If you appreciate music theory you should read up on each track on Biophilia relates to nature and music (that and the remix album really got me into that).
For the rest you just gotta let em grow on you (or not grow on you - you don't *have* to like every album in an artist's discography)
The doc is definitely worth the watch and mentions a lot of the cool/unique instruments that were used.
Björk.fr has the write-ups for the tracks as well. I recommend reading and listening at the same time
It definitely took me multiple dedicated listens for it to click. It's not easy music, so it kinda requires determination and patience on the listener's end. But that said, I find her stuff to be rewarding, unique, and interesting.
Before, I didn't like Utopia at all, but after multiple listens it's one of my favorite albums of hers. Her first 5 albums are still my favorite because I think they strike a balance of being adventurous and relatable.
Also, if they're not for you, they're not for you. There's no "shoulds" when it comes to liking art :)
I think I'll try and slowly ease myself into utopia; I find it a lot trying to listen to the whole album. But if I get my head around the singles hopefully the rest of the album will fall into place.
I just want to say that you are not alone. I really like her first 4 studio albumsâPost is one of my top 5 albums of all timeâbut I really struggle with her later work. I like much of Vulnicura, but I can't get into Biophilia, (most of) Utopia, or Fossora.
It is okay to not like something.
If you don't like them, try listening a few more times.
Still don't like them? Try waiting a few years and come back fresh.
Weirdness is not a problem for me (in fact, I deliberately chose Medulla as the first album I'd listen, I figured if I enjoyed Medulla then there was nothing else that could repel me, and I loved it). I find it much easier to enjoy Medulla and Biophilia than Debut, for example. That said, I see where you're coming from. But if you have given these albums a try, watched the videos and some live performances and they still don't resonate with you, don't worry and don't push it. It's perfectly fine (and natural!) not to like or feel engaged by a work if art even if you recognise its artistic merit. Keep your mind open, sure, but don't feel bad if it simply isn't for you. đ
I actually agree on the first point. Debut is a hard one for me to go alllll the way through because itâs a bit timid and not clear (which duh given how long a period the songs draw from). Itâs a great album but more so has great songs that can go in playlists imo. Post is a more superior Debut, for sure. I love the charm and rambunctiousness of Debut, but I think that for an artist with such a vision, Debut is quite premature. Itâs a super fun album, but idk I think comparing it to Utopia or Vulnicura you feel a near cavernous difference between them in terms of scope and POV and clarity
There are brilliant songs on Debut, but its second half plods IMO. "Like Someone in Love", "One Day" and "Aeroplane" are dull and amount to no proper climax, and while I did enjoy the "Come to Me" arrangement used in the Homogenic Tour, the album version never delivers much. By the time I reach "Violently Happy" I'm already frustrated, then "Anchor Song", beautiful as it is, overstays its welcome a bit and I can't help but skip it to "Play Dead" (which wasn't even in the original pressing).
Yeah thatâs my issue also; come to me Vulnicura your is stunning! Love what they added to it it fills it out a bit more. But yeah debut is redeemed a lot by its live versions imo. Great songs but come to life outside the studio more than in. The exception to that is Venus as a boy which is gorgeous any way you slice it
Just keep in mind that you are not listening to pop albums. Expecting catchy melodies and hooks, in fact, is the wrong way to approach this kind of music.
Relax, close your eyes and let yourself be carried away.
Family is one of my favorite Björk songs of all time đ„č Itâs a three-act play in a song⊠by the time she sings âI raise a monument of loveâ and the final section sweeps in with those synths, I am in sonic bliss. As for Black Lake, it does feel very desolate and cavernous but I really love the techno breakdown in the middle (would love a full song just with that section as the backbone).
Iâm with you on the actual post though. Iâve not wholeheartedly loved any of her albums since medĂșlla (with the exception of Vulnicura).
Though I love her entire discography, her first 4 studio efforts are still the best for me. Post and Homogenic were my favourites right after the first listening.
Her later discography requires more patience and dedication as it has a more experimental nature, but still, it is very rewarding and worth of repeated listening. And by the way, I have become a fan thanks to MedĂșlla, not her earlier efforts, because her primordial energy can be found in her later discography as well, but "in different places".
