going to really help. However, this album comes out the year after her work in Dancer in the Dark, which is a film that I really like and is likely what attracts me to her as a singer. However, I'm not quite getting the appeal entirely yet. She is raw and has become impressively polished in the time since "Debut," but I'm not understanding too much else about her. Fingers crossed that this turns things around.
Best Song: "Heirloom"
I am not entirely sure why I am both intrigued by this album and a little hesitant still. For what it's worth, I was really into the production and found the melodic simplicity to have been done in its favor. With this song, it manages to incorporate lyrics that grab the listener, adding a familiar feel while doing something that feels inevitably different. I like the atmospheric music and feel the Bjork has only gotten better at making the music compliment her voice. Early on, it was rough, especially as you could hear her voice break and run into various problems. Still, with one of the few choruses that actually have a distinct melody, it makes for a very good back half of the album.
Worst Song: "An Echo a Stain"
In an impressive move, this is the only that I flat out didn't like on the album. While I liked the others to varying degrees, there's something about this one that leaves an uneasiness. It could be the monotonous use of synthesizers, but it feels like it is going for meditation and lands somewhere on queasy. It is fine, but considering how majestic the other songs can sound, I don't really feel a strong urgency to revisit this one.
Overall Thoughts:
Consider this a form of retrograding albums, but as I get further into the catalog, I find myself more in awe of "Debut" and "Post." So while my grading here is a little bit higher than the initial grade, I still think it isn't nearly as good. This isn't to say that it's from lack of trying. It's just that the meditative qualities are admirable in ways that make me appreciate her roots more. I like that it has a chamber music vibe full of earnestness and open lyrics. She definitely fills the song with passion. However, it feels like an album you have to be in the mood to fully appreciate. I liked it, but I need to be more mellowed out when I listen.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Do I LOVE Bjork Yet?:
It is getting very close to liking. I find that she has a hindsight quality to her. She doesn't immediately strike you as being great, but the more that you think of the music, the more that you appreciate about it. She has the tonal aspect down and I'm sure that I am doing the lyrical component a disservice. There's so much atmospheric about "Vespertine" that makes me excited, even if I initially don't enjoy listening to the albums. If anything, I'm more curious to listen to them again to give a more proper take.
Ranking:
1. "Post" (1995)
2. "Debut" (1993)
3. "Vespertine" (2001)
4. "Homogenic" (1997)
5. "Bjork" (1977)
UP NEXT: "Medulla" (2004)
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