Vespertine

I am not a fan of Björk. Like... REALLY not a fan. She tries too hard to be weird for the sake of being weird and the music suffers for it. This lo-fi, chamber-chill, trip-track album is rough enough without Bjork's whispery, wavery, warbling vocals. She goes out of her way to avoid anything resembling a song structure or an actual melody, instead choosing to wander around aimlessly like a wino on a three-day bender. This album is utterly pointless. I fail to understand how it has garnered so many awards and accolades. I can only assume it's some sort of Emporor's Clothes situation where the pseudo-intellectual music critic crowd wants to appear smart so they gush about the beauty of something that nobody actually sees just because it's Bjork so they're supposed to like it.

This is a surprising one for me. I knew of her most popular songs, but never checked out a whole record. This was enchanting and made me want to become a fairy in the forest. Which is impressive considering I was actually suffering in rush hour traffic and sweating like a pig.

Bjork crafts these wonderful pieces of music with so much purpose, you can hear it in her production. I'd like to think she is primarily a vocal artist, with her voice at the forefront. This makes the music all the more purposeful, being built around the central driving force of Bjork's singing (which is wonderful, by the way). As such, there's a lot of beauty here in this album, with some of the compositions reminding me of one of my favorite albums of all time (Actor by St. Vincent). It's a wonderful body of work, I don't think I can find anything bad to say about it. Well done, Bjork.

Holy mother of god this album is astounding. This could be the best-sounding album on this entire list. Amazing, lush, ethereal textures make this album fabulously enchanting and captivating. This album was definitely outside of my comfort zone but I was quick to warm up to it. I haven’t heard anything else of Byork’s solo stuff, what a good introduction to an artist I keep being disappointed by reviewers on this website, they tend to have awful biases against anything even slightly unorthodox. This album is monumental but has a fairly mediocre rating here. The only criticism people can think up is very lame and unjust: “I don’t like her voice” or “the song structures are unorthodox” or “she’s trying too hard to be weird”. It is so stupid to say an artist is trying too hard when they actually achieve something unique and amazing. Were the Beatles trying too hard to be weird when they recorded Sgt Pepper’s? Were the Beach Boys trying too hard to be artsy on Pet Sounds? I think that the aesthetic this album achieves is basically unparalleled. What an experience this is. I just relish the experience of being IMPRESSED by an album, which is a rare experience

I should start by saying that I admire Bjork much more than I enjoy her music. She typically has more ideas in one album than most artists have in their entire careers. She is painstaking in her professionalism and attention to detail. There is nothing lazy or half-hearted about her music. She is perhaps the most committed artist I know of and utterly fearless. And she draws inspiration from a bewildering array of sources. Given how strange her music is, I'm both shocked and grateful that she's had such a long and successful career. She's made room for tons of artists who aren't nearly as daring as she. So why don't I like her better? Probably because her eclecticism and general weirdness overwhelms my poor aged brain. Which is why Verspertine is such a surprise. Not that the album lacks ideas, but they're all pressed into the service of a singular and coherent vision. Listening to Vespertine is like listening to a teenager sing her diary in her attic bedroom at three in the morning, the needle on a record player repeatedly glitching at the end of an album, rain pattering on the window. Bjork's voice rarely rises above a whisper, but she sings with naked emotional intensity. She uses pre-recorded sounds heavily, the way Portishead did on Dummy, but Bjork takes it much further, recording antique music boxes, doors closing, and other found sounds, in addition to musical loops. In addition to the music/found sound loops, Bjork also employs percussive instruments like harpsichord and xylophone, and a full orchestra. It's a unique mix, extremely detailed like all of her work, and a lot to absorb in one sitting. More than any other album I've listened to recently, the music of Vespertine seems designed to support Bjork's vocal performance and lyrics, rather than be an end in itself. So, to really do justice to Vespertine in an review, I would really have to grapple with her lyrics and evaluate how well the musical accompaniment enriches them. That's too much work for me, but I can give my impression, which is that Vespertine is a very accomplished piece of work. Confessional and intimate, atmospheric ballads aren't really my thing, but Vespertine is pretty darned good.

