What was meant to be a short series of classic songs by Björk, has turned into an unexpected larger project. Bare with me, if you aren’t a Björk fan, I’m coming to a close at looking at one of alternative music’s definitive artists. I have earmarked two more entries. But first a look at one of Björk’s most loved songs.
Björk’s later albums following the success of Debut (1993) and Post (1995) would continue to see her evolve as an artist. For instance, albums like her masterpiece Homogenic (1997) fused heavy electronic beats with soaring strings. While Medulla (2004) made use of human voices almost entirely without instrumental accompaniment. On the deeply romantic and sensual Vespertine (2001) Björk opts for soft vocals (often whispered) and harps; only to passionately express great grief and sorrow (chronicling the end of a relationship), a decade later on the seriously string-heavy Vulnicura (2015). Some of Björk’s other great triumphs like Biophilla (2011) and Fossara (2022) examine conceptual themes around nature, science, isolation and human connection. On Biophilla, Björk’s ode to nature, lies one of my favourite tracks from that album, Mutual Core. The music video, directed by Andrew Thomas Huang, is a work of art in itself. (Check out the behind the scenes look at the music video here below.)
As a visual pioneer Björk has almost singlehandedly transform the music video into high art, collaborating with the likes of Stephane Sednaoui, Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry, who directed eight videos for Björk, including Human Behaviour, Isobel and Army of Me. She attracted controversy in 2001 for both Pagan Poetry and Cocoon, which were subsequently banned at the time for its perceived nudity and explicit sexual acts like fellatio. Some of her videos easily fall into the “hard-to-like” category, like the bizarre, strong militant and industrial themed music video for Declare Independence, but there is no doubt her creative choices knows no bounds. While I’m not really a music video kind of person, I do see the value in the performance art and aesthetics of Björk’s visuals, especially Mutual Core which finds Björk buried waist-deep in sand while geological rocks hover overhead and interact with her movements.
Circling back to the music of Mutual Core, Björk compares the Earth’s tectonic shifts to the active push-and-pull between two individuals fighting for common ground and understanding. “To counteract distance/ I know you gave it all/ Offered me harmony/ If things were done your way/ My Eurasian plate subsumed/ Forming a mutual core.” I also enjoy how Björk compares the rate of tectonic plate movement to about the same speed at which human fingernails grow, “As fast as your fingernails grows/ The Atlantic ridge drifts.” This is actually true and a nice nod to the science of plate tectonics. Sonically, I’m also fond of how Björk blends the aura of a traditional pipe organ with heavy electronic beats. In short, its ambient sound compliments Björk’s chant-like lyrics perfectly.
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