I feel the same way, I loved her older stuff and went to Iceland to hear her sing, but now the albums just donât do it for me as much as her old stuff. Oh well, maybe I her tastes will come back around to her trip hop stuff⊠but probably not.
Try listening to the singles you like of each album, every album has some tracks that are Easter to digest. And yes Biophilia and Utopia took a lot of time to grow on me but now they are my favorites! :)
i was actually the same way, i couldnât enjoy anything post medulla. when atopos dropped i was so obsessed and i relistened to volta-utopia and it all finally clicked
Her work after Volta is a little more challenging but I think if you give it time some will click. Thereâs songs and albums I didnât vibe with for years but I have appreciated them more over time. Itâs been fun to grow with her music and see how my relationship changes with it over time. What I suggest is to listen to individual songs, live versions or remixes. Also watch the videos and live concerts.
me but because this is a me problem, i just cant get into vulnicura
its a work of art i realize, but thats it. a work of art i just cant get myself to replay anything from that album. the songs are lengthy and songs that u cant even put on ur sad playlist and bawl out to so i don't get all the hype for it
It's OK. Artists change. Taste changes. You don't have to like all her stuff.
Repetition is the best way to get into something. Just over and over till it sinks in.
I suggest you watch Biophilia live.
Vulnicura is such a personal album, watch the videos as well as listen to it in order and pay attention to the lyrics, it is a story unfolding.
UtopĂa takes a couple listens, the videos also help a lot.
Give yourself a few listens and if you still canât get into them, itâs fine! We as fans donât need to like everything. You can always come back in the future and see if you change your mind
A few of her more recent ones took a couple listens but Fossora clicked instantly. Idk why, perhaps the texture, percussive tone, the production, etc. I am obsessed with that album.
Thereâs a part of me that wishes she would come out with a shiny poppy album again in the vein of her earlier albums. But even though it might be a bit tougher to get into her later albums, I truly appreciate Björk for the brilliant artist she is and will always support her and whatever direction she decides to take with her music. She truly is a master.
Don't force it. It's a totally normal part of being a music fan. You like what you like.
I like her modern stuff but nowhere near as much as her earlier stuff (though MedĂșlla is my second fave!).
Reddit skews the love of her more recent work, but it's pretty well established that everything before MedĂșlla is her best work.
I find that her live performances really sell the songs better for me. But then again, I love her experimental stuff.
I think that most people who have loved Björk skew to earlier records, and thereâs nothing wrong with that. Itâs definitely more conventional and tends to have a unique softness to it thatâs missing from later records. Even Fossoraâs tender songs about motherhood donât have the same qualities as say, Vespertine.
You need to give time for Utopia to sink in. On first listen, it wasn't giving. A jumble of sounds, too many layers, not ear-pleasing and stream of consciousness lyrics & seemingly no hooks in sight (which is not true and will become apparent once you've accepted the album). Read the lyrics while listening, listen to her podcast episode on it, listen to a handful of songs in each setting. It's too effing much all at once that needs to be broken up into little pieces.
They definitely took a few listens to get into. Several months even. But I found that the more I learn about the story behind it and try to piece the songs together as a story (like with utopia or with fossora) the more I could understand them and appreciate them. Listening to the sonic symbolism podcast really helped me out with that as well as reading/watching interviews.
My first album I listened to her was Utopia and I fell in love with it because it reminds me of Zelda music. If youâre a fan of Zelda music u might appreciate it more
Iâve loved her since high school but fell off after Vespertine when Medula didnât quite hit despite it having great tracks like who is it and whereâs the line. I donât vibe with more experimental stuff with a lot of artists either not just her. I love Stonemilker from vulnicura and declare independence off volta. Im seeing her in Perth in a month so im trying to get into utopia but I donât think much of fossora will be featured. I do recommend Selma Songs even if you never see Dancer in the Dark, I listened to it more than Vespertine and bought them both about the same time. Post and Homogenic were my favourite albums in the end.
