For the past few years, Björk Gudmundsdottir has been the ugly duckling of the pop world -- adored by critics and dismissed by young people enamoured with the Christinas and the Britneys on the radio. That's why her recent public appearances dressed up like a swan seem so apt. With an acclaimed performance last year in Lars von Trier's film Dancer in the Dark and a steadily growing fan base, she continues to spread her proverbial wings and try new things musically.
Since her album Post, I'd like to think Björk has held my attention, but my dedication to her music has been at times spotty. The Icelandic musician is more sensual on her latest effort, Vespertine, and it's a welcome direction. Her lyrics have always complimented her airy and childlike voice, but the match on this particular CD is the best fit yet. Gone are the big brass swells of "It's Oh So Quiet/Blow A Fuse"; instead there are minute elements of electronica and synthesizer loops to create a Radiohead-esque world of soft backbeats sans drums, feathered melodies, and tinkered, echoing vocals. On "It's Not Up To You", Björk enters a swirling choral round with herself and the results are hypnotically bittersweet. "Unison" is the album closer and it's a magnificent track, quite possibly her best ever. Songs like "Cocoon" and "Frosti" are deceptively simple in their composition, and the leadoff track, "Hidden Place", is destined to become her next hit on the charts.
Special mention should be made of her transformation of an e.e. cummings poem into a song of bristling diction and compact but rich imagery. Consider lyrics such as, "I will wade out till my thighs/ Are steeped in burning flowers/ I will take the sun in my mouth/ And leap into the ripe air alive." She isn't plagiarizing, she's elegizing.
If there is a criticism to the effort, it lies, ironically, in the absence of the showtune influences that set her apart from other alternative female musicians. Fortunately, Vespertine is an intimate and more personal side of Björk, and the result is an album of stirring themes and techno-wizardry. The swan depicted overlapping her profile on the album cover is not just a metaphor for her career, it's a perfect impression for this graceful album.
