Björk is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, actress, and fashion icon, a queen of experimentation and innovation, producing eclectic, genre-bending music. This week I look at her fourth album, 2001’s Vespertine, her most intimate and sensual release yet.
Homogenic was another critically acclaimed effort, with critics praising Björk for her continued spirit of adventure. It was nominated for 1998’s Best Alternative Music Performance category at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards, losing out to Radiohead’s Ok Computer. 1999 saw Björk’s career take a different turn when she was asked to write and produce the musical score for the film Dancer in the Dark. The soundtrack, Selmasongs, was released a year later and featured a duet with Thom Yorke.
Björk didn’t just compose the soundtrack; however, she was persuaded by the writer and director Lars Von Trier to play the film’s main character, Selma. Selma is a Czech immigrant whose life is plagued by tragedy, the film ending with her suicide. The film received mixed critical reviews, but Björk’s performance was highly praised, and she won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes film festival. The film can not be mentioned without addressing the allegations about Von Trier’s disgusting behaviour, with Björk bravely choosing to speak up in 2017, detailing her sexual harassment.
Björk started working on Vespertine while she was still filming Dancer in the Dark. Vespertine provided an escape from the high-pressured environment of the set, which is reflected in the album’s tranquil sound. Early sessions for the album took place in Spain, but the bulk of the album was composed, crafted, and edited in a New York City loft. Björk wrote a lot of the album on her laptop, enjoying the freedom it provided her from the studio environment, away from other voices. The album was almost solely produced by Björk, with some help from electronic duos Matmos and Console.
Vespertine saw Björk take a departure from the big beats of Homogenic. Her aim was to create an intimate, domestic record with a sound that catered to music’s digital age. Björk chose to use thin instruments, such as the harp and the clavichord, whose sound wouldn’t be compromised when downloaded and played. She created organic beats from everyday noises, preferring small sounds of interaction to the bolshier beats of Homogenic. The lyrics drew upon themes of sex and love, influenced by her relationship with Matthew Barney and the poetry of E.E. Cummins.
The result was a quiet, introverted record full of beautifully hushed soundscapes. It’s a highly sensual affair, erotically charged but in an intimate, romantic manner. The raw ingredients of Björk’s previous works are there, but everything is dialled down, creating a gorgeous serenity. It’s a spellbinding effort that draws you into a gentle embrace, sound gently caressing your ears, paradoxically rich and feather-light. Despite its more minimalist production, it’s deeply melodic in a gentle hypnotic manner.
The opening track, ‘Hidden Place’, introduces the new, minimalist sound. The beats are quiet and glitchy, with analog sounds shuffling and rotating. Björk sings a hushed falsetto, it’s a song about new love, and her voice mirrors the fragility of a new dependency; “I’m so close to tears and simply calling you up”. While the soaring strings represent the wonder new love can bring as you “go to that hidden place”. ‘Cocoon’ draws you in with its soft pattering beats in a contained manner. It’s a gentle, erotic affair, a celebration of love and intimacy that bounces between the metaphorical and the explicit. ‘It’s Not Up To You’ represents a fight with control, with Björk advising you to “leave it alone/It might just happen”. With its lovely harp arrangements, the track’s chorus is the album’s most majestic moment.
‘Undo’ is another sensual effort, the rising choral arrangements taking it to an appropriately glorious climax. ‘Pagan’s Poetry’ is a fantastic, conflicted song, as Björk grapples between emotional and physical desires. The delicate, romantic harp clashes with the harsh, techno-like bassline underneath it. Despite her protestations that “she loves him”, she doesn’t want to lose herself to him (“But he makes me want to hand myself over”). It’s a deeply evocative track, full of rich, poetic imagery (“Swirling black lilies totally ripe”). ‘Frosti’, composed on a music box, serves as a brief, fairy-tale-like instrumental.
‘Aurora’ sees Björk explore a childhood memory of running on an ice glacier and falling on her knees. The beats are appropriately created from the sounds of footsteps in the snow, providing a shuffling undercurrent. The harp arrangements and the music box sound give the track a sense of childlike wonder. It has a magical quality, twinkling and shimmering. ‘An Echo A Stain’ is a moody composition, bristling with tension, created by its distorted beats. The strings sound sinister, while the choral arrangements add to the ominous air. ‘Sun In My Mouth’ takes inspiration from E.E. Cummins’ poem I Will Wade Out. Björk captures the intimacy of Cummins’ words, with her breaths audible throughout, while the string arrangements give the song a romantic quality.
‘Heirloom’ has an uneasy quality, with its skittish breakbeats, bass-heavy keyboard notes, and warped, distorted analog sounds. The song sees Björk sing about a recurring dream where she loses her voice; “Every time I lose my voice/I swallow little glowing lights/My mother and son baked for me”. It’s a move away from the album’s sexually charged themes, and it seems Björk is singing about how her mother and son inspire her and give her a voice. ‘Harm of Will’ is a slow, minimalist effort that floats and drifts with no discernable structure. American film writer and director Harmony Kanine providing the song’s sexually ambiguous lyrics. ‘Unison’ provides a peaceful conclusion, featuring some of Björk’s most humorous lyrics as she addresses her introverted nature; “I thrive best hermit style/With a beard and a pipe”. The song builds to a powerful crescendo before gently falling again.
Vespertine is another example of Björk’s ability to evolve with the musical times, creating an album geared towards the digital age. It’s another jewel in an already glittering career; beautifully intimate and intricately arranged, Björk’s ability to combine electronic and classical elements and create something emotional and deeply textured is unparalleled. Vespertine further demonstrated her strength as a vocalist and songwriter, weaving her voice and words with a wonderful delicacy. Does she ever miss?
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