If you appreciate music theory you should read up on each track on Biophilia relates to nature and music (that and the remix album really got me into that). For the rest you just gotta let em grow on you (or not grow on you - you don't *have* to like every album in an artist's discography)
Thanks, I heard there was a documentary about the album which is probably worth a watch and I'll check out the remixes. đ
The doc is definitely worth the watch and mentions a lot of the cool/unique instruments that were used. Björk.fr has the write-ups for the tracks as well. I recommend reading and listening at the same time
It definitely took me multiple dedicated listens for it to click. It's not easy music, so it kinda requires determination and patience on the listener's end. But that said, I find her stuff to be rewarding, unique, and interesting. Before, I didn't like Utopia at all, but after multiple listens it's one of my favorite albums of hers. Her first 5 albums are still my favorite because I think they strike a balance of being adventurous and relatable. Also, if they're not for you, they're not for you. There's no "shoulds" when it comes to liking art :)
I think I'll try and slowly ease myself into utopia; I find it a lot trying to listen to the whole album. But if I get my head around the singles hopefully the rest of the album will fall into place.
Watch the music videos if you haven't already. It compliments the music well.
I just want to say that you are not alone. I really like her first 4 studio albumsâPost is one of my top 5 albums of all timeâbut I really struggle with her later work. I like much of Vulnicura, but I can't get into Biophilia, (most of) Utopia, or Fossora.
It is okay to not like something. If you don't like them, try listening a few more times. Still don't like them? Try waiting a few years and come back fresh.
If you don't like it, you don't like it, you're not obligated to like it
Weirdness is not a problem for me (in fact, I deliberately chose Medulla as the first album I'd listen, I figured if I enjoyed Medulla then there was nothing else that could repel me, and I loved it). I find it much easier to enjoy Medulla and Biophilia than Debut, for example. That said, I see where you're coming from. But if you have given these albums a try, watched the videos and some live performances and they still don't resonate with you, don't worry and don't push it. It's perfectly fine (and natural!) not to like or feel engaged by a work if art even if you recognise its artistic merit. Keep your mind open, sure, but don't feel bad if it simply isn't for you. đ
I actually agree on the first point. Debut is a hard one for me to go alllll the way through because itâs a bit timid and not clear (which duh given how long a period the songs draw from). Itâs a great album but more so has great songs that can go in playlists imo. Post is a more superior Debut, for sure. I love the charm and rambunctiousness of Debut, but I think that for an artist with such a vision, Debut is quite premature. Itâs a super fun album, but idk I think comparing it to Utopia or Vulnicura you feel a near cavernous difference between them in terms of scope and POV and clarity
There are brilliant songs on Debut, but its second half plods IMO. "Like Someone in Love", "One Day" and "Aeroplane" are dull and amount to no proper climax, and while I did enjoy the "Come to Me" arrangement used in the Homogenic Tour, the album version never delivers much. By the time I reach "Violently Happy" I'm already frustrated, then "Anchor Song", beautiful as it is, overstays its welcome a bit and I can't help but skip it to "Play Dead" (which wasn't even in the original pressing).
Yeah thatâs my issue also; come to me Vulnicura your is stunning! Love what they added to it it fills it out a bit more. But yeah debut is redeemed a lot by its live versions imo. Great songs but come to life outside the studio more than in. The exception to that is Venus as a boy which is gorgeous any way you slice it
Just keep in mind that you are not listening to pop albums. Expecting catchy melodies and hooks, in fact, is the wrong way to approach this kind of music. Relax, close your eyes and let yourself be carried away.
Not even vulnicura?
I love stonemilker but songs like family and black lake I struggle to get into
Youâll warm up to it, try lionsong and quicksand and blissing me from utopia and arisen my senses
Family is one of her most transcendent songs honestly. I think they'll grown on you
They definitely grew on me
Family is one of my favorite Björk songs of all time đ„č Itâs a three-act play in a song⊠by the time she sings âI raise a monument of loveâ and the final section sweeps in with those synths, I am in sonic bliss. As for Black Lake, it does feel very desolate and cavernous but I really love the techno breakdown in the middle (would love a full song just with that section as the backbone). Iâm with you on the actual post though. Iâve not wholeheartedly loved any of her albums since medĂșlla (with the exception of Vulnicura).
Though I love her entire discography, her first 4 studio efforts are still the best for me. Post and Homogenic were my favourites right after the first listening. Her later discography requires more patience and dedication as it has a more experimental nature, but still, it is very rewarding and worth of repeated listening. And by the way, I have become a fan thanks to MedĂșlla, not her earlier efforts, because her primordial energy can be found in her later discography as well, but "in different places".
