― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 27 January 2005 03:20 (nineteen years ago) link
1. homogenic2. vespertine post debut and selmasongs2.5 a whole bunch of remixes3. 1/2 of medulla4. 1/2 of medulla
― firstworldman (firstworldman), Thursday, 27 January 2005 03:22 (nineteen years ago) link
― Andrew (enneff), Thursday, 27 January 2005 03:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― firstworldman (firstworldman), Thursday, 27 January 2005 03:27 (nineteen years ago) link
...and I'd like to pretend the following never existed, but "wishing won't make it so," sadly...
6)Selmasongs7)Vespertine
― Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Thursday, 27 January 2005 03:36 (nineteen years ago) link
I can't stand Vespertine and the new one is just hilarious.
― jason?, Thursday, 27 January 2005 03:44 (nineteen years ago) link
― nader (nader), Thursday, 27 January 2005 03:46 (nineteen years ago) link
― Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Thursday, 27 January 2005 03:50 (nineteen years ago) link
Telegram is kinda strange. Selma Songs would probly be #3 if I included it.
― Nic de Teardrop (Nicholas), Thursday, 27 January 2005 03:53 (nineteen years ago) link
― Earl Nash (earlnash), Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― thank god i ain't too cool for the safe belt (smile), Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― j Will, Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:28 (nineteen years ago) link
― Haibun (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:30 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:38 (nineteen years ago) link
― firstworldman (firstworldman), Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:39 (nineteen years ago) link
I don't really know the other ones well enough (I don't own them), but from what I've heard, I'd put Debut and then Medulla last.
― poortheatre (poortheatre), Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 27 January 2005 04:49 (nineteen years ago) link
Mine:
VespertineHomogenicPostMedullaDebutSelmasongs
― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Thursday, 27 January 2005 05:17 (nineteen years ago) link
now ranking the bjork VIDEOS, that'd be fun.
― mrjosh (mrjosh), Thursday, 27 January 2005 05:53 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 27 January 2005 09:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 January 2005 09:28 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 27 January 2005 09:31 (nineteen years ago) link
fronting on post is ridiculous.
― Rollie Pemberton (Rollie Pemberton), Thursday, 27 January 2005 09:32 (nineteen years ago) link
Selmasongs
Vespertine
― Melissa W (Melissa W), Thursday, 27 January 2005 09:37 (nineteen years ago) link
― Beta (abeta), Thursday, 27 January 2005 14:48 (nineteen years ago) link
BacheloretteHyperballadArmy Of MeJogaHuman BehaviourNature Is AncientIsobelI Miss YouIt's Oh So QuietAlarm CallBig Time SensualityVenus As A BoyViolently HappyPlay DeadHunterPossibly Maybe (can't remember it enough)Hidden PlacePagan Poetry
anything i forgot stick in the middle (the Lynn Fox video projections for the recent tour look gorgeous)
― Stevem On X (blueski), Thursday, 27 January 2005 14:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 27 January 2005 14:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― daniel_t, Thursday, 27 January 2005 19:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― Matthew "Flux" Perpetua, Thursday, 27 January 2005 20:10 (nineteen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 27 January 2005 20:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ludo (Ludo), Thursday, 27 January 2005 20:38 (nineteen years ago) link
-- Matthew "Flux" Perpetua
this is almost exactly my take on it, though i'm not sure i'd even bother ranking the new one.
― rentboy (rentboy), Thursday, 27 January 2005 20:52 (nineteen years ago) link
Debut
Homogenic
― danh (danh), Thursday, 27 January 2005 21:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― a, Thursday, 27 January 2005 22:11 (nineteen years ago) link
I'm in a bit of a vicodin haze right now...should I go listen to the album?
I just can't imagine loving something so...cotton candy.
― Melissa W (Melissa W), Friday, 28 January 2005 07:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 28 January 2005 07:34 (nineteen years ago) link
Part of it has to do with tensions I hear that maybe you don't: how e.g. glitches or dissonance might rupture soft 'pretty' melodic and timbral surfaces.
― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 28 January 2005 07:40 (nineteen years ago) link
it took seeing the breathtaking Royal Opera House DVD for Vespertine to really 'click' with me, and when it did it was a small bombshell. As well as a 'Well, duh' moment. I don't hear it as glossed over, 'cotton candy' sentimental, superficial or derivative anymore since then.
In fact I think it shares a lot of moments exactly as raw, searching and emotionally exposed as 'Homogenic' (Cocoon, Pagan Poetry, An Echo A Stain and especially Aurora) along with the more familiar loved-up peans to eternal domestic comforts, life and family.
