base talk Hot take: Bjork actually sucks, why?

[Cruel Summer]

Counterpoint: you are allowed to not like things! She's not for everyone!

[Album Leak]

She is a hit or a miss for me, but the times she delivers, SHE REALLY DELIVERS.
Teenage me was shitting my pants listening to Declare Independence, it's my favorite Björk song, it's a piece of art.

 

 

[Orsay]

 

yall get into this HIT  it’s closer to the “easy listening” that might be more digestible for ATRL users

[theblackestday]

So true

 

Stream Ancestors

[mrmayman]

I get not being able to get into her, but I like her because it's so different from anything else I listen to. I LOVE Vespertine, I'd consider it to be one of the best albums I've heard.

 

I feel like listening to her from the start with Debut is the best place to get into her. It's easier to digest when you start with that and go in chronological order (Post, Homogenic, etc.)

 

I feel like Human Behaviour, Venus As A Boy, Big Time Sensuality, etc from Debut are all songs that are accessible that are easy to get into and a majority of people here would like if they gave it a shot.

Edited June 15, 2022 by mrmayman

[rihannabiggestfan]

1 hour ago, Protocol said:

It takes talent to make interesting, experimental music, but people who only listen to basic teen pop wouldn't get it

 

[Akhetamen]

2 hours ago, fauxtography said:

I've been sitting on this thread for a bit, mainly out of fear of offending the north west gays with mustaches, but I don't think I can refrain from opening this can of worms.

 

I spent a lot of years convincing myself Bjork was a genius - and her music was iconic and groundbreaking, and of a higher intelligence. I came to this conclusion because a.) the pretentious music gays i usually am fully on board with - believe this of Bjork, and b.) I was really basing my opinion on a couple of songs that are actually good.

 

But I always remember I don't actually like her when I see actual fans discussing her albums and discography and I'm over here like, Vespertine is pure garbage and I really couldn't match any songs with song names except her most popular. ANYWAYS, I've broken down the reasons why Bjork sucks ass below:

 

1.) The few great songs in her discog sound nothing like her actual catalog.

 

 

Maybe you're like me, and Joga was your frame of reference. The song is pretty spectacular, once you get over her usual grunting and moaning of syllables, the production immaculate, the song is beautiful and pretty timeless.

 

Homogenic is NONE of those things.

 

The album is like an hour of no melody, bjork grunts, and nintendo wii music. Is there someone out there who actually enjoys 5 years? My nephew, a toddler, has a 3 note plastic keyboard that makes better songs than this.

 

 

 

2.) She's not as influential as you think.

 

I feel like Bjork is always credited for the indie/singer-songwriter girlies but I don't think that checks out. Even the current "Avant Garde" artists of today have stronger ties to the likes of Kate Bush, an artist who actually broke the mold in the 70s/80s, instead of Bjork, who started in the 90's. There's actually a mile long list of artists more influential in the 90's than Bjork, here's some for example.

 

Fiona Apple is more influential than Bjork.

Alanis Morrisette is more influential than Bjork.

Vanessa Carleton is more influential than Bjork.

Natalie Imbruglia is more influential than Bjork.

S Club 7 is more influential than Bjork.

 

And the list goes on and on.

 

3.) Her only listenable album is Post, released in 1995.

 

 

 

 

And thats unfortunate, huh? You'd think after 12 attempts over 4 decades that ANYTHING else would be a solid effort. Giving credit where credit is due that she has remained a full time musician for so long, but I really struggle believing there are people who can listen to any album outside of Post, and maybe Debut, and actually enjoy it start to finish?

 

 

Obviously, that is just my opinion. So I'd like to reopen my mind to Bjork and hear from actual fans of her work:

 

What is the appeal of Bjork?
Am I neglecting some genius tracks that might be buried in her discography of pings and pongs and mating calls?

What do you think is her best album?

 

 

 

 

I'm against this way of talking about music, but of course I'm aware it's the norm of this (and many other) music forums.

 

The way an artist and their music is described, particularly on this thread, is biased at both sides of the argument. Of course listening to music is one of the most subjective experiences (forcibly tried to be turned into objective by music "reviewers", reactors and critics).

 

I take it as people's reactions to colors and colors combinations. Some people find (for example) green horrible and hideous, while it's some people's favorite color. Some people believe purple and orange is an excellent combination and some others would call that a visual impairment.

 

The way you describe Bjork's music at some points is, of course, harsh and extremely ill willed while you could keep it a little bit more respectful if you want a good conversation about it, and the same goes for people saying "I'm sorry for you" or "your lack of taste[...]". A lot of high pony saddle situations.

 

Honestly Bjork's merit can be recognized in many things, but specially one: being a woman from a country where not most mainstream and internationally succesful artists come from, she manages to do literally what she feels like, sometimes mixing assets of different things and merging them into music. Like Homogenic was a big emotional explosion using a lot of electronics in a way they weren't being currently used, or Vespertine being all about details in an era when ASMRish music was not possible due to technical limitations, or Biophilia where science, nature and art meet, and finally medulla where the human voice is pushed beyond combinations of limits no other act pushes it to. 

Bjork is an incredible artist because she doesn't sound like anything else, and a lot of artists are inspired to try to sound like her after listening to her music. And her music is the result of a really incredible creative open-ness like working with the greatest of the greatest and almost 30 years later work with some people who are just beginning to do music. And the fact she isn't afraid of returning into a more emotional, adolescent songwriting after writing songs about how the universe is made... I don't know, I feel rating or questioning how good of an artist is, while their career speaks for itself, is a pointless thing to do.