Sounds like Dolores O’Riordan held a knife to Avril Lavigne’s throat and told her to sing like Fergie trying to be Alanis Morrisette.

I can appreciate the thought and care that went into this and the production is pretty good, but got to be honest I just can't get into her voice and her weird infantile fairy thing.

Original, emotional, introspective, magical. Recommended season: Autumn

Hi- Hidden Place, Pagan Poetry, Aurora, Unison Weaving the hollow and empty with grandiose and dramatic, synthetic with natural, the devious with the naive, listening to Björk is like watching a crystal-clear video stream glitching out on a flaky connection; It's poetic, flowing, and jarring. This kind of evolution of Björk's tapestry of duality is interspersed throughout Vespertine, bizarre, beautiful and disastrous. Hidden Place is an other-worldly (a term all too often associated with Björk's work) track that sets the tone for the 50 minute journey that follows, with Björk's signature struggled breathy crooning (Pagan Poetry) vs her wild belting of notes that echo off the back walls of time (Aurora), it's endearing as much as it is unsettling. Unison is both claustrophobic and expansive, just more opposites that get played off of each other which are part-and-parcel for a vacation through the strange world of Björk, a world that simply couldn't be anyone else's.

I love this album. I had never heard it before, but it was such a good listen. I will put it in rotation from this point on. I had really only heard Björk's second album previously, and this album isn't similar at all. It seems to be heavy influenced by a more minimal electronic sound, and i really really like it. The album is quite same-y, but in a really great way, if flows from beginning to end, you never feel the weight of it being over 55 mins. It kind of reminds me about what I love about REM's Up, and OK Computer and maybe slightly some Sigor Ros. For me, albums like this are what this list is all about. It's great As for a rating, I feel like I have to go with a 5, you could argue a 4, but i think it's just such an enjoyable experience and it sounds outstanding, the production is amazing, her voice is unreal. I just love it 5/5

Not my usual thing but I respect what Bjork is doing. I overlooked her music in the 90's because the media focused on her portrayal as a kooky manic pixie dream girl and I assumed that her vocals were heavy on screeching and yowling. I was pleasantly surprised to listen to this album that was crafted with layers of texture, and now I think that (as with most female artists from the 90's) Bjork was overlooked in favour of her male peers.

I love Bjork. So strange and unique, yet still catchy and listenable. This album is no exception. 4 stars.

Bjork's voice is something else. Between the timbre, meandering around the scale, qne formless lyrics, it's confusing and gripping at the same time. Production wise, it's quite modern and would fit well with today's pop trends. The metallic synths are very much 21st century dream pop while the sparse de-emphasized rhythms are still distinctively 90s. Weirdly, I would definitely give this a re-listen.

I'm not a Bjork fan but this is the most cohesive album of hers that I've ever heard. I still can't really get past her voice or the shoehorning of lyrics into spaces where they just don't fit. But as Bjork goes...not bad.

Seems like Bjork is singing her emotions which so that you feel her music rather than just hear it.

Bjork's unique diction and style of singing sound vaguely like how I'd imagine Lorde would sing if she were Werner Herzog's daughter. The instrumentals and production on this album were most likely a significant early influence on the low-fi alternative genre. Overall a surprisingly enjoyable and original album for anyone who doesn't mind Bjork's unconventional singing style.

I try not to say "artsy" music like this is bad, because I feel like I just don't get it, and that's my fault. But man, this is kinda bad. I guess I can appreciate the alien sound. It almost seems like something the belters from The Expanse series would listen to - just totally foreign to my ears. Anyway, I probably won't be returning to the album.