To me it's another fantastic work that came from a not-too enjoyable time in her life very much akin to 'Homogenic', if you're willing to buy into the whole emotional pain=deeper better art theory/cliche I guess.
I think the reason this wasn't picked up on as much of a take on the record is as much a result of her modesty at the time in not making any linking comments re: Lars Von Trier (although she has spoken out a bit more about it now, describing the process of making Dancer In The Dark as like 'having petrol poured on your soul' (approx)) and the fact that the record has a happy ending this time, mirrored by the fact she was very publicly known to be in love again.
I do think a big weakness of the record as a whole is the length, and the 'still' sounding songs (It's Not Up To You, Undo, Harm of Will) which make it feel sprawling and dense compared to her usual albums. The first two of those in particular just felt like re-treads thematically for her and really alienated me from what I feel is the real spirit of the record better captured further in. And as for 'happy endings' again, I think 'Unison' is a charming but unusually indistict closing track by her standards.
I'm definitely glad she's moved on from it though, it would have been a stiflingly pretty, eventually vacant artistic direction to move any further into.
I guess I wrote all that because I'm a huge fan of hers too, and (ridiculously) it really pains me to know that someone else has the trouble I had not 'getting' one of her finest records yet. Or maybe you'll never like it it doesn't really matter :)
― lurking but not, Friday, 28 January 2005 18:17 (nineteen years ago) link
1 = Debut/Homogenic/Vespertine4 = Post/Medulla
interspersed with huge amounts of everything else she's done. Post from the livebox is also far, far more deserving of the acclaim for that record and time and carries the sentiment, and sense of adventure a little better than the studio record I think.
6 = Selmasongs :( (me too)
― lurking but not, Friday, 28 January 2005 18:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dominique (dleone), Friday, 28 January 2005 18:46 (nineteen years ago) link
The only song I can actually stand on that record is "Heirloom."
― Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Friday, 28 January 2005 19:01 (nineteen years ago) link
― danh (danh), Friday, 28 January 2005 19:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― danh (danh), Friday, 28 January 2005 19:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alba (Alba), Friday, 28 January 2005 19:57 (nineteen years ago) link
so, for me, its:
homogenicvespertine
and then the rest I like more or less about the same. Medulla is an admirable record but I don't listen to it much.
I love the first sugarcubes album although they are a band served best by the greatest hits collection.
― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:03 (nineteen years ago) link
[oh sod it, the rest]
― David Merryweather (DavidM), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:15 (nineteen years ago) link
this >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> original
(and I call myself a Björk fan)
― StanM, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 14:48 (twelve years ago) link
But then I also have Omar's three cd's, so um whatever.
― StanM, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 14:49 (twelve years ago) link
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff399/d3v1ns/surrounded__01.jpg
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff399/d3v1ns/surrounded__06.jpg
― StanM, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 14:53 (twelve years ago) link
How could anyone possibly hold up Homogenic above All Else when it contains such duds as "All Neon Like", "Five Years", "All Is Full Of Love", is beyond me.
Jesus.
― ephendophile (Eric H.), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 15:22 (twelve years ago) link
Yes, how could we dare hold it above others when it has three of her best songs on it! How ridiculous of us!
I've inexplicably never listened to Selmasongs, but if you're going to include soundtrack work, you have to include the Drawing Restraint 9 one, imo.
I think of Bjork more as a time-period artist than a singles or album artist. Most of the influences/musical arrangements tend to be related to albums, but the selection of songs that happen on tour and the arrangements that are done vary so much due to the makeup of the instrumentalists.
fwiw I really like "All Neon Like" and "I Miss You"
I'm happy to see people didn't criminally underrate Vespertine.
― mh, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 15:28 (twelve years ago) link
New rank:
HomogenicSelmasongsVespertineTelegramPostMedullaVoltaDebutDrawing Restraint 9
― ephendophile (Eric H.), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 15:36 (twelve years ago) link
for me I think it goes
HomogenicMedullaPostDebutVoltaVespertine (never got the love for that one beyond the opener, really)
― You Post on ILX (Simon H.), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 15:40 (twelve years ago) link
Eric and I in usual disagreement shocker. Selmasongs dealt the first blow to my fandom.
HomogenicPostDebutVespertineVolta
Don't care a whit for the rest.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 15:41 (twelve years ago) link
Whatev, we share #1. That's like Halley's Comet rare.
