Björk’s “Vespertine” · Jaw-Dropper
Here's my jaw-dropper episode about Björk's 2001 release "Vespertine." Unfortunately, Warner Music Group (and maybe Universal Music Group) have blocked the original version because I included short excerpts (between 20 and 40 seconds) that highlight and substantiate my commentary. Nevertheless, here's a version with all my talking parts and whatever music I could get away with. Hopefully you'll still find it enjoyable.
The original, unedited/uncensored, blocked video is here and available in some areas (like Belgium, apparently)
The jaw-dropper series highlights music that made my jaw drop when I first heard it. This episode is about Björk's 2001 masterpiece, Vespertine.
What do you think about this album? Is it a favorite of yours, too?
What do you think about Björk in general?
Video Transcript
Björk is one of those artists who has found a way to transcend typical human behavior without being called out as a “freak” and still, somehow, have global appeal. She’s done so much incredible visual art with her physical appearance, fashion, music videos, album artwork, and more. She just oozes creativity and has a distinctive way of stamping her will into the world.
Her album Vespertine is a stunning work of art. It opens to a dark and ominous track called “A Hidden Place” that begins a sonic journey of intimate vocals, haunting choral voices, and a masterful intertwining of digital and organic textures. It’s the perfect opening to an hour-long adventure through one of the world’s most creative musical minds. Drum wizard Morgan Ågren put it this way: “The first minutes are pure magic.”
Björk isn’t driven by convention and instead chooses to blaze her own path toward pure emotional expression. Vespertine is no exception. There isn’t a single contrived moment or even a standard set of chord changes. There’s no I-IV-V or I-V-vi-IV. It’s just music that’s perfectly organic, present, unassuming, and flowing out of her like a stream. Like a painting on the wall that gets more beautiful the longer you look at it. It’s indescribable.
You don’t have to take my word for it, either. Here are some of the comments from the MWM community about Vespertine:
Weird music expert Chris Opperman says: “This is my favorite Björk album. The way she incorporated Schoenberg’s [Transfigured Night] Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 into Hidden Place was very creative and…”
Wait, what? I had to go and listen to the Schoenberg piece and sure enough, it’s there. Take a listen. Hah! Super cool! Thanks, Chris! Okay, back to your comment...
“Very creative and inspiring, especially because of the thematic links between those two pieces. Pagan Poetry is another show stopper and there are other great little pieces like Frosti. I love the timbre of all the instruments she chose. 5/5”
Musician Andy Jones says: “Her best and a great example of what can be achieved when an artist who can do it all on her own collaborates with equally creative people.” Here here!
Joe Cady says: “Such a great album! The opening track is perfect, rhythmic beauty.”
Of course, the brilliant André Cholmondeley has a wonderful addition: “Stunning. Timeless. Inspirational, still. The accompanying concert film/dvd….. just wow. The way she hybridized various technologies, disciplines, music styles, production techniques….and purely beautiful music… amazing.”
MWM friend Cedric Theys says: “Vespertine has some of the most beautiful instrumental melodies I've ever heard. Very soothing and deep.”
Others said: “Perfection.” “One of the best albums ever.” “Brilliant album from a phenomenal artist.” So, you don’t just have to take my word for it on this one.
Percussive loops carry the album forward without a single identifiable instrument. There are no drums, only sounds you’d hear in everyday life. The hiss and light pops of a vinyl record, the feeling of your fingers rubbing a cardboard box, water dripping from a faucet, the brushing of clothing against a wall, the wind blowing through a curtain. It’s like someone made a whole album of loops using ASMR techniques.
Additionally, I’ve found the album to change when listening at different volumes. Crank up your loudspeakers, listen to tiny laptop speakers, nice headphones… every listening experience brings out different nuances in the timbres and textures of every whisper. This album is like its own little sonic world with an autonomous ecosystem.
The second track, Cocoon, feels voyeuristic as she shares private moments with explicit themes and super-up-close vocal recording. The fourth track, Undo, may be my favorite Björk track—period. It’s a detailed sound tapestry, almost fractal-like. The more you listen, the more you hear. Behind the music are various sounds and loops that unfold the more you open your ears to them. I’m going to guess there are 16 tracks of ambient sounds on this one.
Anyway, in my research, I found several references that she intentionally used instruments that would transfer well in low-quality mp3 file downloads, since that was a big concern at the time with Napster and similar p2p networks. I love that she would be thinking about how her music would sound illegally downloaded and that even the people “stealing” her music would have a beautiful experience. According to Wikipedia, she leaned on “the harp, the celeste, clavichord, strings, and custom music boxes.” You can really hear the music boxes on the sixth track, Frosti. They flow seamlessly into track seven, Aurora, which may have the most beautiful and picturesque melodies on the entire album.
There are several songs with more defined structures, like Pagan Poetry, Heirloom, It’s Not Up To You, and Unison. Those tracks may be better places to start if you aren’t ready for the breezier, organic tracks. To be clear, there’s not a bad song on this disc, but I prefer the nature of the more intimate and unpredictable songs.
If you’ve ever heard or seen Björk, you’ll know that there’s no one on earth who does what she does, sounds like she sounds, and looks how she looks. I’m not a Björk cult-follower or anything—and believe me, she has a serious cult following—but it’s safe to say she is one of the most unique and innovative musical artists of all time and I hope history treats her as such.
Vespertine completely shocked me the first time I heard it and it still shocks me to this day, twenty years later. I bought it the day it came out in 2001 knowing barely anything about Björk. My only exposure had been her strange big band hit, It’s Oh So Quiet, and the accompanying music video. Needless to say, this is nothing like that.
The album came out less than a year after she starred in Lars von Trier’s incredible film, Dancer in the Dark. I don’t remember when I saw the film, but I do remember being moved to tears and being depressed for a few days after seeing it. Nevertheless, there was a lot going on while she was working on Vespertine, including the release of Selmasongs, her soundtrack for the film. And there were several B-side tracks released with the album’s three singles: Hidden Place, Cocoon, and Pagan Poetry.
I don’t know why they were B-side releases—maybe to increase appeal for purchasing the singles—but they are also great. I only just found out about them thanks to Tom-Erik Løe’s Facebook comment. Verandi explores some microtonal singing with lots of audio cinematics. Generous Palmstroke fits right into the Vespertine vibe with the instrumentation, textures, and vocals. Foot Soldier has a jazzier feel, but definitely seems unfinished. You can explore the rest of them yourself if you’re interested. They’re all on YouTube.
Before I wrap it up, I just want to encourage you to look through her website, her music videos on YouTube, her album artwork, the amazing outfits she wears in public… She’s the total package. A walking, moving, living piece of art. While I can’t say I like everything she’s released, I love her approach to it all.
Anyway, I’d love to know if this album had the same kind of impact on you. If you give it a listen, let us know in the comments. It’d be great to hear anything constructive and open-minded.