This album remind me a lot of the Joni Mitchell album where the background music isn't really doing anything but she's saying something it's just I'm not there to really understand it and it's not my forte

Like listening to a DJ mixing two tracks that have nothing in common while standing next to freeway hearing traffic go by.

An album that not only exudes its love lyrically, but becomes the pinnacle of this feeling of feeling safe in one's arm via the mixture of strings that make you swoon and synths that make you feel as though you are lifting off, all perfectly illustrated by the album cover. Its sensual, its personal, its even got this tinge of sadness in its coldness, but its the type of freezing that makes you excited for the fireside, window view of falling snow with the love of your love. Every part of this makes me feel an emotion that it captures perfectly. Similar to Radiohead's Kid A, Bjork is so ahead of her contemporaries, that this still sounds light years ahead of any music being created now, and is really its own thing. Sure, perhaps it blends at points, but isn't that what you want out of this sort of album? To be infused with it, rather than a bystander, you are feeling the pure and utter love that Bjork has for her partner, and whilst that tinge of sadness only grows stronger with the knowledge that Vulnicura is about the very person this album is about, but in the moment this is bliss incarnate.

Before listening I checked the top reviews and found exactly what I expected to find. It got me worked up, I was gonna ramble on about them, but then the music calmed me down. Will leave it for another time. Saw somebody call this album an "adult lullaby", beautiful description. Enchanting voice, cool chill beats, awesome balls. This album is pure sex

This is slowly becoming my favourite of hers (I say that after listening to every Bjork album)

Love

Beautiful album with high replay value

bjork rules and this is her best album. somber, thoughtful, eerie, transcendent. i have a recurring dream, folks.

Of course I know Björk but not this album. I never was a true fan (for some reason I viscerally hate "It' Oh So Quiet"), mostly because of the Marmite vocals that can border on vocal acrobatics to my ears. BUT I not so in this album, which I liked. All songs are good (I like the last one best I think), atmospheric, and this album definitely has a place among the 1001.

The music was great really high

I'm torn on how to rate this. 100% absolutely beautiful and unique music. But, I'll probably never listen to it again.

Cold, haunting, but all around beautiful. The often spaced out soundscapes match perfectly with bjork's incredible voice. Although admittedly a little too long for my willingness to stick with this sound, I can see why many consider this one of her finest works. Favorites: Cocoon, It's Not Up To You, Aurora

Hard to describe what this album is about but I feel it. Takes some warming up but eventually you realize you are in her world and her emotions come through leaving me feeling it all without fully understand it. I step out of this album as if I just left a theater. I experienced a piece of art that I want to go back to and experience once more. There’s more there and I’m excited to go back in.

This was my introduction to Björk, and at the time I had never heard anything quite like it. I remember being struck by how the music could be so soft and subtle but incredibly lush and layered

I love the uniqueness of her voice, the production values and the quirkiness of her music. On the flip side, it was rather maudlin overall, which was a barrier to engaging with it more. "Heirloom" gets a shout out for featuring some kind of Casio keyboard percussion track but making it work

Its very much like sound as texture. like ASMR. Its cool but I am not quite sure what it makes me feel. I feel sort of lost in these sounds, can't quite predict how the songs will go. Its Not Up To You is a good track. Pagan Poetry is intense. Good album to have on in the winter. Yea this album is a lot about getting busy, and the songs themselves individually don't have the same impact as the whole thing in its totality.

Bjork at her most Bjorkish. Wears a bit thin in places, no real standout tracks, and it was about this time that Goldfrapp took it to a more interesting place.

Vespertine is unconventionally and hauntingly creative, with moments of beauty for me. However, overall, it's not something I would listen to again. I respect Bjork's work, but don't gravitate to her art.

