Björk: Still Strange, but also Sensual and Subdued
Jun 29 '04
Pros Sounds good, generally relaxed, different music for Björk...
Cons Somewhat boring/monotonous, Frosti...
The Bottom Line Björk is never afraid to change her music up. For Vespertine she peeled back the layers of electronica and exposed some raw emotional layers. Good, not great, album.
Full Review
My discovery of Björk was just as strange and unconventional as her music. I heard Debut when it was released in 1993, but I really didn’t love Björk until I came to love the 1994 Luc Besson film The Professional (aka Léon). It was in that film that the song Venus as a Boy was perfectly utilized. From that moment on, I was drawn to the expressive and unique Icelandic talent.
If there is one thing that nobody could ever accuse Björk of, it would be conformity. Not only is she different than everybody else, she is also changes herself from album to album. The only thing that listeners have come to expect from Björk is change—and I appreciate that unpredictability. In 2001, she refined her image on Vespertine. Vespertine is a tidy, lovely, electronica album. It came as a particular relief following excruciatingly painful Selmasongs (the 2000 companion piece to film Dancer in the Dark).
On one level, Vespertine isn’t so much a departure for Björk. It’s not as though she picked up an electronic guitar and set aside her keyboards and synths or anything. But with that said, the album is much less chaotic and much more relaxed and mature. This maturity doesn’t translate to lacking playfulness—rather it just seems as though Vespertine resides in a cozy space very close to Björk’s heart.
This is not the kind of album listeners should go into expects the grunts and whirrs of former albums. It is about ambiance and melody rather than harsh sound or shock value. Vespertine tells a story (about what, I’m not sure) with words and emotion and smooth yet intricate arrangements. It doesn’t equal much less surpass the brilliance of earlier Björk efforts including Post, Debut, or even Homogenic but it is nonetheless the work of a wonderful talent. For that matter, a lesser Björk album is many times more worthy than most of what is released in any given year by any given artist.
But I suppose that after all these years, that fact pretty much goes without saying…
Vespertine didn’t yield any major hits, though there were as always singles released in support of the effort (Hidden Place, Cocoon, and Pagan Poetry for example). The twelve songs contained are one cohesive vision—it flows from one moment to the next without easily and without interrupting the flow. It is clear that Björk knew what she was doing but at the same time, I can’t help but feel that Vespertine is a bit boring. Not boring like “I’m going to fall asleep” but boring like “shouldn’t something else be happening here?”
I think the album’s best moments come when it is being the most modest. Songs like Undo, It’s Not Up To You, Pagan Poetry, and Unison are the most striking. They are at the same time darkly whimsical and sensual. In particular, Undo’s harp/keyboard paired with Björk’s sing-song vocals is probably my favorite of the entire album. It is memorable and haunting while never becoming monotonous.
Since Vespertine is the kind of thing that must be digested all at once (each song is merely a bit of the overall picture) I can speak much more properly to the whole rather than individual parts. There is little “bad” about the album—the only thing I don’t like is the childish instrumental Frosti. Outside of that, everything is easy on the ears if not a little (like I said earlier) boring on occasion.
Vespertine is a fine enough album. Björk has done better and she has done worse in the past. It seems to me that Vespertine is something of a stepping stone which of course leaves me to wonder where it is she’ll go next. Despite a few qualms, it’s important that fans buy this album. Though, if you are new to Björk I highly suggest you learn to love her chronologically—Debut, Post, Telegram (maybe), Homogenic, Selmasongs, and then Vespertine.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Hidden Place
02. Cocoon
03. It’s Not Up to You
04. Undo
05. Pagan Poetry
06. Frosti
07. Aurora
08. An Echo, a Stain
09. Sun in My Mouth
10. Heirloom
11. Harm of Will
12. Unison
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