Bjork
Vespertine
(hear it)

Still Bjork's best album, although her two soundtrack albums, for Dancer in the Dark and for Drawing Restraint No. 9, are really really good.

Most of Bjork's music lacks integrity, and believe me, as a long-time fan who was totally blown away when "Cold Sweat" came on MTV's 120 Minutes back in, what... 1989 or 1990, I wish it were otherwise. In 1996 or so I listened to nothing but the Sugarcubes' second album for several days.

Debut, Post, Homogenic, Medulla, and Volta are all incomplete. It's something that only really came into focus with Medulla. There, the all-vocal thing really pulls away from the music. Now, the DVD about making the album, that is a classic - and I suspect that the making of every album was equally intense and wonderful. That's the point, I think - she is perhaps more interested in what she's doing than in making a work of art. Vespertine and the soundtracks all seem to me to be much more invested in other people, and that maybe causes Bjork to get outside of what she is doing and think about what she is making.

Homogenic, Volta, Medulla and Post all have really classic songs on them, but Vespertine is all great. Every song is totally complete and expressive. I might listen to it again right now.

bb, 5 Feb 08