Day 30 of Albums You Must Hear... Vesterpine is the fourth studio album from Icelandic singer Björk, an artist that has been creating since age 11. Vesterpine is part art pop, part trip hop and part electronica. Björk’s voice is very similar to Portishead’s singer Beth Gibbons. The sound of the vocals has a quiet and comforting ambience to it. The production is very good and it definitely had that trip hop quality to it, sonically. While the majority of Vesterpine is a tad too emo for my personal taste, I can see why some fans call it her best album to date. The songs that I liked were Hidden Place, It’s Not Up To You and Heirloom. Lastly, Björk got a lot of attention for the swan dress that she wore to the 2001 Oscars, she is also wearing that dress on the cover of Vesterpine. Anyhow, next album please!! Please share your thoughts, memories and opinions!

no no no no I listened to the whole thing and I just don't care. I want my hour back.

Warning/Spoiler Alert: There are 2 more Bjork albums in the list of 1001.

Experimental and ethereal as always. I love it.

Initial thought: I LOVE Bjork! the day after OK Computer - I'm in heaven! So, I love Bjork. I know she's not everyone's cup of tea, and I understand why. But there's such delicacy in her sound that never seems to get overshadowed in her powerful moments, or the times where she's most creative or experimental, which allows for such beauty in her sound that it can get overwhelming. This album leans hard into that delicacy and beauty, as it sounds like a girl in love - the gauzy, exhilarating first moments of love where every sense is heightened, every moment is forever, and all the pieces seem to fit. I love this album. 5 stars.

Uno de los descubrimientos de esta lista tbh

so floay, I own the CD

I will repeat myself, but one of the most baffling mistakes in the 1001 Albums book is that *Post* and *Homogenic* are missing in it. Selecting *Debut* makes sense, *Medulla* and *Vulnicura* a little less so -- even if I'm always happy to see Björk's face pop out on this app -- but if *really* you want to represent the Icelandic diva's huge impact in the music world (and culture at large), you just got to include her second and third solo albums, period. What about *Vespertine*, then? Well, in some sense, it meticulously follows the footsteps initiated with *Homogenic*, and as such, it's the last step of Björk's upward curve from the late nineties to the early noughts -- just like when you are hiking on the breathtaking mountains of Iceland, to finally reach a scenic plateau where you can stand, look back, and admire the wonderful path you've taken so far. Sometimes, the journey matters more than the destination. But the destination is so beautiful here on a general level, that it makes this particular step as crucial as the ones that preceded it. Compared to *Homogenic*, the rhythms and sonic landscapes are somewhat less rough, more inviting or glossier to the touch, thanks to guests such as Danish electronic artist Thomas Knack, the off-kikter duo of American programmers Matmos, or harpist Zeena Parkins. You have crystalline music boxes, dreamy choirs and cozier moods. It's as if the lava that clashed with ice on "Homogenic" had now solidified, allowing you to tread on a firmer ground to explore more terrain. It's a listening experience that's a little less adventurous than what occured before during the hike, admittedly, and with some more complacent (or at times suddenly weirder) dynamics in the second half of the album. Yet I guess most of the other songs are also very digestible or accessible to general audiences, hence why this album ended up in Dimery's list, maybe. That being said, it's still 100% Björk, which means that the glacial surroundings and the elated vocals are still there to take you to unprecedented heights in the realm of electronic music. Opener "Hidden Place" turns an erotic tryst between the singer and her new lover into a whole fantasy quest of epic dimensions, thanks to that insane choir in the background, supported by one of the most enticing electronic rhythm patterns ever written. Subdued and subtle "Cocoon" explores post-orgasmic bliss in an incredibly poetic fashion (also strikingly graphic at times). Björk here proves that she's equally at ease singing in soft, hushed tones, belying her unwarranted reputation as a sole purveyor of theatrics and drama. "Undo" is part a meditative, introspective search for meaning, and part another epic adventure transporting you to realms of the soul yet unseen, "Pagan Poetry" is tense and poignant in its new exploration of physical and emotional attachment, and closer "Unison" is filled with a fragile yet also wide-eyed sense of hope for the future. "I never thought I would compromise,' the young woman sings, discovering that she doesn't need to master her surroundings and love interests to master and channel her own well of surging emotions. Yielding to the other, surrending yourself, and finding out who you really are in the process, this is what Björk asks of herself here, and if you manage to do the same, you will end up receiving more than what you gave in the first place so as to finally open your heart to this beautiful LP, even for the vast majority of the other tracks I haven't mentioned here. "Undo," the Icelandic genius constantly suggests us in *Vespertine*. Sometimes reaching bliss is just a question of how to let go. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5) Number of albums left to review: around a hundred, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 436 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 258 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 319

