Selmasongs: Dancer In The Dark (2000 Film)
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Free Music Notes for Selmasongs: Dancer In The Dark (2000 Film)
Free Music Review: Bjork Breathes New Life into Movie Musicals........
Hit: 5 Stars
Well, Bjork has done it once again. She is one of the most innovative artists of the past decade and i assume she will continue to be for decades to come. With this album she has brought the movie soundtrack to a whole new level! Bjork has taken old 40 and 50's musical pieces and added her own electronic twist. I've been waiting for something new from Bjork with great anticipation(of course her singles and remixes are usually great) Of course this is not your typical Bjork album. She Is her Selma character from her film Dancer in the Dark. But any Bjork fan or movie soundtrack fan should deffinatley invest in this masterpiece of modern music. The entire cd, is of course very good, some tracks will have to grow on you but do not worry.....they will. Then you can not get enough of them. Some exceptional tracks are "I've seen it all" "Scatterheart" and "In the Musicals."
"I've seen it all" sticks out because of the duet between two musical geniuses with breathe taking vocals........of course I'm talking about Bjork and Thom Yorke(for those of you who do not know who this is.....it is the lead singer from Radiohead)!
"Scatterheart" is a very absorbing piece........very sad and heartfelt......great lyrics.
"In the Musicals" is a very light and playful song with great sounds that intertwine with great string compositions.
Of course like all of Bjorks albums, this one also has great artwork on the front(and the inside sleeve has an even more amazing picture of Bjork....which i hope will eventually become a poster)
I could talk all day about Bjork and this album but as the song "Scatterheart" says.... "You are gonna have to find out for yourself."
Free Music Review: You are going to have to...
Hit: 5 Stars
I heard this album long before I saw the accompanying movie, so I imagined what a lot of the movie would be like. Surprisingly, my imagination was quite accurate with imagining the "musical" scences of "Cvalda". I play in a wind ensemble myself so the album reached out and grabbed me from the first note of "Overture". I'm a huge Radiohead fan as well so the duet with Thom Yorke is a pleasure, any fan of both will love to hear Thom and Bjork's voices entwining around each other as they do here. I think the weakest track is "Scatterheart"...it seems to lack momentum and energy and drags down the middle of the album. (The version in the movie was far more effective). "In the Musicals" is as fun as "Cvalda"...it gives way to the bittersweet end, and my favourite, track, "107 Steps". This short piece is the most emotional, it packs a punch especially if you see the movie. Without seeing the movie, you'd never know what it was about. When I listen to it on my own, it always makes me feel the same overwhelming sadness I feel when I watch old war movies from the 40's, or movies about that era. Indeed,the entire album is very "retro" in how it borrows from the musical style.The last track, "New World", will mislead you if you haven't seen the movie. If you know it before you see the movie, prepare never to be able to listen to it the same way again. But you'll want to. This CD is essential listening for anyone with eclectic taste, and I recommend it especially if your favourite Bjork CD is Homogenic.
Free Music Review: Charisma
Hit: 5 Stars
While I may find the movie has some flaws, there isn't a damn thing wrong with this soundtrack, although the length is my lone gripe, I wanted more. As in true Bjork fashion, all semblance of her previous recordings goes straight out the window when you first listen to this. This review is little late, I have had this since last September, but am just getting to write the review, so I am not including Vespertine in my review. It starts with a fully instrumental "Overture." Then continues to use machinery as a rhythmic tool, "Cvalda." Next, a duet with the bored sounding Thom Yorke in "I've Seen it All", bored doesn't mean bad by the way. "In the Musicals" is next, it reminds me of a Broadway style climax, it uses a bouncing ball as a beat, quite cool. "Scatterheart" a devastatingly beautiful song, and what I believe to be the strongest song on the album, it has a beautiful melody at the beginning that soon combines with a fiercely electronic element, fusing into an elaborate, beautiful whole. "107 Steps" is the next song, I think it is the weakest song on the album, it is average for Bjork standards, I wont say anymore. Last, "New World" this song only truly becomes powerful after viewing the movie, it really does depress me everytime I hear it, great song. I didn't mention Bjork's voice, just because it's always great, and there is no real need to mention the one element that is a constant. Anyway, buy it, savior it, but don't listen before you watch the movie, it just doesn't have quite the same potency.Free Music Review: It's too beautiful
Hit: 5 Stars
I first heard Bjork at my big sister's house. Her daughter is a Bjork fan, and sometimes had her music playing when I was there. I was instantly attracted, but held off on buying any CDs because I knew I would probably need to buy ALL of her music (it just sounded so good), and I didn't have a lot of disposable income at the time. But a few months ago I ended up buying Dancer in the Dark as my first Bjork CD because it was playing in the record store, and I realized I finally had to have this woman's music. Suffice to say that I did not waste my money. Every song here is a gem. Something in her music communicates with my soul on some subliminal level. It's like when you fall in love with someone and find yourself being able to communicate without any effort at all.
"Scatterheart" is my favorite. Dark and mysterious, the lyrics pull you in and tell an important story. I especially like the way the bass line seemingly ignores the melody line, but ends up complementing it when the song is viewed as a whole.
In addition to this album, I also own Debut and Post. I have listened to all three many times, and can honestly say that every single track Bjork has produced is a thing of beauty. She is the most original and creative artist I've heard in a long time. If you have an open mind and are looking for something different, Bjork will take care of you every single time.
Free Music Review: MULTIFORM, MULTILATERAL MULTIMEDIA
Hit: 5 Stars
I have often been intrigued by this multitalented Icelander since her days with the Sugarcubes. Selmasongs is a nice package for the listener who wants a change of pace from the tiring pop music that is so often geared to specific age groups or audiences.Even attempts at cultural and musical format crossovers by many have not impressed me. A country superstar who takes on an alter ego to be a rock star? Ha! Or the artists that you can't tell if they are more inclined to rap or rock-and-roll? I am not awe-inspired!
I cannot offer Bjork the quality of praise of those reviews already issued by my predecessors, but I can say that Selmasongs is evident that this star wants to grow as both an artist and creative individual, even possibly at the expense of sacrificing opportunities to go multi-platinum several times over.
Perhaps this release will one day go down as a Year 2000 classic counterpart to a masterpiece that was not commercially received at first but yet contained the kind of ingenuity of effectively mixing great harmonies and vocals with orchestrations and other sound effects in the nature of barking animals and oncoming trains to eventually earn praise as being arguably the greatest album in rock history. And I am referring to the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds.