HYPERBALLOT: ILM Artist Poll #88 -- Björk Resultsness

there's also a really good live recording of this from the Royal Opera House on youtube

oh I always thought "uphill" was "up here," i.e. up here on planet Earth, Björk graciously reminding us we live on the same plane as she does.

Same!

me too lol

sisyphus' friends are always putting Undo on his mixtapes and he fucking hates it, stop that, he says

― obviously DLC (Karl Malone), Friday, May 11, 2018 10:10 AM (ten minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lmao i had a similar joke percolating in my head and this is much funnier

This top ten will be interesting, cause I was expecting the last three to crack it.
Undo is divine. I love the version on Vespertine Live too.

<3 <3<3 Undo, my #2

oh I always thought "uphill" was "up here," i.e. up here on planet Earth, Björk graciously reminding us we live on the same plane as she does.

― geoffreyess, Friday, May 11, 2018 1:19 PM (four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Same!

― nourish nourish your turtleheart (Eric H.), Friday, May 11, 2018 1:20 PM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

me too lol

i did too for a long time! it's lovely because the song is so celestial that it totally makes sense that way

or, i guess when i thought it was "up here" i took that as some sort of higher plane of existence where people like bjork roam. it's interesting to look at the "up here" as earth, though!

forgot to vote for this poll but "Undo" would've been my #1. phil elverum covered that live at a show once out in a field in Western Massachusetts with everyone singing along and it was beautiful. believe it was before the julie doiron collab album.

had graduated from college and was really struggling to find a job let alone a lol career and that "struggle uphill" line for real helped change my perspective on Life.

https://cansesclasseled.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/12-who-is-it.jpg

12. Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right) (Medúlla, 2004) -- 904 points; 26 votes

xpost
yeah, his song "voice in headphones", besides musically and lyrically quoting "undo", is also pretty much just about how amazing the song is.

YES

YESSSSS

many xps

I love Army of Me but is it just me or does it sound like a demo? It’s mostly the chorus which bothers me how it sounds... the verses sound more overpowered and the chorus sounds somewhat unfinished. I wish I knew more about music production to verbalize what I’m hearing.

The bass cuts out is all

Sometime-reported music nerd moment alert: "Army Of Me" is the most conspicuous single in popular music to be written in the Locrian mode, complete with stylistically correct cadences; likely a conscious music-nerd decision on Björk's part to attempt to write a hit single in this most bizarre of modes

björk's best pop song imo. more in the spirit of a theoretical björk/timbaland collab than the one we actually got

Also "Who Is It" is THE BEST

At its early peak, "Who Is It" was the song I teased out as being the surprising #2 overall.

I knew it wouldn't hold the same I way I knew Fassbinder wouldn't stay #3 on the movie directors' poll, but it was a thrill for a moment, nonetheless.

oh damn xp

if you ask yourself
patiently
and carefully

"who is it" is one of the medulla songs i can't imagine w different production, it's the embodiment of vocal exuberance

I ... like the handbell version too.

I'd like to ask her how she got the vision for Who is it, it's so not "intuitive" and complex as a pop song.
I guess for Medulla at large it must have come in good part from these backing choir vocals she knew so much about.
Those drums <3

I love the version of this song they used for the video, with all of the bells and chimes, is that the handbell version?

...well this is what i get for not having time to dig in and fill out a ballot before

yeah i really love the single version with the bells

Tagaq's voice is largely responsible for the vocal forest that you hear on "Who Is It"-- no actual throat singing except at the end, but on them choruses, lots of the ululations she is so good at

who is it was my #2, definitely thinking of the bells version when i voted

Also I personally prefer the Bogdan Raczynski version with the accompanying Colargol mashup

Tagaq's voice is largely responsible for the vocal forest that you hear on "Who Is It"-- no actual throat singing except at the end, but on them choruses, lots of the ululations she is so good at

― nevertheless, he stopped (flamboyant goon tie included), Friday, May 11, 2018 10:51 AM (forty-five seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"vocal forest" otm

https://cansesclasseled.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/11-stonemilker.jpg

11. Stonemilker (Vulnicura, 2015) -- 931 points; 26 votes

Seeing as it (the Bogdan Raczynski version of "Who Is It" with amazing Colargol video) has less than 100k views I would guess that it's not.. as popular or well known as I thought it was?

hxxps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6FEB01V8TU

another great image

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQf0y_mk3hs

the Vespertine tour version of Who Is It is also great, it's fascinating to be able to track the development of it from the Bogdan Raczynski version to the Vespertine tour version to the two Medulla era versions

fantastic to see Stonemilker this high! her best album opener

lol i was right, the five missing homogenic songs are all in the top ten

the violins and cellos on this track are so great

yay, Stonemilker! After I submitted my ballot and kept the Bjork-binge up, I regretted not putting it higher. i love the moment when the low end enters and the strings begin to flesh out, and the song briefly organizes into a stately walk - "show me emotional respect / and i have emotional needs "

I was about to argue how strong "Army of Me" is as an album opener and maybe her best, and then I remembered "Stonemilker" and shut myself up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCCmYTbJy4

wow i didn't know about this early version of Where is the Line from the greatest hits tour

i know it's just chance that "stonemilker" follows "who is it" in the roll-out, but it sounds very intentional in the playlist because of the echoes in the pre-chorus (Who is open chested, who has coagulated, Who can share, Who has shut down the chances?)

yeah, I was thinking about the similar lyrics too

sisyphus' friends are always putting Undo on his mixtapes and he fucking hates it, stop that, he says

ilx - the only place where my sisyphus jokes land :)

I'm listening to the Vulnicura Live version of All Neon Like and others. This live is a killer.
I also really enjoyed the 360° video clip of Stonemilker, I'd never seen that on YouTube, it's cool and the concept really fits such a sad song/album.

https://cansesclasseled.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/10-hidden-place.jpg

10. Hidden Place (Vespertine, 2001) -- 944 points; 25 votes; 1 first-place vote

the 360* Stonemilker video was the first time I ever experienced VR, it was at MoMA PS1 and my friend and I saw it the same weekend (maybe same day?) we saw her on the Vulnicura tour. I like actually cried watching it.

HI-DDENNNN PLAAAAACE

Thank you Eric, you can stop the poll here.
Hidden Place would have been my #1 if I had ranked the ballot :)