Björk
Homogenic
(Elektra)
It's kind of hard to believe that Björk has been on the music scene for over 10 years now. The every-morphing singer sometimes looks like she's no older than a teenager in photos. After the break-up of the Sugarcubes, she set off on a solo career in 1993 with her album Debut. Since then, she's released work at quite a prolific rate, churning out the album Post, the remix disc Telegram, as well as several singles.
Homogenic is a completely logical transition from the remix album that didn't recieve very popular reviews. She's worked with (and been engaged to) artists like Goldie and Tricky, and she worked with Howie B on her newest disc. Instead of sounding directly influenced by anyone, Björk manages to create a complete sound of her own. While her new album plays with even more electronic sounds, it also has more of a sense of classicism than her old discs. For most of the tracks, the help of a string octet has been enlisted. With the exception of the hard-hitting "Pluto" and aggressive "Hunter," the disc is fairly calm. Instead, it is a careful synthesis of beautiful string arrangements and controlled electronic beats. The real highlights of the disc are definitely the vocals. Her almost omni-present voice ranges from a whisper to a scream, but is never devoid of feeling. All this makes for another original and inventive album from an artist who definitley doesn't define her sound by what can be heard on the radio.
Rating: 8
