373 - Bjork - Post

[csberry]

There was quite a bit of whining by some critics when Bjork departed from the Sugarcubes and went solo. I still recall the disappointment on the part of a Rolling Stone reviewer at the time that hoped Bjork would become an alternative Pat Benatar. Her desire to go electronica/club on Debut was lamented by those that saw the genre as somehow "lesser than."

Post, her sophomore effort, retains the electronica sound. However, it expands from club dance tunes to compositions that just happen to heavily use sampling (digital and analog). There are some edges to these songs that wasn't really evident in the previous album. "Army of Me" chugs and churns, not sounding like a cold machine but more like an organized horde of ants marching along. There is a warmth in many of these songs that one wouldn't ordinarily associate with early 90's techno. There's something to be said about the animal-like sounds on "The Modern Things" when Bjork sings of "listening to the irritating noises of dinosaurs."

Of course, probably the biggest song that stands out from this album for the general public is "It's Oh So Quiet." The song begs to be included in a remake of Singing in the Rain with its big band declaration of love (let us not forget the beautiful job Spike Jonze did for the video). But dancing isn't the purpose of Post. While you can dance to most of the album, I can easily imagine replacing the beats and synths of "Enjoy" with a noise or metal band. Ballads such as "You've Been Flirting Again" and "Possibly Maybe" (the intro of which was sampled for the stinger for VH1's old overnight block, Insomniac Music Theater) don't seem like obvious fodder for slow dancing.

With Post, Bjork is taking the tools of club music and expanding how they are used. Since this album is the first experimentation of that type for her, it is probably the best album for those first discovering Bjork, as they might be immediately scared away by how far from club music she wandered just a few albums later.

As can be expected for experimental albums, not every song succeeds. There are slow moments that may suck all of the patience from listeners ("Cover Me" and "Headphones" - although the latter certainly benefits when the listener is wearing headphones). However, I can easily overlook these tracks because of the brilliance I hear in "Hyper-Ballad" (my favorite Bjork song ever), "Army of Me," "It's Oh So Quiet," "Enjoy," "Isobel," "Possibly Maybe," and "I Miss You."

Because I love this song so much and think it encapsulates what makes this album so inspiring (not to mention one of the few songs I go ga-ga for the lyrics)...here's the video and lyrics for "Hyper-Ballad."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CSiU0j_lFA

We live on a mountain
Right at the top
There's a beautiful view
From the top of the mountain
Every morning I walk towards the edge
And throw little things off
Like:
Car parts, bottles and cutlery
Or whatever I find lying around

It's become a habit
A way
To start the day

I go through all this
Before you wake up
So I can feel happier
To be safe up here with you

It's early morning
No one is awake
I'm back at my cliff
Still throwing things off
I listen to the sounds they make
On their way down
I follow with my eyes 'til they crash
Imagine what my body would sound like
Slamming against those rocks

When it lands
Will my eyes
Be closed or open?

I go through all this
Before you wake up
So I can feel happier
To be safe up here with you

Songs I knew I liked: I've owned the album since it was released, so I know it all very well.

Songs I didn't know but now like: Too familiar to really have may opinion changed during these listens.

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Cover Me" and "You've Been Flirting Again" tend to get skipped.