HYPERBALLOT: ILM Artist Poll #88 -- Björk Resultsness

xpost agreed, it's one of my favorites from Medulla for sure

Also Where Is The Line shreds more than almost any rock guitarist has ever dreamed of shredding.

xp I really like I Miss You too, the combination of the Latin-sounding percussion, hurdy gurdy (?) drone, saxophones and trumpet really make it unique

https://cansesclasseled.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/33-play-dead.jpg

33. Play Dead (The Young Americans soundtrack, 1993) -- 472.5 points; 12 votes

I don't dislike this song or anything, but for me it falls outside the official Bjork canon.

Evidently many disagree. It was top 10 in that alternate poll linked upthread, which perplexes me.

No one can imbue words 'repeatedly' quite like Bjork

When I think of "Desired Constellation" I somehow always hear Kate Bush singing "instinctively."

oh wow i completely forgot about play dead on my ballot! glad to see it place!!

I expected Play Dead to be much higher. It's collaborative, but so much else is (like I Go Humble, which I am giving up hope of seeing place now, it's Bjork singing over an LFO track, and that's great)

Dang, I hoped for "Crying" at #7, not 37. A great life-in-the-city song, with such a magnificent lead up to the chorus.

Hearing 'Play Dead' for the first time now (as far as I can remember). That epic 90s trip-hop vibe. The bass really stands out, makes sense that Jah Wobble was involved (thx wikipedia). Also only recently realized that Jah Wobble is a white British dude.

+ who beat up Nick Kent with a bike chain

https://cansesclasseled.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/32-alarm-call.jpg

32. Alarm Call (Homogenic, 1997) -- 478.5 points; 15 votes

never heard 'Play Dead'

“play dead” ruuuuules

I always get Pluto and Alarm Call confused, since Pluto sounds like it should be called 'Alarm Call'.

I LOVE "ALARM CALL" SO MUCH!!! Album and single/video edits both

"I'm no fucking Buddhist, but this is enlightenment"

in case y'all missed it the demo of this song is TRANSCENDENT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU_nI4DO7iM

"Alarm Call" is fine but to me a bit of an odd one out on Homogenic. It's interesting that early versions of the song had the working title of "Jacko", as a tribute to Michael Jackson.

xpost that's the one I'm talking about.

never heard 'Play Dead'

seriously?

I had never heard it either until listening to everything again for this poll

https://cansesclasseled.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/31-come-to-me.jpg

31. Come To Me (Debut, 1993) -- 496 points; 13 votes; 1 first-place vote

And the recap so far at the halfway point ...

31. Come To Me (Debut, 1993) -- 496 points; 13 votes; 1 first-place vote
32. Alarm Call (Homogenic, 1997) -- 478.5 points; 15 votes
33. Play Dead (The Young Americans soundtrack, 1993) -- 472.5 points; 12 votes
34. I Miss You (Post, 1995) -- 458 points; 12 votes
35. Desired Constellation (Medúlla, 2004) -- 456 points; 13 votes
36. Immature (Homogenic, 1997) -- 420.5 points; 13 votes
37. Crying (Debut, 1993) -- 408 points; 11 votes
38. Heirloom (Vespertine, 2001) -- 391 points; 13 votes
39. The Anchor Song (Debut, 1993) -- 383 points; 10 votes
40. Arisen My Senses (Utopia, 2017) -- 349 points; 12 votes

41. Domestica ("Pagan Poetry" B-side, 2001) -- 332 points; 10 votes
42. Crystalline (Biophilia, 2011) -- 330.5 points; 11 votes
43. Oceania (Medúlla, 2004) -- 308.5 points; 10 votes
44. Wanderlust (Volta, 2007) -- 303.5 points; 9 votes
45. Scatterheart (Selmasongs, 2000) -- 300 points; 8 votes
46. Where is the Line (Medúlla, 2004) -- 294.5 points; 8 votes
47. Headphones (Post, 1995) -- 289 points; 9 votes
48. It's Oh So Quiet (Post, 1995) -- 286 points; 8 votes
49. Violently Happy (Debut, 1993) -- 282 points; 8 votes
50. I've Seen It All (Selmasongs, 2000) -- 268.5 points; 8 votes

