Bjork's new program "Vespertine" Total Victory or Total Failure?

granted, i do think perfectionism is very different from making it what she wants it to be. i don't know she wants her voice to sound perfect - i've definitely heard her say something to this effect.

I have! It's also awesome (and points out that the song itself is really really strong in addition to the renditions).

xp

I have! It's also awesome (and points out that the song itself is really really strong in addition to the renditions).

yes it definitely made me go back to the original and hear it with new ears - i'd previously thought 'oceania' was one of the more impenetrable tracks (compared with 'where is the line?' or 'who is it?') but it really isn't.

haha i've just remembered about 'ancestors'!!!

but it's always a compromise: what you want, and what your limitations are. i think bjork treds the line beautifully - in a sense, she is a perfectionist because her visions, whatever they may be in her own world, translate so well on record. on the other hand, to me, it seems like bjork has perfected a world of sound that isn't always perfect. that's how i hear it anyway.

What's that supposed to be mean?

I love Vespertine. I love the harp sound, I love the music boxes. I agree that the record emphasizes sound over songwriting, and it does wear a bit towards the end. Still, it has a lovely shimmering aura not unlike primo Cocteau Twins.

oh and that headphones song on post? now to me, there's an example of the beauty of the imperfect.

Again, art = what you want + what you can do.

I think it's fun deconstructing her voice - we should all be deconstructing anything of interest that seems too difficult to deconstruct. that's like what we do!

From the same Pulse! article:

"...I know I just can't sing like anyone else, and I still haven't found a singer who I can say is my hero or who has influenced me. I...admire a lot of singers and how larger than life, how big they are, but I haven't got anything in common with them. Just the sound of my voice, to begin with, or what I've experienced, just my life in general - there's no way I could compare myself to someone like Edith Piaf, or Maria Callas or Ella Fitzgerald, because they're just too distant from me, and I can't really learn from them either."

So easily the best Bjork record.

"program"

this and Homogenic tie for my fav

i know, ha.

really, this just gets better every year.

(ha about "program")

wow mel w is so OffTM up there....yes, I think this is Bjork's best album; volta really pales in comparison.

Surely Post and Debut are more "saccharine" than Vespertine?

No way is this Bjork's best album; both Post and Homogenic are light-years better.

no

yes

Post is a little too broad in its sound and Homogenic has quite a few duds in it. Vespertine is like one long beautifully produced track, but maybe others would prefer more variety and scope. I just like how intimate it is.

What are the duds on Homogenic???

Can't remember. Somewhere near the middle, maybe? It gets a little choppy whereas Vespertine only tires near the end. I still really like it, though!

Vespertine is perhaps two tracks too long. otherwise, perfect.

Medulla aside, she's basically spent her entire career trying to recreate those two albums; I think a solid case can be made for them being the cornerstones of her musical foundation.

Maybe, but in that case Vespertine is the album Homogenic could have been. =)

It's really good, you should listen to it again. I just did.

Medulla aside, she's basically spent her entire career trying to recreate those two albums; I think a solid case can be made for them being the cornerstones of her musical foundation.

-- HI DERE, Tuesday, May 20, 2008 9:41 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Link

what albums are in imitation of Homogenic/Post?

maybe Vespertine/Volta? Just a guess. I'm not sure I agree though.

It's all to do with the colouring of the artwork

i would say definitely no for both of those.

ok