Björk in my ears is a multisensory experience

I was reminded today of the existence of Björk's "Debut". I use the quotes partly because it's a title, but also because it was only a title. It was Björk's first foray into solo artistry since leaving the sugarcubes, but already had the startlingly disco "Björk" in 1977 (no, really) and 1990's Gling-Gló under her belt, to say nothing of the albums she did with the Sugarcubes, and also with KUKL.

So it wasn't in the traditional sense, a debut. But as Björk drawing a line under everything that had gone on before, and declaring, albeit subtly, that this was something new. And it was. Looking back, it makes total sense, with how her career has gone since then.

If you're recommending Björk to a first-time listener, whichever of her styles you prefer, or want to impress upon the listener, it's likely to be something from after 1992. You might recommend the earlier stuff as further listening, to someone who has already delved into Björk's catalogue, or you might even recommend one of the albums on its own merit, though that's still unlikely to be in the context of "this will give you an idea what Björk is about".

I actually got into Björk because of the singles on Debut, and then, particularly Play Dead. The first single I bought was Army of Me. It was the CD single with b-sides rather than remixes. Army of Me is terrifying. It wasn't at all what I expected, and I didn't really like it. Not a great start. The b-sides were Cover Me, You've Been Flirting Again, and Sweet Intuition. They're all songs that I adore now, and have a special connection to, as this EP was where I really became a fan.

They're all quite sparse and disjointed, which is definitely part of their charm, but which at first confused me. It also intrigued me: here was someone using elements I recognised, in combinations that I didn't (like the pretty dresses and doc martens, that were soon a thing), and that forced me to re-assess what was acceptable in music.

It didn't feel like it at the time, but that last statement was pretty fucking huge. I've listened to a lot of music, and there is no shortage of artists who've influenced what I make, and how I make it. Björk though, kind of opened a door and asked "have you seen what's through here?".

So the first album I actually heard was Post. I didn't get it immediately it came out. I wasn't yet a devout fanboy. I'd dipped my toe in the water and it felt fine, but I was still getting my head round Army of Me. It took Hyperballad to get me properly on board. I loved that its name was a description rather than a name. I was/is exactly that. A ballad, with a bonkers beat over it. I was still only becoming aware of the potential of orchestral strings over an electronic beat, and Hyperballad caught me at just the right time.

I got Post in the ltd edition digipak version. Again I was confused. I already knew I loved Hyperballad, and I was growing to like Army of Me. It was also nice to hear an English version of You've been flirting again, but a lot of the rest of the album left me utterly bewildered. I resolved to come back to it and try again, and went and got distracted with George Michael and Radiohead.

Some months later, having neglected to try Post again, I was in HMV, and they had the then brand-new Homogenic, on a listening post. I popped on the impressively robust cans and dove in. By the end of the track, I had decided I was having the ltd edition digipak again. getting it home and finding that Hunter is followed immediately by Jóga, reassured me completely that my impulse buy was definitely going to have been worthwhile.

The instrumentation on Homogenic is predominantly strings over electronic beats, mostly provided by Mark Bell of LFO (who I just learned is from my home town. Yay!). It was while she was touring this album that I first got to see her live. The entire set was just Björk, Mark Bell, and the Icelandic String Octet. My mind was blown.

Ever since then, I've been pretty completist about her stuff, working back and getting the stuff that cam out before I was properly aware of her (hence finally hearing Debut after both Post and Homogenic.

I haven't really kept up with the last few albums, and I'm still not really sure what scared me off, I'll get round to it some time. But from Debut to the Live Box, I've got pretty much every b-side and remix, and I know that stuff really well because I've listened to it to death...but not for a while.

It's always a pleasure to go back revisit an artist you love, and hear them through ears that have been changed by experience, since last they were host to this album, or that EP.

So today I listened to Debut, and then Post, and now I'm on Homogenic. What struck me is that listening to each, you get a kind of mental image of the artist as a character. Like, what was she experiencing to write these songs? The first album's overall feel is summed up in the title of the album's one cover - "Like Someone in Love". The whole album is the excitement and optimism about a new love, the feeling of boundless joy, as everything feels to fall into place, and anything seems possible.

Debut closes with The Anchor Song, which is quite bittersweet in tone, and the imagery is of sinking to the dark depths and making it home. It's not dark as such, it's a contended voice that sings it, but one which is maybe a little more resigned than the boisterous, energetic voice of a few songs ago, a little more melancholy than the voice accompanying the harp on the jazz standard.

So the angry, pounding, unrelenting power of Army of Me, when played right after Debut, makes you sit up and take notice. This is no longer the happy-go-lucky protagonist of the first adventure, it's the confident, no-shit-taking superhero that is going to guide us through her bonkers breakup recovery methods. It's glorious, such a contrast to Debut. It's more mature on every level - complexity of songs, themes, lyrics, music, production. Björk was in control, and getting stronger for it.

It was that contrast that made me want to write today. I could go on, dissecting each album, listing all the amazing b-sides that are virtually unknown, but Just hearing these albums again made me want to share the story of how Björk lit a fire in me.

The Storm

A couple of weeks ago there was a storm. When I heard the first thunder, I was out in the garden, enjoying the sunshine. I set my phone to record, and sat in the shelter watching the rain.