― ephendophile (Eric H.), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 16:16 (twelve years ago) link
PostPostHomogenicDebutPost
― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 16:17 (twelve years ago) link
And here I was thinking I'd be made to suffer for shitting on "Declare Independence".The problem w/those tracks off Homogenic-- and even "Immature"-- is that they're the first songs where B embraces this new, meandering style of melody writing that sounds comparatively banal to her earlier stuff."All Is Full Of Love" was redeemed by the Plaid remix and the video, but doesn't do anything for me on the album.To really come clean, when I got that album as a teenager, I pretty much hated the lyrical content, full-stop. "I'm no fucking Buddhist but this is enlightenment", "If you forget my name / you will go astray / like a killer whale / trapped in a bay"-- not B's own lyric but still-- "I dare you to take me on / I dare you to show me your palms", "The riddle gets solved and you push me up to this state of emergency".
Sorry to take aim at a sacred cow here, I'm a big fan, I love Homogenic, but I feel it is just as fallible and speckled as any of her albums and don't get why it gets held up above all else. Maybe I just listened to it too many times.
"Post" is my favourite overall, followed by Debut and Medulla.
― Boehner & der club of GOP (Ówen P.), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 18:03 (twelve years ago) link
Maybe it's because I'm Scandinavian too, but I just prefer Bjork getting urgent to her being cooey cute a la Debut.
― ephendophile (Eric H.), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 18:13 (twelve years ago) link
xp but... the best part of All Neon Like IS the melody.
― We make bouquets that fade immediately. (Turangalila), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 18:57 (twelve years ago) link
I'll admit that I prefer the more straightforward melodies of earlier Bjork stuff on the whole than more meandering compositions, but I've never found the lyrical content objectionable.
― mh, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 18:58 (twelve years ago) link
though"All Is Full Of Love" was redeemed by the Plaid remix and the video, but doesn't do anything for me on the album.
is OTM
― We make bouquets that fade immediately. (Turangalila), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 18:59 (twelve years ago) link
I'm convinced I'm the only one who prefers the album mix of AIFOL to any of the remixes. To the point I'd watch the music video with the album version cued up.
― ephendophile (Eric H.), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 19:18 (twelve years ago) link
:(
― The Not Liking Radiohead Awards (Turangalila), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 19:30 (twelve years ago) link
Wrong Eric H., I prefer it too
― Frogbs Day Afternoon (Le Bateau Ivre), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 20:19 (twelve years ago) link
According to a press release, Biophilia consists of "a studio album, apps, a new website, custom-made musical instruments, live shows and educational workshops," not to mention a documentary film
And previously reported, Björk is currently in the middle of the first run of Biophilia shows, taking place at the Manchester International Festival in Manchester, England. This is indicative of the way she intends to tour behind the album. Over the next three years, she plans to play six-week residencies in eight cities, all at intimate venues, to audiences of less than 2,000. At these performances, she'll use the apps to perform Biophilia in full twice a week. During her residencies, the venues will also collaborate with local schools to host music-education workshops.
http://pitchfork.com/news/43032-bjork-reveals-full-scope-of-ibiophiliai/ jeez whoa wtf
― brie on crüt (Stevie D(eux)), Thursday, 30 June 2011 01:57 (twelve years ago) link
I just prefer Bjork getting urgent to her being cooey cute a la Debut.
This binary doesn't exist with Bjork -- most of her work is urgent when it's most cute. I'm still fond of Debut because it finds her wrestling, for the last time, with the production du jour and injecting enough personality. It's almost a covers album! But if by cute you mean "The Anchor Song," "Venus as a Boy," "Come to Me" -- man, she's got descendants on every album!
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 30 June 2011 02:03 (twelve years ago) link
Twin musical Tesla Coils.
Can I just say at this point, I don't care what the album sounds like. Any album featuring musical tesla coils is automatically the best album of all time.
― Karen D. Tregaskin, Thursday, 30 June 2011 06:38 (twelve years ago) link
just saw the "Biophilia" concert in Manchester
it was fucking amazing
highly, highly recommended
she plays in the round, with a choir, with lots of custom-built instruments
and voiceover from Sir Richard Attenborough
and she sings her ass off
― the tune is space, Friday, 1 July 2011 00:34 (twelve years ago) link
ayo eric i also prefer the album version of "all is full of love" because it sounds like it's trying to reach us from another room
and then it succeeds
― preschoolin' life (BradNelson), Friday, 1 July 2011 00:38 (twelve years ago) link
She is actually getting reviews in, like, New Scientist for this.
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2011/07/sparks-fly-at-bjorks-new-show-biophilia.html
― Karen D. Tregaskin, Friday, 1 July 2011 14:59 (twelve years ago) link
This is the first album Bjork has released since I've really gotten into her and I'm p psyched to be able to follow it. Also one of those residencies SHOULD be in NYC, right? Right??? Maybe this will make up for Seefeel cancelling their tour...