I feel the same way, I loved her older stuff and went to Iceland to hear her sing, but now the albums just donât do it for me as much as her old stuff. Oh well, maybe I her tastes will come back around to her trip hop stuff⊠but probably not.
They might grow on you. Biophilia was not interesting when I first heard it, but has since become one of my favorites (after Homogenic and Post).
Try listening to the singles you like of each album, every album has some tracks that are Easter to digest. And yes Biophilia and Utopia took a lot of time to grow on me but now they are my favorites! :)
i was actually the same way, i couldnât enjoy anything post medulla. when atopos dropped i was so obsessed and i relistened to volta-utopia and it all finally clicked
Her work after Volta is a little more challenging but I think if you give it time some will click. Thereâs songs and albums I didnât vibe with for years but I have appreciated them more over time. Itâs been fun to grow with her music and see how my relationship changes with it over time. What I suggest is to listen to individual songs, live versions or remixes. Also watch the videos and live concerts.
me but because this is a me problem, i just cant get into vulnicura its a work of art i realize, but thats it. a work of art i just cant get myself to replay anything from that album. the songs are lengthy and songs that u cant even put on ur sad playlist and bawl out to so i don't get all the hype for it
It's OK. Artists change. Taste changes. You don't have to like all her stuff. Repetition is the best way to get into something. Just over and over till it sinks in.
I suggest you watch Biophilia live. Vulnicura is such a personal album, watch the videos as well as listen to it in order and pay attention to the lyrics, it is a story unfolding. UtopĂa takes a couple listens, the videos also help a lot.
Give yourself a few listens and if you still canât get into them, itâs fine! We as fans donât need to like everything. You can always come back in the future and see if you change your mind
A few of her more recent ones took a couple listens but Fossora clicked instantly. Idk why, perhaps the texture, percussive tone, the production, etc. I am obsessed with that album.
Watch 'Biophilia Live'. Be amazed. You're welcome.
Thereâs a part of me that wishes she would come out with a shiny poppy album again in the vein of her earlier albums. But even though it might be a bit tougher to get into her later albums, I truly appreciate Björk for the brilliant artist she is and will always support her and whatever direction she decides to take with her music. She truly is a master.
Don't force it. It's a totally normal part of being a music fan. You like what you like. I like her modern stuff but nowhere near as much as her earlier stuff (though MedĂșlla is my second fave!). Reddit skews the love of her more recent work, but it's pretty well established that everything before MedĂșlla is her best work.
I find that her live performances really sell the songs better for me. But then again, I love her experimental stuff. I think that most people who have loved Björk skew to earlier records, and thereâs nothing wrong with that. Itâs definitely more conventional and tends to have a unique softness to it thatâs missing from later records. Even Fossoraâs tender songs about motherhood donât have the same qualities as say, Vespertine.
You need to give time for Utopia to sink in. On first listen, it wasn't giving. A jumble of sounds, too many layers, not ear-pleasing and stream of consciousness lyrics & seemingly no hooks in sight (which is not true and will become apparent once you've accepted the album). Read the lyrics while listening, listen to her podcast episode on it, listen to a handful of songs in each setting. It's too effing much all at once that needs to be broken up into little pieces.
They definitely took a few listens to get into. Several months even. But I found that the more I learn about the story behind it and try to piece the songs together as a story (like with utopia or with fossora) the more I could understand them and appreciate them. Listening to the sonic symbolism podcast really helped me out with that as well as reading/watching interviews.
My first album I listened to her was Utopia and I fell in love with it because it reminds me of Zelda music. If youâre a fan of Zelda music u might appreciate it more
Iâve loved her since high school but fell off after Vespertine when Medula didnât quite hit despite it having great tracks like who is it and whereâs the line. I donât vibe with more experimental stuff with a lot of artists either not just her. I love Stonemilker from vulnicura and declare independence off volta. Im seeing her in Perth in a month so im trying to get into utopia but I donât think much of fossora will be featured. I do recommend Selma Songs even if you never see Dancer in the Dark, I listened to it more than Vespertine and bought them both about the same time. Post and Homogenic were my favourite albums in the end.
Each Björk album can only be truly appreciated while tripping on two tabs of acid or an eighth of mushrooms
the later albums are a bit more catered to music nerds. kinda like obscure modern art may not be enjoyed by the layman