The storm lasted just under half an hour, and I determined that I would use the recording on a tune. I’d intended to chop it into bits, and use them as intros and outros to a collection of tunes. Then I listened back to the storm, and decided instead to leave it in one piece, and just work around it with some synths.

I went through about 100 synths, playing around with notes, chords, arpeggiators, twiddly knobs, pedals, until I had about 15 that I either really liked, or thought would make interesting white noise, or that sounded like anything from Tron or Blade Runner.

I recorded random bits of melody, and odd chords, at various points throughout the storm, then gradually added bits in between. After some editing, which I found really methodical and soothing, I had something that was starting to sound coherent.

I will most likely end up adding more to it at some point, or playing about with the levels, but as a first draft, I think is ready.

I’ll warn you now though, it’s actually half an hour long, so, you know, I won’t be offended if it’s not for you.

P4

Moving forward

I dreamed I was a robot

A story album

So, I'm planning to finish my instrumental album soon, im up to 9 of the planned 10 tracks, and it occurred to me that it might work as a story. Here's what I've got so far...

As technology surpasses medical science, and as Isaac's sense of his human imperfection grows, he dreams of being a robot. He dreams of immortality, of living to see the distant future. When his body begins to fail him, he gradually has each part replaced with technology, gradually becoming more and more robot. 

Everything was made entirely on iPhone 4s with garageband and ikaossilator 

#oneironaut#

In a dream, Isaac sees a future where he is entirely mechanical

#I did not go to work today#

Isaac has known for some time that he will die. He has been continuing to work, but has now earned enough to have the surgery that will not only save, but prolong his life, but will also be a step towards both his dream, and his fear of losing his humanity 

#And the light burned our eyes#

Isaac stares at the sun, frustrated that he is only able to perceive a fraction of the information coming from the source of all life on Earth. As he stares, he imagines having the ability to see the full spectrum, the dance of infra-red, as she flirts with ultra-violet. His thoughts become a self-fulfilling prophecy as his staring irreparably burns his eyes. He wakes up with a synthetic pair, and is finally able to see everything. He realises how much better the robot parts are, and that his unconscious will is driving his inevitable metamorphosis 

#O captain, my captain#

Isaac tries running for the first time on his bionic legs. The dynamo generators in his new legs recharge as he runs, and he feels free in a way he never has before. He finally gets to see all facets of life as he runs through places he's only dreamed of before, and realises that he will outlive all of it. For the first time he realises that his transformation is both blessing and curse

#the more I try#

The conflict grows inside Isaac. The more he tries to cling to his humanity, the more he realises that what makes him human also makes him frail. Eventually he accepts that as long as his consciousness remains, it will be better served by the technology, which is better than his human organs in every way other than cognitively. 

#My blood type is early adopter#

Isaac is now half way to fulfilling his dream of being a robot. He is struggling to bear the pain of his failing human parts, which are now in their 70th year of being. Though scared of losing his humanity, he concludes that he his most human quality is the desire to improve, to better himself. He takes the decision to have all but his brain fully replaced. 

#Ampersand#

Lying in a hospital bed, Isaac hears a street musician through the open window. Drifting in and out of consciousness from the cocktail of drugs running through the remaining human organs, he dreams he is playing along with the musician, his robotic movements adding rhythms and counter rhythms as the musician plays 

#We are groot#

Now mostly machine, Isaac finds that he can draw energy from the life all around him. The tiny electric charges carried by all living things. A walk in the forest becomes a trip, as the many different sources of energy flow into him. 

#I dreamed I was a robot#

Isaac has now outlived all of humankind, their frail bodies unable to withstand the ever increasing temperatures that come with climate change. Isaac reflects on when he was vulnerable and his dream of being a robot. He has seen everything, survived the apocalypse, and is now utterly alone. Walking through a deserted and ruined city, overgrown with the few remaining plant species, he finds another robot, discarded and broken. Picking up the body, he sets off on a journey to find the means to repair his new friend 

#rest in beats#

In darkness as the sun has finally burned out, Isaac, having long since given up on the human concepts of time measurement, instead follows the rhythms of the universe - stars exploding, galaxies collapsing. 

I dreamed I was a robot

Two robots are having a conversation. A human observer, one newly awoken from cryo-sleep enquires:

"Why do you employ melody, and harmony in your communication? There are much more efficient, more mathematical ways to convey ideas". 

The robots converse briefly, in their melancholy accents and then reply to the human: 

"Because it's beautiful"

Run Time Error

Going back though my youtube subscriptions and stumbled across this little gem. Run Time Error was probably the most fun I've had in a band. Four nerds, no agenda, no egos. We did about four gigs over two years, and they were mostly weddings. the rest of the time was just spent jamming and being nerds. Lee, the lead guitarist started documenting our jams, with the hope of eventually releasing a rawkumentary to accompany our album. We never really got round to either, though we had a lot of fun along the way.







 

Painting

So, I recently had to do a painting, to be used as a prop in a play I've been involved with. It's really not my field but they needed doing and no one else had time. Figuring they didn't need to be any good, as they'd only be seen very briefly, I set about painting for the first time since I left school. I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience and so after the play was over I set about doing more painting. I've done three now, all clumsy and slapdash, but have really enjoyed the process and am now actually looking forward to getting more materials and doing some more.

Trees:

Royal Albert Hall:

London: