There is most definately something in the water in Iceland, a country that has provided with Björk and Sigur Ros, probably the only two artists that will ever break away from the cold dreariness of that far-off island. Björk is almost like a pixie, if you think about it. Her skin is rather pale, she is short, and she possesses a voice that of which a muse would be jealous of. Though she is rather well known for contradicting herself on many occassions, as
Rolling Stone noted in their review of this album. Her music gradually becomes stranger with time.
Homogenic also proves her to be a chameleon, aptly adapting to whatever music she may desire to make, in this case being a combination of dreamy, lush, and orchestrated post-rock, and techno music. It proves to be a powerful combination, indeed.
Björk is in fine form here, though clad in Asian clothing on the cover. Her voice is powerful and evocative, but never overbearing and melodramatic. It's surprising to here such a voice come from a person like herself, but it adds greatly to the music. The lyrics seem to follow the path of what would be love-based, but they never sound sappy. Quite the contrary, actually, as she sounds rather angry from time to time. No worries, though, her angelic and beautiful voice still comes out in almsot every song, especially the euphoric closer, "All is Full of Love". The instrumentation is comparable to Björk's singing, with grand string sections and atmospheric synthesizers that provide washes of sound as a backround. Her techno side still remains though, with mechanized beats and eerie synth drones and bass parts that add a little darkness to the songs, not to mention the backing vocals that run throughout the album.
And thus, we have
Homogenic. The album, though retaining a similar sound throughout, still contains a good amount of variety to keep oneself interested. The opening number, "Hunter," is easily one of the best songs on the album, with brooding basslines and backwards tape sounds, along with her trademark, though sometimes queer voice. The backing vocals that are on the album are introduced here, with slow, eerie cooing. The first half of the album itself is a blend of post-pop that is unmatched to this day. Each of the songs shimmers with some undying beauty that only Iceland seems to produce, which is in turn reflected through the music. Most of the time, the lyrics are indecphirable, or nearing it. Though some may view this as a major discrepency, it allows you to focus on the tone of her voice, which matches with the music in such an orgasmic manner that I find it hard to type this while I listen. The more electronic-influenced songs, mostly in the second half of the album, also retain the the same mystical beauty, but in a mechanized manner. Somehow, those songs seem even more charming than the others, as they allow Björk to stand out a bit, laying off from the dense arrangements. All of it is a welcome break from what would have eventually become a post-pop drudge.
I can't really go on to say anymore about how amazing
Homogenic is, despite it's minor flaws that one would expect from a human being. It's the perfect summation of what a post-pop artist can do within the confines of an album. Though in some cases she may be a rather strange character, speaking of farm animals and other silly things in interviews, and attacking camerawomen, Björk is also a revolutionary pop artist, one with more creativity than any pill-popping anorexic with a pseudo-soul voice could even manage to digest in their lifespan.
Homogenic it is!
