Vespertine

Doesn’t matter how interesting the music is if you can’t get past the desperate vocal style. Will never go back

Very bjork... The music was generally interesting but I could do without her for the most part. Cool in the background I guess

3. it's Bjork, you know what you're getting when you go into it and this certainly delivered on Bjork. Pleasant to listen to if a bit odd at times.

As I am listing now I am remembering why this album doesn't rank higher for me. Musically - it's a brilliant & extremely complex album - that is apparent. It definitely isn't as easy to just put on and enjoy as Debut or Post. I think it's clear that she was in a certain headspace after doing *Dancer in the Dark* and Vespertine stays a bit more somber and subdued and doesn't reach the more manic highs of the previous 3 releases - and that's what I always loved most about Bjork.

More subdued than most of her work in a way that complements it well. I tend to overlook this album compared to her more bombastic ones but I'm really appreciating her work crafting the beats and melodies here.

3/5

ну просто замечательное, красивейшее музло, с прекрасным голосом

She is goddess

Not too bad. Wouldn’t turn it off, but probably wouldn’t turn it in either

There aren't many small country representations on this list. Unfortunately if we were to celebrate each small countries music this list would be huge. I did find some songs amusing but in general many songs blend together. Does this really need to be on this list?

This is a tough one. I actually quite like the background music for this, but Bjork sounds like someone riding in a car on a bumpy road. It'll be a 2, but only for vocals.

Whether or not you like the dreaminess of the vocals is personal preference. Regardless, she sure can sing and I doubt even those giving 1 ratings with the most entertainingly obnoxious comments would dispute that. The little beats and drifts in the music are good but enjoying them requires listening intently or else you miss the nuances. This album is all about the nuances. I'd like to listen to this album with headphones in a dark room or see her in concert so I could keep the level of focus needed to enjoy the music. When playing it at home it's easy to get distracted. Some songs like Hidden Place, Pagan Poetry and Unison are enjoyable without headphones or a concert ticket since the beats are more intricate / noticeable. Most of the other songs require hard work to keep focused.

The first song is quite splendid. What caught my attention aside from the catchy melody was the production, with the choir, orchestrations and electro beat. It’s impressive that she produced and wrote or co-wrote all the songs and it seems like the ones I like best, including Unison and It’s Not up to You, she wrote solo. The music is unstructured and arty, but the melodies couldn’t hold me for a full LP.

I enjoy reading the 5 star and 1 star reviews for each album just to see the contrasts of how some folks will absolutely love it while others will detest the same album. The difference in musical taste for folks is fascinating. Bjork is certainly one of the more polarizing artists out there. I really respect her talent for painting impressionistic soundscapes with her songs, but a the same time her singing style can be very unsettling. So I'm not in the 5 star or 1 star camp, I'm pretty much in the middle, I love her AND I hate her.

Not what you expect to hear from Björk - very good for background noise.

Really enjoyed this weird shit

Великолепно! Мой любимый альбом Бйорк!

Wow, just wow. At first I thought the hell is this?! Then, I've listened. Omg. It's so different to what I usually listen to. Extremely experimental, heard sounds I normally wouldn't hear elsewhere. Incredible. Bjork, I'll definitely check out more of her work.

Wasn’t as bad as I thought but not for me

Another’s one of these things I can appreciate the artistry of but I find the music and particularly the signing exhausts me pretty quickly.

Beautiful album

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.

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.

Good bjork album as usual

This wasn't as weird as I expected.

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

Can't believe it but this is decent. Heirloom is the best track on the album.

Shite

As always - garbage

Vesperate

Not for me, but I can appreciate it.

eh. this is so intesne it can be difficult to listen to. 3

An album of total beauty. Sensuous, delicate, powerful. Love Bjork's voice, the song writing, the gossamer details in the music. Would give this a 6* if possible. <3

I like Bjork but hadn't listened to this one before. The production is excellent like always but it didn't sound like there were enough good songs underneath it

Enjoy Bjork, maybe wouldn't listen regularly but every time I do I enjoy. 3.8

De moeite waard om naar te luisteren. Zeker voor 2001 klinkt dit heel modern

Definitely not for me. 1/5 stars.

I will never understand her music. Just utter garbage. Remember: Just because someone tries really hard at their craft doesn't mean its good. 1/10.

I know Björk, but I never liked too much of her work...it's not anything special, but it's nothing my kind of thing. This album does not change my mind, but I think that I "understood" better her work and this is a nice thing.

Not nearly as good as her Debut imo, but still wonderful.

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.