51. Blissing Me (Utopia, 2017) -- 258 points; 8 votes
52. Sun in My Mouth (Vespertine, 2001) -- 257.5 points; 7 votes
53. Virus (Biophilia, 2011) -- 255 points; 7 votes
54. Lionsong (Vulnicura, 2015) -- 254 points; 8 votes
55. Amphibian (Being John Malkovich soundtrack, 1999) -- 224 points; 6 votes
56. Mutual Core (Biophilia, 2011) -- 222 points; 8 votes
57. There's More to Life Than This (Debut, 1993) -- 217 points; 7 votes
58. Generous Palmstroke ("Hidden Place" B-side, 2001) -- 216 points; 6 votes
59. An Echo, A Stain (Vespertine, 2001) -- 210 points; 5 votes
60. Quicksand (Vulnicura, 2015) -- 196.5 points; 7 votes

come to me way too low. top ten björk track

"Alarm Call" is fine but to me a bit of an odd one out on Homogenic.

it sounds like a Post song! and that's part of why it rules. :)

in case y'all missed it the demo of this song is TRANSCENDENT

i did miss it, and yeah it's great! i'm listening to it now.

i love Alarm Call but somehow didn't vote for it. too many good songs for this ballot

i also love "alarm call" but couldn't find room in my ballot for it. "it doesn't SCARE me at all" is one of her best hooks

also the "beep beep, beep beep, beep beep, b-b-b-b-beep" in the background seems v mj

the demo drum sound is v v mj

"Come to Me" made many a CS-90 in the nineties for phantom girls whom I later realized were phantom boys

damn, somehow i missed that it just showed up!

it was my #1, which, honestly, i have a hard time lifting up any of my bjork top 7-8ish above another. but "come to me" is definitely in that top tier for me and there are certain times when it's the only song that will do.

Oh, the first release of Debut didn't have Play Dead? It's such a standout track on the album, can't imagine it not being there

yeah, the Debut cd sold in the US at the time didn't include it

was it ever on debut? my copy (CD, bought around 1997 probably) didn't have it, and it doesn't show up on the Spotify version of debut.

My tape had it, think I got it in 94

"come to me"'s chorus contains everything i like about björk's singing, that simultaneous and precisely-pitched longing and vulnerability

honestly i totally forgot about play dead! it's a great song although it makes me do the really slow head nod thing and i feel the urge to casually pump my fist to it, which is odd for me.

the way the keyboard preset and those strings play off each other too is pure early Bjork too

Oh yes, "Come To Me" is our first song with a first-place vote!

"play dead" was a bonus track on the... uk(?) reissue of debut i think. it doesn't really work as a closing track imo so it's extremely easy for me to imagine the album without it

yooou-uuu knooooow thaaaat i-yee adoooore yoooou!
yooou-uuu knooooow thaaaat i-yee looooove yoooou!

<3

It's weird putting it there for sure. But its the album I know.

The original version of Debut ended with "The Anchor Song". "Play Dead" was added as a bonus track on some reissues after the film (Young Americans?) came out, but not in all countries.

Also, the Vulnicura tour live version of "Come to Me" kicks ass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WqIZTwjxec

the way the keyboard preset and those strings play off each other too is pure early Bjork too

it's so fucking good it's unbelievable, and she makes it seem so easy. just this effortless grace. i've thought this recently, and so probably mentioned this here, sorry, but she could have easily kept going back to the 'Come to Me' well for years and years and it would have been wonderful. it speaks to her artistic ambitions that she's mostly left the simple (perfect) song structures behind. maybe she felt like there wasn't much more to accomplish there, because she'd already bjorked the living hell out of it

Songs from my top 10 that have made it:

1. ?
2. Desired Constellation
3. Come to Me
4. ?
5. Domestica
6. ?
7. ?
8. ?
9. Amphibian
10. ?

The remaining will surely place, number 10 wont make it I’m afraid.

Happy I ended up sending my ballot... desired constellation and domestica would be way below if not.

my version of Debut has Play Dead at the end. It's a weird fit after The Anchor Song, so I've always paid it no mind, but I'm listening again now and holy crap, this is one of my favorite Bjork vocals ever. If someone told me that Portishead based their entire band off that song, I wouldn't be shocked.

*this, being Play Dead, not The Anchor Song

"Anchor Song" version that is a top 3 Bjork vocal performance (and was my #4 pick):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgiI2gm-RIs