Homogenius (Homogenic - Björk)

Member Name: stoffy

Product:	Homogenic - Björk
Date:	12/09/03 (303 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: outstandingly original, a departure from previous styles, that voice...

Disadvantages: may not be for everyone

Perhaps more than most artists, Bjork suffers from the Marmite syndrome, in that people think she is a genius or a nutter in equal measure. A child star in her native Iceland, she gained underground fans through her work with the Sugarcubes before going truly global with here first release ‘Debut’. Solidifying her fanbase with 1995’s ‘Post’ album, which spawned her biggest UK hit to date, the novelty ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’, she went musically quiet for a few years although stayed in the headlines thanks to a certain incident with a reporter at an airport.

Her third full studio album release with One Little Indian, ‘Homogenic’ was a rapid departure from the eclectic ‘Post’, whose atmospheric warmth and classical elements were replaced with more sparse, electronic rhythms. However, whilst more inaccessible than its predecessors, ‘Homogenic’ displays a depth to it that makes it arguably Bjork’s best album to date.

From the stark opener ‘Hunter’, with its juxtopostion of sinister strings with swooping vocals, the tone is set for something spectacular. ‘Joga’ is possibly Bjork’s finest song, although it was never released as a chart-eligible single. A song about the landscape of Iceland no less (!), she sings with her usual passion. However, there’s a beauty in the song which is hard to describe, with the atmospheric strings bringing her words to life and creating a mental image about what she sings so passionately about.

Another highlight is ‘Bachelorette’, with its unforgettable video featuring the story within a story within a stroy. Like ‘Joga’, it is gorgeously instrumented, and has an epic filmic feel to it. Veering from fragile and delicate to strong and robust, Bjork’s highly original and intricate style makes the song better with every listen as like ‘Joga’ is proba
bly the highlight of her back catalogue.

Many of the tracks such as ‘Cocoon’ and ‘All Neon Like’ are sparsely instrumented, but work so well as Bjork’s voice is an instrument than doesn’t require accompaniment to evoke images. More expressive and complex that pretty much any other vocalist in the world right now, it is undeniably an acquired taste, but is never boring.

‘Alarm Call’ is a change of pace from the more sedate selection of songs on here. More aggressive and uptempo, it sounds a bit raw and messy upon first listen but is an undeniable grower, and was surprisingly the most successful of the songs off the album, albeit in a remixed form.

The album’s conclusion is bare ‘All Is Full Of Love’, as sensual and tender piece of music as you’re ever likely to hear. Arguably the precursor to her fourth album ‘Verspertine’ which deals purely with songs of a more emotional nature rather than the abstract ideas that usually comprise an album from Ms Gudmundsdottir, its ends the album in a beautiful manner.

Whilst atmospherically wintery and laden with electronica, ‘Homogenic’ still has a warm heart thanks to her vocal performance. Unlike her previous albums, it is also more coherent and the tracks gel more coherently. It may not an album to suit all tastes, and does take a few listens to fully realise its brilliance, but it’s certainly worth a buy for anyone wanting to investigate Bjork or try something a little different.

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