Veramente unico e particolare

I listened to 3 other Bjork albums as a run at this one and, maybe I was Bjork'd out by the time I hit this one, it didn't seem as strong as the others. A few tracks sounded like she just set the mic up on her deck during a windy day and recorded her windchimes go nuts..

Really enjoyed this album

I liked it but as with all Bjork albums, I don't really have a desire to listen again.

Awesome

It's good but not enough for me

I really love Bjork, and her song It's not up to you actually hit me in an emotional way that I needed.

Absolutely Fantastic

3/5

Was alright

byorck

Not for me. Got through 2 songs and bailed

-She is clearly going for a certain feeling, and definitely achieves it -Very chill, and consistent throughout the album -To me, it often sounds like the intro to a song that is going to eventually going to pick up, but a more intense song was obviously not the goal

Tres canciones y no puedo más

Fun early electronic music. Enjoyed the experimental aspects similar to psychedelic rock.

I mean its Bjork. Not sure how to tell the difference from one song to the other.

So bizarre. I was waiting for it to be over.

Its what you expect from a Bjork Álbum, ambient, uniform and great

one of the best albums. bjork is a legend and bright. beautiful voice. this album is the peak of her career.

Got halfway thru it was okay

Good album, she is not afraid to take risks with her sound, it was experimental at the time and no doubt influential but for me it’s mainly background music.

An enjoyable listen but won’t hurry back

An album I can always come back to.

different... painful to listen to

Loved it's Not Up to You and Pagan Poetry

Never listened to Björk before and had no idea what to expect, but I absolutely loved it. I found her voice tantalizing and the music both relaxing and stimulating. I will absolutely listen to this and other Björk albums again. Actually, I'm going to listen to another Björk album right now.

complex layers and super production

Very nice, weird Bjork music album.

This album had a very interesting sound. Lo-fi mixed with epic orchestral. Lyrics were ok.

eeeeeeeh

Demasiado experimental

I don't dislike the dreamy style. It treads a fine line between musically creative and weird for the sake of weird

This is another one of those albums where the sound is super different and I kinda get what they're trying to do, but I just don't really like listening to it. Sort of like the two PJ Harvey albums in a way. Which is a shame, because I've heard good things about Björk

2/5 way too experimental and soothing for my taste.

Ugh, just don't care for Bjork. it's interesting, but not my jam.

Repetitive. Not my style didn't finish

So far I was underwhelmed until “it’s not up to you”. Still not blown away though. Maybe I’m too marinated in a culture affected by bjork to understand why she’s so revered and respected. Ok “undo” is pretty dope too. Maybe I like the more lush songs over the minimalist early 2000s beeps and boops. End of “undo” with that bitcrusher. Not a big fan of that aesthetic. Maybe because I grew up on aol dial up. I feel like I might be missing out on lyrics too. Iirc she’s known for her emotional lyrics and when I listen to music, especially on first listens, I tend to ignore lyrics for the instrumental. My ear more naturally gravitates there. “Pagan poetry” seems like one where I’m missing out by not gravitating to lyrics. “Aurora” would be a great song to walk around somewhere cold outdoors to. Finishing up the album now. Better than how I felt at the beginning but still not blown away.

Very soothing. love the textures and her vocals. will be exploring more of her ouvre

.

Production: 16/20 Songwriting: 12/20 Innovation: 15/20 Bangers: 0/20 Emotional response: 15/20 =58 Very high three - would have moved up a level with just one banger!

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.

Vocals were impressive... but I doubt I'll regularly listen to Björk. Haha

Loved it

Absolute weirdo

Hidden Place was amazing, other tracks were enjoyable but I probably wouldn't go back and listen to the whole album again.

A nice listen but kind of passed me by. Last song is great.

Really inspiring and creative

2

3

5

Seit Jahrzehnten ein Rätsel, wie diese ätherische Kunst so beliebt bei Kritik und Fans ist. Ich setze mich jedes Mal aufs Neue hin und bin gewillt, meine jugendliche Meinung über the world‘s most overrated artist über Bord zu werfen, aber dann ist’s was es ist: ätherisch im Sinne von, dass nix, kein Fitzelchen, nada haften bleibt, außer beliebig/artistisch in den Himmel geschossene Vocal Nebelkerzen, die über einem sanft gekräuselten Ozean aus generischer Elektronica vor sich hin schillern. For the long con: 1.0

I liked it.

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.

El fenómeno Björk siempre me pareció algo más relacionado con la estética de las artes plásticas que con la música. Escucho este disco y me reafirmo en mi impresión, lo que más me gusta es la portada.

not a fan of her style

Yuhu

Melodic genius. Never afraid to take chances with rhythm and cadence. A true joy.