Bjork es una figura fascinante en la música contemporánea. Por muchos motivos, sus obras abarcan estilos y corrientes variadas pero todas de enorme valor y calidad. Si bien sus tres pimeros discos son más accesibles este Vespertine sería uno de los más recomendables para iniciarse en su mundo (Sugarcubes al margen). Si bien sus tres pimeros discos configuran un trío espectacular, este (el 4º) es el más equilibrado y el que mejor ha resistido el paso del tiempo. La producción de Matmos lejos de resentirse ha ganado con los años. It´s not up to you es una de las mejores temas de Bjor, y los tiene muy buenos. Otros discos de 2001, el año del revival garagero con Is this it de los Strokes y White blood cells de los White Stripes como punta de lanza, así como otros discos estupendos: Things We Lost in the Fire de Low, Rock action de Mogway, el album verde de Weezer, Origin of symmetry de Muse, Morning view de Incubus, Gold de Ryan Adams, The Invisible Band de Travis, Rings Around The World de Super Furry Animals, Hot Shots II de The Beta Band, debuts de Gillian Welch o Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions, It's a Wonderful Life de Sparklehorse.... (otros discos notabes también fueron Love and theft, Hallelujah! de La Buena Vida, Pleased to Meet You de James, Free All Angels de Ash, Souljacker de Eels, Can Our Love... de Tindersticks o el segundo de Manu Chao) y con la electrónica a pleno rendimiento ya fuera por vía experimental (Amnesiac), estética (Discovery de Daft Punk, los debuts de Gorillaz, Röyksopp, Zero 7) o simplemente lúdica (Fever de Kilye, Survivor de las Destiny´s Child...) ese mismo año publican Madredeus el sugerente Movimento y Gotan Project La revancha del tango....

I can’t believe Bjork invented UK drill. This album is like sitting next to a window on a rainy day. The production choices and vocal layering create a dreamy aesthetic that makes this still feel fresh. Fantastic.

I am shocked. I love this. I have no words to describe but it makes me FEEL . Perhaps if Radiohead and Tori Amos and Kate Bush all went to an active volcano and peered in they’d see Bjork staring up at them…. I don’t know. I am flabbergasted. I almost skipped this one assuming that I wouldn’t like it…

Lovely, mellow, contemplative. It’s possible I’ve unfairly discounted this album for several years, as I don’t think it’s as dynamic or exciting as her first three efforts. I have to appreciate, though, that an artist can’t just always keep making the same thing again and again, no matter how much I like that thing, and even if newer material speaks to me a tad less on a personal level, it still may be incredibly rewarding. By revisiting this type of material, being willing to engage deeply, I not only see how she grows as an artist, but I see how I grow as a listener.

Gorgeous vocals, minimalist and experimental production. If you don't like this you're probably a nonce 9.2/10

Bjork: Beautiful, delicate, and intimate music made of odd electronic rhythms and bizarre melodies. A truly one-of-a-kind artist that carved out a unique sound and style, both on this album and on basically everything she’s done. Not every song stands out, or has a memorable hook. But the album stands as a full piece with a cohesive sound that will sweep the listener away, if they allow it to. The album as a whole stands out and is memorable. It’s got a mood, feeling, and atmosphere to it - it feels like cooking dinner with a lover in the wintertime.

