Björk’s Debut (1993) album came as a bit of a surprise to me. I had known her previously through the Icelandic band the Sugarcubes, whose debut album was a late-‘80s masterpiece. Post-punk yet poppy, it delivered plenty of abrasive guitar and catchy hooks, along with the eccentric vocal styles of Björk Guðmundsdóttir and Einar Örn Benediktsson. I later picked up their sophomore album, which was highly disappointing (too much Einar Örn, not enough Björk), and didn’t bother with their third. Perhaps if I had gotten that third and final album, I might have had a better idea of what to expect from Björk’s solo work—it is far more pop. Yet it still feels confined by rock instrumentation, looking for dance hooks and not yet finding them.
Enter Debut, a dance-pop masterpiece rooted firmly in the electronic sounds of London’s club scene. Infectious, whimsical, edgy, and fresh, it was a lively blast of exuberance from start to finish. I loved it. And it proved to be the start of a fascinating solo career.
Playlist 1
Playlist One focuses on Debut and its follow-up Post (1995), which continued in the same vein, with a few ventures into new territory.
Playlist 2
Playlist Two gives highlights from Homogenic (1997) and Vespertine (2001), which were even more deeply infused with electronic sounds, proving Björk a true pioneer in electronic music.
More Björk
Björk has continued to release increasingly innovative albums. While I haven’t found myself as shamelessly addicted to them as her first four, they have some good material. For now, I’ll leave her later work for some other time.
Cover Art:
- Debut: Source, Discogs.com, Fair use.
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