Björk – Homegenic

 

I was actually starting to feel a little bit more relaxed in many senses. And through the Drakefest I was persevering; I mixed it up one day and even though I was playing this yesterday, it’s not worth it to ignore it. In any other words, Björk’s Homogenic was something I recently busted out and I’ve definitely been loving it all over again. It’s not as if all hope is lost but do I feel helpless, yeah partly.

I used to have a friend that really thought the world of this album – to be lazily clichéd. I remember he mentioning it was absolutely perfect and one of the best albums ever, ever. I never really could say – nor did I want to say – anything back. I mean, this is during a time when many would consider OK Computer the best album of recent times (20 or so years) and coincidentally, Homogenic came out the same year as that aforesaid album. (It’s gonna be 20 years from ’97 in five years! – not so subtle fact) But I mean, was I gonna disagree that it’s perfect? That it’s the best? Nah.

It’s like when someone says Bob Dylan is just as good and as important as The Beatles. I kind of shrug but do I necessarily disagree? Or like if we’re talking about the best Beatle and one says George is the best? Hmm, it’s kind of ponder-some, I guess. But do I disagree? nah.

Music is so awesome. It’s all sorts of flavors and most and some and for some all, can be loved equally. I mean Björk kills it on this album in every possible way. She’s at the forefront during her time as someone making gorgeously challenging music at the end of that century and she’s delivering heartfelt lyrics that embody a full sense of confidence, romanticism and sheer brilliance. It’s hard to say where Björk continues to go from here, last year’s Biophilia was great; but Homogenic sounds like if heaven exists, this is what it sounds like. She’s sort of preceding Kid A with her electronic flurries and where she masks synths to sound like strings, or pounding away at keyboards for a thick wall of sound, she sounds flawless, sure.

Take “Unravel” and it’s downright perfect, yes, composure. She’s made a completely beautiful love song through morbidly dark, yet very real, feelings. The lyrics alone explain it all:

While you are away, my heart comes undone
Slowly unravels, in a ball of yarn
The devil collects it, with a grin
Our love, in a ball of yarn

He'll never return it

So when you come back
We'll have to make new love

The second (third?) part I put in italics just because of the way she sings it, it’s like a chorus and her voice sounds like a ghostly choir that well, it just fits. It’s emotionally gripping of course but her structure of the music – lovely decorations, a soft drum beat in the background and her gorgeous voice all over – is something to behold.

I feel like a chump even for what I tried to write about it. No words can really describe how perfect this is, angelic, just yeah.

So yeah, the album flows so sweetly that the next song, “Bachelorette” is the perfect follow-up. It’s a stomping sound that really explored Björk’s ability at presenting that huge wall of sound. There’s a slow creep at the beginning before the sweeping strings tower in; there’s a strong, menacing tenacity to her voice, as if she’s fueled by anger. But again, in many ways, it’s another love song where she’s tortured and yet, yearning for her lover. There’s such beauty with the way she masters her metaphors to truly showcase such wonderful imagery with every single verse, one of my favorites:

Drink me, make me feel real…wet your beak in the stream
Game we're playing is life, love is a two way dream

Just a sample of her bad-ass-ness but nonetheless, an important factor, helplessness blues and all. – Bryan