I enjoy listening to it and I’m glad, it shows my tastes are expanding

Perfect album! Very interesting style and sound! I like it.

Classic

Best álbum ever

Eccentric, unpredictable, yet easy to listen to. Synth heavy, but also has extensive use of acoustic instruments. Sounds like something that I would put on my playlist if I was going to the Moon or Mars. She is IMMENSELY talented as a writer, arranger, and performer.

A beautiful, organic, lush, warm, lovely hug of an album.

the average listener often feels that björk's music is surreal, strange and even alien. the icelantic musician's experimental songs have sparked discussions about music as a whole and how it is deconstructed as an art form. david attenborough has perfectly summed up how I feel about the artist; björk's music isn't simply background music that you can just turn on, to fully enjoy her music you need to sit down, think, and analyze every word and note. and this album really does make you think, with thought-provoking sonnets in uncommon cadences, ambient soundscapes and sparkling bell instruments, calling this album a raw musical exhibition barely even gives it enough credit. wow.

YIPPY highlights: hidden place, it’s not up to you, pagan poetry, aurora (jun 11 2024)

One of, if not the most, tender, intimate, whole, and blissful musical experiences in the twenty first century.

Love this album.

So good!

Il 5 più veloce di tutti i tempi, amo Björk e Vespertine è forse il mio album preferito di sempre, è perfetto. Tra i fan è considerato il suo capolavoro e sono d'accordo al 100%, è irripetibile. Ogni volta che lo ascolto è un'esperienza sensazionale, passare dall'arrapatura iniziale al travagliato riconoscimento dei propri sentimenti in Pagan Poetry per poi chiudere in un epica proclamazione d'amore e devozione con Unison...Arte. Amo l'arpa, amo i carillon e i tintinnii, amo i cori (cazzo raga che cori), la strumentazione dell'album è incantevole, fatata, trascendentale, cosmica, tutte cose che adoro. Non ho assolutamente nulla di negativo da dire, grazie di esistere B-jörk, non vedo l’ora che tu esca di nuovo

I've always loved Bjork's unique blend of sensuality, sadness, anger, and experimentation. This album has it all and some.

Beautiful. Hard to even quantify or find words to describe this album - At its most simple definition it is a pure representation of Love. 5/5

Incantevole. Björk è una ninfa che vive in un bosco innevato, non me lo spiego altrimenti.

Il 5 più veloce di tutti i tempi, amo Björk e Vespertine è forse il mio album preferito di sempre, è perfetto. Tra i fan è considerato il suo capolavoro e sono d’accordo al 100%, è irripetibile. Ogni volta che lo ascolto è un’esperienza sensazionale, passare dall’arrapatura iniziale al travagliato riconoscimento dei propri sentimenti in Pagan Poetry per poi chiudere in un epica proclamazione d’amore e devozione con Unison…Arte. Amo l’arpa, amo i carillon e i tintinnii, amo i cori (cazzo raga che cori), la strumentazione dell’album è incantevole, fatata, trascendentale, cosmica, tutte cose che adoro. Non ho assolutamente nulla di negativo da dire, grazie di esistere B-jörk, non vedo l’ora che tu esca di nuovo.

Just wonderful. Bjork's music and voice transports me to a different world.

one of the greatest to ever do it

Her best album probably

Love this album. Probably overall my favorite Bjork album, even if it's a little samey. It just shimmers. 5/5

Breathtaking album that is the one and only Bjork. This album withstands the tests of time, and is mysterious and wonderful.

The emotion was palpable and so so so beautiful. Relaxing yet invigorating. Strangley I loved every second of it. Definitely going to listen again

As always. Like nothing you've ever heard before. Arresting and wonderful.

Best Bjork by a long shot fo sho 👌

This is a prime example of an album being more than the songs on it. There is not a single song on this album that I would listen to individually, but as an album experience it was amazing and I immediately wanted to play it again.