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.

Has to be in my top ten. Made me go from a Bjork fan to an obsessive fan boy. I still get the chills listening even years later. Flawless and an essential listen

Never listen to this before but it was a perfect vibe for today.

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.

Very haunting voice and eclectic sounds but a little too far out there for my enjoyment

Ni lo intento.

It was alright. Some fine sounds, but not necessarily my cup of tea favorite tracks: “Pagan Poetry” and “Sun In My Mouth”

Clearly one of auroras influences, and I completely get down with it. Industrial dream pop is most certainly it

k

Björky

I can appreciate what she’s doing, but I don’t necessarily enjoy listening to it.

At first I hated this... but as the Bjork set in I kind of started to like it. It's like being in a kind of depressing ice palace. I can't imagine singling out a song (besides Frosti which I love) but I found myself nodding along and getting into it in the second half.

Hasta me da miedo no ponerle 5

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

Tycker inte det är hennes bästa.

Comentaba que este es quizá mi disco favorito de Bjork, aunque debo aceptarlo no soy un gran fan de ella. Siento que es una persona sincera en cuanto a lo que quiere hacer, aunque a veces lo "intenta de más" y termina sintiéndose un poco... ridículo no es la palabra correcta, es más bien exagerar el arte por el arte (lo cual no tendría que ser malo per se). A ratos la siento como si fuera una Yoko Ono o Maria Abramovic pero con verdadero talento y algo que decir. El disco es interesante, la instrumentación y la razón de su elección son curiosas y el resultado se siente único. De verdad se siente como un proyecto conceptual bien pensado, con un sentido etéreo/erótico muy fuerte y bien trabajado. La parte mala es que aunque me puede agradar buena parte si llega el punto en que esa amalgama que no se detiene de sonido igual no para y el disco se convierte en una canción que no acaba y solo fluye sintiéndose igual y esta muchacha sigue gritando exactamente igual y cae en el punto de cansar un poco. Un disco muy respetable, creo merece ser escuchado, entiendo a quien le fascine pero no llega a ser mi máximo.

Haven't listened to Bjork before. Some moving music - Enjoyed Unison

La mezcla de sonidos es muy interesante pero me desespera mucho. No sé si esa es la intención, aunque supongo por las letras el punto es ser más introspectivo aunque la verdad no logro conectar con lo que tiene que decir. No es un disco horrible, tiene momentos lindos, otros interesantes pero en general no es para mi. Songs: Aurora

Tripppppy!

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

I enjoy the music but her voice just grates on me.

A bit too ambient for my taste

Powerful and ethereal, but better in small doses. Not so much for playing in the background while working lol

Not really my thing, but that's why I started this -- to hear stuff that may not be my thing. I like her voice, but the music is a little moody for me. Kind of reminds me of Enya, more background music for a nap in my world than anything else.

I listened to the first two songs, and as I suspected, I am just not a fan of Bjork. I could almost put the album on in the background if it was the background music alone. I don't know that I would ever put it on though, It would just have to happen based on the algorithms of my streaming service. Then I would turn it off once the singing started. It certainly isn't bad, it just isn't for me.

Upper tier Bjork. Still an acquired taste. 3.5.

Pure magic. Such a treat. Mesmerizing.

This album is pretty sick. Ethereal, unique, and much more than a unique voice with an accent you can't quite place.

Aquí es la hora de la honestidad: es muy famosa pero a mí no me truena esta tacha.

Hay muchas opiniones encontradas con éste Álbum al parecer... Definitivamente estoy del lado de los que piensan que es un pinche discazo.

I just really don’t think I dig Björk but she’s talented.

Definitely different. Not something I would listen to every day but good as background music when you're chilling.

I find this whole album just impenetrable. I don’t really get who it’s for, is it for dancing or singing or just to make you feel like you don’t understand what music is?

Leuk voor een keertje

Mhm

El disco tiene un estilo parecido al de “Cigarrettes after sex”. Probablemente influyó en el estilo estético de ellos. Aunque el disco es interesante, tanto en la música como en la producción, se vuelve muy tedioso hacia las últimas canciones. Creo que Björk no es tanto mi estilo. Mi canción favorita del disco (y ahora en mi lista) es justo la primera: Hidden Place. De hecho quedaría muy bien opening credits de una película de James Bond. Las demás canciones me parecieron reiteraciones del mismo concepto.