In my personal place, as a fan I'm biased, but I admire the fact she seems to give zero fucks about anything and just has a clear path to create whatever she's feeling like creating. It doesn't feel like her music is made to cater someone or something. It doesn't feel like she's trying to be perceived as something in particular. She just is.
 

At the end of the day, it's all about joy.

 

Do you enjoy Bjork's music? Yes? Great! Happy you get to enjoy something more! No? It's okay, you'll find something else to enjoy instead.

[Jeremiah]

1 hour ago, fauxtography said:

Geez, guess I shoulda just made a “Taylor swift biggest streaming giant” thread. 

That would've been less dishonourable, yes.

 

1 hour ago, fauxtography said:

I mean, I’m sure she influenced someone. You probably wouldn’t have ionna lee without bjork, but I really don’t hear her in modern music. 

Radiohead, Kali Uchis, Madonna, Missy Elliott, Rosalía, Kelela, Solange, Kylie Minogue, Willow, SZA, Ellie Goulding, Aurora, Hayley Williams, Janelle Monáe and plenty others have cited her as an influence.

[magicfever]

1 hour ago, Lazuli said:

Hyperballad is one of the best songs

fixed it

[cyclone]

I honestly thought it was just me. She seemed so cool and beloved so I tried to get into her music for so long and convince myself I was listening to something artistic and beautiful but it is truly just awful besides a few songs like hyperballad, Joga... stonemilker... that's all I can think of. I'm glad I found imogen heap who fulfils a similar niche the correct way. The albums as a whole are so bad, lemme delete her music from my library chile

Edited June 15, 2022 by cyclone

[rihannabiggestfan]

22 minutes ago, Jeremiah said:

That would've been less dishonourable, yes.

 

Albeit not by much.

[mellenthin]

I used to think this way. I used to believe she was just weird for the sake of being weird and that her music was for pretentious people. That was back when I was very closed when it came to music, only listening to a few select artists and basically only one genre. My, then, musical knowledge simply couldn't make sense of what I was hearing since I hadn't exposed myself to anything like it before.

 

But then over a couple of years I started to broaden my taste in music, adapting my ears to new sounds, and during that period I stumbled across Björk again and gave her another try (had given her several before). Holy **** was it different this time around. As multiple people have stated above, it just CLICKED. 

 

This was back in 2017 I believe, and since then she's become one of my most listened to artists. Homegenic and Vespertine being two of my favourite albums of all time.

[Lover]

bc ha music/voice is unlistenable.

people pretending to like ha is a clownesqué effort in being try hard artsyfartsy.

[FreeXone]

3 hours ago, sourtwink said:

because she has 0 actual talent and just tries to be as avant garde and experimental as possible to cover it up and charli xcx gays eat it up

Ooop! Lol

[ElleDriver]

 You stan lady gaga, I wouldn't expect you to understand actually inspired and original artists

[Blade Runner]

She's an absolute icon, WTF. Uncultured hoe.

[CaptainMusic]

Agreed

 

I tried getting into her and her discography is unlistenable. The terrible vocals and lack of a melody  

 

Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple>>>>>Bjork

[Khal]

You made some points, especially in regards to how overrated her "influence" is

[fauxtography]

2 hours ago, BOAZ said:

It seems to me like this thread is full of personal problems, not objective facts 

 

MY personal problems is that people like you who don't like Bjork always feel the need to dissect why her fans like her in the first place, like we pretend to dig her music to be edgy or whatever the **** you come up with if I had a euro for all the time I heard the word "Pretentious" I would be hella rich  when in the end is always the other end of the stick who acts REAL pretentious - "Hot take Bjork actually sucks" like lol who the hell are you to decide that

 

Can't you just give up and accept that not everyone is into the same things, that nobody is spending their time pretending to appreciate a music artist out of... Social pressure? Nobody is forcing you on anything. 

 

tl,dr: Buy B10 when it comes out you bunch of French word for elongated bread

i respect your opinion. 
 

Side note it’s kinda a kii you come from the “her fans aren’t pretentious” angle when one of the running retorts to the topic is bjork fans saying “you just like formulaic pop/easy listening” as if bjork is the end all be all of experimental/unconventional music  as a fan of coco rosie, joanna newsom and other eccentric artists I don’t think convention is the reason I dislike bjorks catalog.
 

 

1 hour ago, flower moon said:

you should have made this a poll.

Added

[Blade Runner]

If someone like Bjork can't have a special place in the music industry, wrap this sh+t up. Just continue to listen to Charlie Puth and go away. 

 

So nasty. 

[Bloodflowers.]

Her 90s music is great, everything after that is bore

[Everyperfectsummer]

Just say her music is not for you and go

[andresg770]

3 hours ago, rehceeb said:

liking Big Time Sensuality should be a requirement to be gay

Specifically the Fluke remix

[fauxtography]

1 hour ago, cyclone said:

I honestly thought it was just me. She seemed so cool and beloved so I tried to get into her music for so long and convince myself I was listening to something artistic and beautiful but it is truly just awful besides a few songs like hyperballad, Joga... stonemilker... that's all I can think of. I'm glad I found imogen heap who fulfils a similar niche the correct way. The albums as a whole are so bad, lemme delete her music from my library chile

Imogen is a goddess that’s why! 
 

can you believe people refer to utada as the Japanese björk. Utada sweetie….

[KFC]

3 hours ago, Protocol said:

Her music is the primal childlike scream of her small nation of Iceland put through a gritty kaleidoscopic filter of broken up beats, shuffles and crunches