Ich liebe Björk. Ich bin ein großer Fan von Björk. Auch wenn mir nicht immer alles gefällt von ihr oder sofort ins Ohr geht. Doch dieses Album ist so gefühlvoll, intensiv, atemberaubend, voller Intimität und Sex. Wie sie die elektronischen Instrumente mit Harfe, Spieluhren, Knistern vermischt, zeugt von soviel Feingefühl und Liebe, dass es einem den Atem nimmt vor Begeisterung. Ja, dann ist da noch der fantastische Chor, der so gekonnt und unaufdringlich zum Einsatz kommt. Eine feenhafte, wunderschöne Ohrenweide. Mir kommen die Tränen. Verspertine.

relisten. talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before

Very good, and an extra star just for being Björk - which takes it to six!! Hidden place, cocoon, and unity were my favourites

A magical universe of sound

All the songs have such thick texture. I really enjoyed the production of the songs, they all seem kind of simple at the top, but when you really listen you start to see all the complexities of them.

Bjork is so talented and creative. This is a good one. 5/5

Great! Amazing production and lyrics. I applaud.

This album is stunningly beautiful. Bjork barely rises above a whisper throughout, but it's just a mesmerizing sound. It's layered, a bit fuzzy at times, there's this awesome harp on a lot of the songs. Honestly I'm generally not a huge fan of music where the electronic bit is a big part of it, but this just works so well, and her vocals tie everything together so perfectly. It's builds to such a big sound at various points and just left me wanting more. It's like an awesome mashup of Kate Bush and Joanna Newsome and Mitski and something even better maybe. Her singing style is super unique, it's like it's slightly off-beat, but somehow in a good way. The lyrics are really strong on this one too. A lot about love (and it's pretty sexually explicit at times, but it feels really understated somehow with her singing style). This one kind of blew me away a little bit, I didn't see this coming. I'm definitely a sucker for music that's a bit odd at times, but this was just a perfect combination of a little weird but really gorgeous at the same time. My one complaint is that the sound on "Heirloom" (3rd to last song) just felt a little out of place to me. It's not a huge deal to me, but something about it felt just a little off. The album finishes really strong though, so you forget about it quickly. I'm not sure that I've resonated with the lyrics of a love song quite like I'm feeling for "Unison". It's hard to pick a favorite song since it all comes together so well as a full album. Favorite song: Unison Other: Hidden Place, Cocoon, It's Not Up to You, Undo, Pagan Poetry, Frosti, Aurora, An Echo a Stain, Sun in My Mouth, Harm of Will 2/20/24

Incredible voice, yet another artist I mainly knew from general culture rather than their music until now. Lovely work

One would have been content on never having to reach a higher bar after crafting some of the most innovative and exciting pop music of the late 90s, reinventing the wheel and ultimately ripping up the rule book in the process. Björk has never been content and thus aimed to reach higher as the 2000s emerged. Vespertine could very well be her best effort, crafting her now trademark expressive musings with the chilly yet no less effective instrumentation that never ceases to lay bare its beauty as Björk's voice swirls around it as though it were snow caught up in the wind. Overall, the best thing one can do with this is to not overthink what's being heard and just surrender.

high 4

This album is a whirlwind of surprisingly congruous ideas, beautifully executed and (at least to me) wildly ahead of their time. Bjork is clearly a master of her craft, which incorporates heavy, ethereal textures and a smooth blend of modern, electric sounds and more "acoustic" ones. These tracks seriously make me want to ascend to the heavens and live the remainder of my life as a mythical air spirit. Best tracks: Cocoon, It's Not Up To You, Undo, Sun in My Mouth

Haunting and beautiful and amazing, Pagan Poetry is still a song that calls to me and makes me feel everything. So beautiful.

Never listened to a Bjork album in my life. Have really liked some of her singles (Play Dead as an example), but always put off by her weirdness, her portrayal by the media and by the dreadful ‘it’s oh so quiet’. This album was a complete revelation. Sure, I still hear some weirdness but either it’s below my gag-reflex trigger point, or I’ve evolved! The album is just beautiful. Her voice is distinctive and is a huge part of her art. And the music behind her voice is incredible on here. Fantastic arrangements with a wide range of instruments with a lovely flow from track to track, creating a hypnotic dreamy mood. Listening to this an experience and I bloody loved it.

Until starting this project, I hadn't heard much Björk. I'm finding that I'm continuously wowed by this woman's music. Very absorbing, dynamic, and in places, intense. The second half feels like it floats (but not aimlessly) along a bit before coming to a strong close. It only askes for deeper listening.

It was really nice

Absolutely incredible, especially the first half. Didn't think at all that it would be better than Post but holy shit. Love the celeste and harp and production.

if lucid dreaming had a soundtrack 10/10

simply lovely frosti a personal favourite

wow i first discovered björk about a year ago - only listening to her most popular songs (from this album namely "pagan poetry") from the likes of alternative 90s and 00s charts, playlists and compilations. it is only after listening to a full album with this now that i feel the ethereal and magical style has really hit me. one personal connection i have to her music is that only after falling in love with her musical style on my own, i found out that my mother too used to be a big fan of björk's work in the 90s - around the same age that i am now. fascinating to me as i always had only heard of more popular western music that came to influence post soviet countries to be of their tastes, but my mom at one point used to delve into alternative culture herself in the 80s-90s, (first into punk and later into art-pop/avant garde with this album). another way i feel my upbringing leads me to connect with this album is björk's connection to pagan and biophilic ideas throughout her work, where like icelandic paganism and its nordic counterparts, latvian paganism also is built around the idea of naturism with forest and mountain deities alike. other than a few titles and lyrics, her work is not explicitly built around this idea but i like to interpret it as such, a "modern-take" on paganism and its ideas. my family is mostly atheist so old sayings about folklore regarding trees and forest creatures is the only spirituality i feel i have had in my life. björk's has let me feel a deeper connection to that. lastly, björk's other albums are definitely not very accessible but i feel other than the longer song lengths, this one is a great first album and is one of the ones i feel more comfortable listening to (yet - possibly could change as i get acclimatised to the weird world of björk). listening to this the full way through was an experience that I will be repeating.

The last in a run of four incredible records. Everything she's done since has brilliant highs on it, but nothing consistently reaches the heights of these albums. Each with a very clear, distinctive style. I can't pick between them really. Gorgeous.

Great vocal range. This is an interesting album. I liked it a lot more than I expected to for sure.

i am in love with this woman!

This album is nothing short of incredible. It is a sweeping and simmering masterpiece that manages to feel deeply human despite its electronic substrate. The experimental electronics remind me of Aphex Twin and Radiohead (Kid A came out one year prior to Vespertine) yet Björk infuses an arresting sense of melody and lyricism that demands a close listening. I hung on every line of this album.

Euphoric and anxious, this album is a masterpeice of unsettling texture and rhythm. Beats drop in and out, strings swell from nowhere, bells and chanting synthetic vocals echo across vast open spaces, dense synth/drum machine disonance packs in and in and in to create some claustraphobic chaos. Bjork's voice is mostly wispy (breathy, intimate, inviting) but occasionally titanic (powerfully belting out big crescendo as the music swirls around). Quiet tracks like Cocoon crackle and click along with ambient Eno-style synth bedding. Poppier (lol) songs like It's Not Up to You hover in major keys, resolving the album's pulsating tension into blissful choruses. Mesmerizing, absorbing, and stressful - this is an incredible expression/exploration of isolation and romance.

My absolute favourite Bjork album Her voice never sounded stronger whilst also sounding so delicately fragile. The backing vocals (a chorus of angels?!) are extraordinary throughout. One of the ultimate headphone records that just envelopes you in it’s soundscape.