Nunca me había atraído como para escuchar un disco completo y la verdad es que voy a darme tiempo para revisar los demás. Tiene un sonido crudo y sincero, tal vez por como fue concebido el concepto del disco (inicios del 2000, primer disco descargable) además tiene un plus con todo el tema digital más allá del disco, tu podías editar las rolas y hacerlas a tu antojo. Siempre he creído que está loquita pero más bien tiene un amor inmenso por el arte y no todos vemos el mundo de igual manera.

Love that back and forth that Chuck and Flava have. Chuck's rhyming style and voice are immediately recognisable. The tracks definitely aren't sparse, not that that's an issue. It serves to reinforce the social commentary. Love the bass on 911 is a joke.

Tiene sus cosas, sí. Innovación con algunos sonidos y según esto ya pensaba que al bajar la música de internet la calidad iba a bajar, así que usaba sonidos especiales que no se degradaran tanto. Muy bonito y todo, pero no más no me pasa. Quizá si sale otro de sus discos, uno un poco más pop y menos experimenta, podría tener mejor nota.

She probably has better albums

Is it ok to say this is just weird? I don't hate it...but I'm not exactly sure I like it either. It's noise with a melody. I don't really feel like I understand any of the songs but I appreciate the quiet smooth music. Some of it felt like Christmas music - like that choir - near opera feeling. I think this is the type of music you feel comfortable hearing in hallways on low volume. I'm not sure the melodies are exactly ever really recognizable - just pretty and calming. Bjork fans are probably like omg I have a favorite but to me it's just fairly calm music that sound mostly the same. It's not up to you is the best of the album for me

This was alright. Not particularly my style, but the end of the album was very nice. It was a nice change of pace from my usual playlists.

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.

Digging the digital and stringy sounds

That audio mix... Very unique... I must deep dive into that music.

This sounds like it could have come out last week. Bjork was truly revolutionary. Fun listen.

Weird Icelandic musical collage, but I like it. Vespertine means pertaining to the evening

I tried, but I just hate her voice

Eh, not a Bjork fan no matter how hard I try.

freaky. really cool, enjoyed uqite a bit

Vokste på mæ, bedre andre gang

Couldn't find a song I enjoyed.

3.5 Surprisingly it was very listenable and wasn't ass shrill and avant garde as I thought it would be.

Wasn’t a fan. It sounded like the artist was very close to something special here, but none of the songs quite found their footing. I may never listen to this album again

iceland e tals

1. Opening track is great. Her vocals sound so enticing and then break into a childlike taunt. 2. Second track is sooo breathy. Combined with that drum machine with the suppression it's super haunting 3.

Not her best work in my opinion. There is some instrumentation in this that grates on me a bit. I don't necessarily have a favorite, but this is not it for sure.

Ok album, cool sounds but nothing really that memorable

Not for me.

Bells & whispers

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!

Hidden Place is good; the rest is a bit iffy

Chill

It’s just, not for me, ya know

Much less “weird” than I previously thought. Reminiscent of Massive Attack and lo-fi. For the first time I feel like I “get” and like Bjork.

Weird but good stuff. More like 4.5, will definitely listen to this again

Interesting stuff. Reminds me of NIN a bit.

Good, strange music. I've never been overly fond of her voice, but I'd listen to this album again. 3 stars.

Made me think of the calmer Chris Christodoulou songs, but with added intresting vocals.

No thank you, this is not for me!

It's definitley not basic but not gonna listen to it again

niet echt mijn ding 1.5/5

Experimenteler en beter dan verwacht, wel heel same-y. Niet mijn muziek maar vond het zeker niet verkeerd. Album duurde relatief lang.

Mysterious sound! I like it. Will definitely listen to her other albums.

Couldn't finish. Meandering and boring.

Fucking amazing, this artist knows full well what she wants and does it wonderfully

I liked this a lot more than the 93 album

Have not listened to this before, quite like it. Sprechgesang, but with nice melody.

10/10 Björks best and one of the best albums I’ve ever heard overall

Sonoridade muito bonita. Primeira vez que ouço um álbum completo dela. Nuâncias e detalhes a rodo nas canções. Me fez querer conhecer mais.

Estranho, como a Bjork.

Wil eerder 3,5 geven want is wel aangename muziek, evenwel totaal mijn ding niet.

Não é dos mais acessíveis da Bjork, mas a produção e muito complexa e feita com elementos da casa dela. Feito no período do "Dancer in the Dark". Assistir também o show incrível na Royal Opera House

She's a genius.

Just not my thing.

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'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.

Amazing Album

The music has a very alien and other-worldy quality, which I found very interesting.

électronique perché, petit coté kidA