― brie on crüt (Stevie D(eux)), Friday, 1 July 2011 16:35 (twelve years ago) link
the dude who built her new live toys has a blog: http://andycavatorta.com/
― StanM, Sunday, 3 July 2011 17:40 (twelve years ago) link
homogenicdebutpostvespertine------the others
― brotherlovesdub, Sunday, 3 July 2011 17:49 (twelve years ago) link
I clicked Stan's link before bed last night, then dreamt I went and saw the show.In my dream, it was awesome and I started crying almost immediately as soon as she walked on stage.
― Boehner & der club of GOP (Ówen P.), Monday, 4 July 2011 12:47 (twelve years ago) link
I definitely rank vespertine at the top but these were tipped by the live versions of the songs from that album in the Volta shows with all the strings rescored for brass. Magic.
― straightola, Monday, 4 July 2011 13:14 (twelve years ago) link
my ranking
vespertine - FUCKING AMAZINGhomogenic - amazingmedulla - mostly great, a bit hit or missselmasongs - very goodpost - pretty good, but never got the hype as to why it's one of her bestdebut - quite patchyvolta - mostly zzzzzzz
think that's it. i haven't played telegram more than once (cant even remember it) and never heard Drawing Restraint 9
― i genuinely thought when i first joined that he was the admin (ilxor), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 01:58 (twelve years ago) link
Telegram is a remix collection, based on "Post" (gettit?)
In my drawer here is Debut, a dual sided disc with DVD content. 5.1 mix and a bunch of vids.
― Mark G, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 11:23 (twelve years ago) link
VESPERTINE(big gap)HOMOGENICMEDULLAPOSTVOLTA/SELMADEBUT
― Jung Danjah (admrl), Friday, 19 August 2011 17:49 (twelve years ago) link
New one leaked. Wasn't really feeling it at first, but the second half is surprisingly strong.
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Saturday, 24 September 2011 16:05 (twelve years ago) link
She keeps repeating that trick in "Crystalline" where the tinkly, xylophone/celeste/harpsichord whimsy gets crashed by industrial beats, but it seems to work better in "Sacrifice" and "Mutual Core."
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Saturday, 24 September 2011 16:06 (twelve years ago) link
(I guess that trick sort of dates back to "Hyper-Ballad.")
― michael assbender (Eric H.), Saturday, 24 September 2011 16:07 (twelve years ago) link
AAAAHHH I HAVE TO HEAR THIS NOW
― Sandra Bullock violently stabbing a TV dinner (Stevie D(eux)), Saturday, 24 September 2011 17:02 (twelve years ago) link
as usual, i have no idea which bjork thread to revive. but this is really good writing on bjork, i think: http://thequietus.com/articles/23621-bjork-best-albums
also, since the thread hasn't been revived since 2011, i'm curious how bjork fans rate vulnicura and utopia among her other work.
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 11 February 2018 05:50 (six years ago) link
HomogenicVespertinePostVulnicuraDebutMedullaBiophiliaUtopiaVolta
― kitchen person, Sunday, 11 February 2018 06:24 (six years ago) link
i am the worst bjork fan ever, but i have approximately 0% recollection of biophilia
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 11 February 2018 06:29 (six years ago) link
replace but with and
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 11 February 2018 06:32 (six years ago) link
vulnicura took a little while to grow on me - i usually tend to gravitate to her more 'active' material, but vulnicura is great sink-into-able material from front to back, and better than she's done that kind of stuff on any of her earlier records. watched the videos for utopia but haven't gotten around to it yet apart from those
i haven't listened to a few of these completely in a while, and i'm generally pretty amenable to most of what björk does, but (very) rough ranking off the top of my head:homogenicvulnicura / debutpost / volta / vespertine / medulla / biophilia
― heliogabberlus, Sunday, 11 February 2018 06:35 (six years ago) link
rank em
Homogenic > Vespertine > Telegram > Post > Debut > Medulla > Selmasongs > Utopia > Vulnicura > Volta > Biophilia > Drawing Restraint 9
Vulnicura was a welcome return to form for me when released, it seemed to revisit the harsher distorted beats of Homogenic and was a little more accessible emotionally. Utopia was also a nice surprise, the arrangements are gorgeous on this and it's really a record to live in. Also there's some good melodic vocal hooks, which it seems have become less frequent on recent Bjork albums
also this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68qymYgSxCM
― kolakube (Ross), Sunday, 11 February 2018 06:53 (six years ago) link
Recruiting: POLL Neon Like -- ILM artist poll #88 -- BJÖRK (voting open until April 27, 2018)
― Uppercase (Eric H.), Monday, 9 April 2018 19:30 (five years ago) link