POLL Neon Like -- ILM artist poll #88 -- BJÖRK (voting open until April 27, 2018)

I don't mind it being on Post, maybe because it's an eclectic album and "I Miss You" also has some of the same kooky vibe to me. "Alarm Call" on Homogenic is more out-of-place for me

Medulla has always been one of my favourites, it felt at the time very much like a companion piece to/mirror of Vespertine. I'm working my way backwards through all the albums and am up to Volta this morning, it's sounding lot better than I remembered although Dull Flame of Desire is a bit of a snooze. I also really enjoyed playing Biophilia last night and I've realised that there are a dozen or so locks for my ballot but beyond that I honestly have no idea what I'll end up voting for.

Medulla stands up well! I listened to it and Vespertine a lot in transit in the early '00s, but at some point filed it away in my memory as Vespertine's austere and ugly sequel. I hadn't gone back to it for some years. But it might be her fun-est record of the 21st century, and all the grunting and whinnying makes sense right now. Some of the short interludes probably don't amount to much in isolation but it works well as an album, and there's still at least four tracks I could happily isolate for a tracks ballot.

Medulla sounds great - the pleasure is all mine has some nice bass - for a record that uses primarily the voice (whether raw or transposed to electronics/keyboards) it covers the audio spectrum well.

in submitting my ballot i realize i neglected to vote for many of my favourite bjork tracks which is indicative of how quality Bjork's catalogue is

listen i am probably not going to vote for "hyperballad" which makes me feel real bad but it is not a song i am excited about at this point in my life, even though it's the most awesome song in the world

well brad if it's the most awesome song in the world.... ;-)

"Hyper-ballad" is, in fact, awesome, and it may still somehow miss my ballot.

I’m voting for The Modern Things as well, love the drum sound

i've been giving the b-sides a listen but tbh a lot of them just drift by. i have the same feeling with biophilia. i just can't focus. i honestly think that at some other point in my life i will hear them differently.

"charlene", on the other hand, jumped right out at me. i hadn't heard it before! i don't think it's my new #1 bjork song track or anything but it would have fit right into Post. i love how Post sounds, especially on the languid. she sounds so effortlessly perfect and comfortable in it, too, like she could do it in her sleep. i suspect she probably could have too, which is part of why her 2000s experiments were so courageous, i think.

enjoying the live version of 'i go humble', too

this rocks my world

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn6_aPmvuiA

matmos <3

they fucking NAILED it

fuck yeah! when they walk through snow/ice to make the percussion to "aurora" - that is so cool!

zeena parks also rules school, don't believe she's the current harpist on tour (hasn't been confirmed if it's sarah hopkins or bjork herself)

i get weirdly teary watching things like that, somehow just imagining how it must feel to be part of something so momentous and good as it's actually happening

otfm

Wonderful version. I'd get teary eyed too if I could for fucking once (...).

That lead me to Zeena Parkins' solo stuff, which is obviously as amazing as you can imagine.

(OT but I miss dr3w around here)

me too

me too:

a) tears
b) zeena
c) dr3w
d) all o/t above

? :)

Wow, watching the Triumph of a Heart video for the first time and it really IS different!

tears: already there! but a memory, now
zeena: i don't know anything about her own music! but now i want to. the harp is a lovely instrument and i want to hear more
dr3w: me too :)

<3

Try and find Zeena Parkins & Ikue Mori's 'Phantom Orchard' album. Blows me away.

Medulla doc is on youtube btw. I hope Rahzel is living a happy life, he's so good. The Tanya Tagaq part is great too.

Omg @ recording a full batucada group on the all-vocal album only to decide that no, it should still be an all-vocal album. Maybe she had to go to Brazil for a concert or something anyway?

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

one of the all time remixes

i think time will be kind to the reception of Vulnicura and Utopia - Vulnicura has some of her finest string arrangements to date and returns to the beat palette that made Homogenic so engaging. While it was sad to hear she disbanded that tour for mental health reasons (break-up) Utopia is the victory lap; meeting someone new, feeling sparks and letting the past be the past. Utopia is also her most vivid sound world, it's like an electric blanket

i'd like to thank Eric again for this thread, which renewed my interest in Bjork who is a living legend imo

The version of Oceania near the end of the doc with the crazy (midi?) piano is interesting too

Oh I see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcSZG3bmE7c

(although the doc version has beats + piano and it's even better)

xps You're welcome, but engaging in shared love for Bjork, the pleasure is all mine.

Batucada version was released! Ok, I'll stop liveblogging my descent into Bjork b-sides.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xj1y3PsT9o

yeah thanks Eric! I tried to make a ballot the other day and basically gave up, but I've been enjoying reading the thread and listening to Björk for the first time in a while. I put on Selmasongs yesterday, which I hadn't played since the unfortunate day in 2001 that I saw Dancer in the Dark, and it was nice to re-realize there are some good songs on it despite LVT.

The high note at 2:30...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRAd8nFmIiU

Every time I feel myself getting too down on Medulla, I remember it has "Mouth's Cradle," "Who Is It," "Triumph of a Heart," and "Desired Constellatioh" and really that's enough.

Damn that bit crushed harp on Desired constellation rules

oof, that all is full of love clip, here i go again. i need to just sit down and watch a full show

desired constellation will be on my ballot, as well as triumph of a heart

Of all the albums I'm most curious to see how 'Vulnicura' is doing on here. It's such a fantastic, understated record. Reception seemed to veer towards "oh a Björk break-up album nbd" a lot, but man is it classic.

Medulla will be the tough nut to crack for me, diving in deep for this poll.

I just did my ruthless first pass on tracks to isolate my favorite-est of favorites. It's 24 songs long, leaving me only 6 slots for the roughly 40 or so garden-variety favorites.

Reception seemed to veer towards "oh a Björk break-up album nbd"

from where i was sitting at the time it was a very big deal!

i was only really capable of listening to it once but i’m looking forward to hearing it again

Some of her b-sides like Scary, So Broken and Domestica are probably in my top 20. As usual her performances are tight but So Broken and Joga on Jools Holland are so so good. I wouldn’t like to be the band following those ones.

I lost interest after the brave, challenging, unlistenable Medulla, although the Von Trier soundtrack caused the first chink in my armor. I've given every album at least two spins, though. I look forward most to re-listening to Vulnicura

brave, challenging, unlistenable Medulla

medulla has so many hooks, what did you listen to

"Triumph of the Heart" I can still hum, don't remember a thing about the rest. It's been fourteen (!) years.

"who is it" one of her most indelible choruses

gonna listen while I work out this afternoon

I've been doing a good job today of convincing myself that Medulla is actually my favorite Bjork album

Drawing restraint 9 is where the rot set in

this is good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC4RTMsb8bA

Back to Biophilia and 'Mutual Core' is blowing my mind rn