Rated: Björk's Top Studio Albums in Order of Excellence
Björk, the Icelandic enigma, has pumped out a drool-worthy discography that sets her apart from the rest. With the long-awaited release of Fossora, we're plunging headfirst into her eleventh studio album. Let's take a tour through Nottingham's die-hard fan, Jono Beard's, top picks from Björk's iconic and groundbreaking collections...
Fossora is here, and the buzz around it is tingling excitement...
Björk hasn't unleashed a new album in five years, so it's safe to say this one has taken its sweet time coming. Atopos, the first single, brings a raw, earthy energy with its bass-heavy beats, clarinets, and gabbber-style tribal drumming. It's a wild-eyed love letter to her roots, reminding us of some of her earlier work. Each listen reveals more detail, and it's growing on me like a stubborn barnacle on a weekend-tough rock. This just might be my journey with most of her work from the past decade: I put in the time, and she rewards me with captivating beauty.
9. Volta - Playtime for rebels
The frenzy surrounding Volta was my first taste of the exhilaration and anticipation bubbling before a Björk album release. In early 2007, a sense of tentative optimism was palpable within the fandom; there was a perception that Björk had ventured a little too far into the experimental and avant-garde with Medulla, with pop sensibilities taking a back seat. Timbaland co-produced several songs on this album, casting some serious shadow over Nellee Hooper, who had been instrumental in her sound on the early albums.
Like the Hooper-infused tracks from the early albums, the Timbaland collaborations on Volta feel like quintessential Björk. This album has its high points, but some parts leave me wanting more. The lacking lyricism in Hope isn't helping it's case. Perhaps one day, when the artist finally tackles Volta on her Sonic Symbolism podcast, we'll peek behind the velvet curtain to find out what was going through her mind while creating this unique gem.
Favourite song: I See Who You Are
8. Vulnicura - The storm before the calm
Ultra-raw heartbreak, the triumphant return of strings, and bittersweet emotion. These are the elements that make Vulnicura a sibling to Homogenic, only this time with the baggage of battled-scars. This powerful record may be a controversial low-ranking for some, but let's be real; the emotionally-taxing statements she delivers throughout this album resonate with so many of us.
I struggle with the balancing act within the mixing on the second half of this LP; some of the busy, discordant blending distracts from the beauty that lies beneath the mess. Nevertheless, the first act and the final track never fail to leave me breathless.
Favourite song: Stonemilker
7. but - The golden child that doesn't even know it
If this was the only album Björk ever released, she'd still be a legend. That's saying something, because it's sinfully far from being her best work. This iconic collection of tunes put shape to her most memorable songs and videos, merging brass quartets, house, trip-hop, jazz, Bollywood strings, and electronic beats to create a sonic melting pot. You won't find a bad track in the bunch, and many of the songs could have easily been singles. In retrospect, this might have been the last of her albums to feature guitars anywhere.
Favourite song: One Day
6. Vespertine - A dazzling exploration of night-time beauty
Intimate, ethereal, wintry, and delicate, Vespertine serves as a fascinating exploration of the darkness that follows. A paradise for harps, music boxes, strings, and choirs, Vespertine showcases the heights she can reach during a truly chill mid-winter's eve. Nestled within intense eroticism and breathtaking moments, it's not hard to understand why this is a fan favorite - though I do think it codified her sound and image in a way that affects her later work.
Favourite song: Unison
5. Biophilia - Eco-acoustic nirvana
The album was a part of an expansive project, complete with a David Attenborough documentary and an interactive app that brought each song to life through accompanying mini-games. I had a recent epiphany one day that Biophilia is strikingly similar to Post, both in the varying textures and styles across each track, and the fact that each seemed to inspire a remix album of their own. Biophilia crawled under my skin gradually, with the atmospheric Virus and the enchanting Cosmogony briefly illuminating my world before the experimentalism of the rest of the album took a front-seat in my playlist.
Favourite song: Virus
4. Utopia - A joyous odyssey into colorful dreams
This album took a while for me to fully grasp, and by "a while," I mean several years. The synth-laden expansiveness, synth-laden and cohesive as it is, can tend to blur into an unmemorable blur if you're not completely engaged. 'The Gate' and 'Losss' sparked a curiosity in me, and soon I was in the thralls of this beautiful sonic cascade. In true Björk fashion, it's a grower, not a shower; it takes time to let the magic unfold.
Favourite song: The Gate
3. Post - The multifaceted masterpiece
Vibrant, fun, and endlessly charming, Post is a crazy-quilt mix of industrial beats, trance, electronic experimentation, big band sounds, jazz, jungle rhythms, classical strings, Latin house, ambient soundscapes, and trip-hop. How on earth is everything so cohesive and yet still feels so fresh? This thrilling musical buffet laid the groundwork for some of my favorite albums from other artists, which I would discover years later. Post might just be the key to my adoration of musical misfits like Yoko Ono and Sainkho Namtchylak.
Favourite song: Hyperballad
2. Homogenic - A seamless blend of dark landscapes and emotional battlefields
Emotionally charged and sonically transcendent, Homogenic left an indelible mark on my heart -- one that echoes the bittersweet nostalgia I get from the string arrangements that were popular in the '90s and early '00s. I still regularly picture myself on the muddy grass, back in Year 9, curled up in a ball as a boy questions the appeal of Björk. I'm thankful for the lessons her music taught me, even though that boy didn't get his chance to beat me up that day. In Year 9, Pleasure Is All Mine brushed against my heart when we were introduced in that car, and from that moment on, I fell deeper and deeper into her captivating embrace.
Favourite song: Bachelorette
1. Medulla - The intricate, experimental download straight to my soul
An album where the human voice is the foundation for experimentation, Medúlla still shines brightly for me as the best Björk has ever put out. The divine complexity of Desired Constellation, the relentlessly atmospheric Submarine, the hymnal Vökuró, and the raw aggression in Where Is The Line make up an unforgettable adventure through the majesty of this record. To this day, Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right) transports me to a magical place, where I'm lost in a wonderland of electronic experimentation, beautifully created by the human voice and a splendid vehicle to push the boundaries of my young musical tastes.
Favourite song: Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)
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- The diversity of genres in Björk's music, such as electronic, jazz, and classical, makes her a key figure in both pop-culture and music entertainment.
- Listening to Björk's albums is a journey that rewards patience, revealing captivating beauty with repeated listens, showcasing her as a mastermind of both music and entertainment.
