Björk
Post
»
Björk
Post
Elektra, 1995
RiYL: Tricky, Radiohead, Solex |
Everything on Post is deliberate, from the sounds and words Bjork uses, to the careful placement of each indivual track. From the strong, driving bass line and drum beats in "Army Of Me" to the full-blown orchestra in "It's Oh So Quiet," Bjork keeps her listeners writhing with anticipation.
"Army Of Me" opens Post with programming by 808 State's Graham Massey. With lyrics such as "If you complain once more / you'll meet an army of me," Bjork instantly proves she is a force to be reckoned with.
The song explodes into "Hyper-ballad," a soft, soothing tune detailing a lover's daily routine of destructive behaviour -- enacted to remind herself that she still loves her mate. "Hyper-ballad" is quite possibly the strongest track on the album, Bjork takes us into her native Iceland with images of mountaintops and cliffs. Set to a soft drum beat with electronic sounds in the background, the song moves into a heart-pumping beat that amplifies the desperation of the song's chorus: "I go through all this / before you wake up / so I can feel happier / to be safe up here with you".
Post also seems to be a marriage between modern technology and things of the past. In "The Modern Things," Bjork tells us that all technology has "always existed / they've just been waiting / in a mountain for the right moment," as her voice loops as if it was a broken record. It's no mistake that "It's Oh So Quiet" follows. Bjork rockets us back to the '40s with this rendition of Betty Hutton's "Blow a Fuse". She can still keep her eye on the future even while belting out a timeless tune about a timeless subject -- falling in love.
Post benefits greatly from Bjork's eclectic collaborations with Graham Massey, Tricky, Howie B. and Eumir Deodato, to name only a few. Bjork's previous album, Debut, was also marinated with collaborations, but its songs represented a purging of her past. Post, on the other hand, deals with the present and the future.
"Enjoy", co-written with ex-Massive Attack member Tricky, gives the album a raw edge. Its machine-like beats and Bjork's commanding voice declare that she is "only into this to enjoy." Bjork's former Sugarcubes colleague Einar Orn even contributes his talents with a wild trumpet solo that melts the track into "You've Been Flirting Again." This track spotlights a calm and quiet Bjork, her singing -- a step up from a whisper -- set to Deodato's haunting but beautiful string arrangement. It's the most raw, unexpected track on Post, and in context, the most misplaced.
However, the song perfectly balances the album with its organic nature, the complete opposite and the perfect compliment to the beat-driven songs on the album. "You've Been Flirting Again" drops into "Isobel", a song inspired by a moth Bjork discovered on her collar. The moth "provided" her with the story and the moral: "Don't understand, just let it happen."
Bjork returns to the subject of love with "Possibly Maybe." The track spans a nine-month period in her life, with each verse representing a different stage in the relationship. Post climaxes with "I Miss You". Encouraged by great beats and high energy, she calls to a lover she has never met with a certainty that she feels deep down.
On closer "Headphones," a tribute to Massey co-written with Tricky, the simple, strong drum pattern and a melody reach the innermost subconscious. Indeed, it's only fully realized with a pair of headphones, where the sounds seem to come at you from all directions -- Bjork in one ear, and beats in the other.
Post gradually leads us into the new millenium with a taste of what is ahead. But it still holds on to what we presently are. Bjork eases our fears about technology and asks us to embrace it. At the same time, she implores us to keep our human nature alive and inspires us to explore our innate creativity.
JEN APPEL |