Björk "Homogenic"

"Homogenic" is not as varied as "Debut" or "Post" (or "Telegram", for that matter) but it's still an album to die for. It's darker, angrier, less melodic and (hopefully) less commercial than Björk's previous solo-works. It's still a bit too early to decide if it's better or worse than "Debut" or "Post", but one thing is for sure: It's different! Björk has developed her very own kind of pop-music by mixing her own voice, strings, drum-machines, accordions and God knows what. Björk couldn't possibly have made a braver album than "Homogenic". Buy it....now!

Short descriptions of every track:

1. "Hunter"

The fairy-like atmosphere makes "Hunter" a great opening tune. Accordions, "military-like" drum-machines and string-bridges. The melody-line is one of the strangest ones around and all the time Björk goes "oooh" in the background. "Hunter" is just about as weird as it's beautiful.

2. "Jóga"

This song reminds me quite a lot of "Hyperballad" only it's a lot better. The string-arrangements are Björk's greatest ones ever and the the drum-machines crunch and ripple all over it. Honours to whosoever added that groovy bass-line! At the final chorus a weird accordion-player enters and finally there's an amazing fade-out. The version of "Jóga" on "Homogenic" is a lot better than the Howie B-remix on the "Jóga"-single. A song worth to die for and an obvious choice for a single.

3. "Unravel"

I know quite a lot of you will disagree with me when I say this is my least favorite tune on the album. A really slow song containing Björk's voice accompanied by a slow beat, a cello and that weird accordion-player again. The melody-line is quite sweet, I just find the song a bit too slow and soft. The church-organ-solo in the end is really cool, though.

4. "Bachelorette"

This song was originally planned to end up as the themes-song to a film by Bertucillino, but Björk liked it so much, she decided to keep it for herself. I'd definitely say she made the right choice. "Bachelorette" is quite a dark song with a theatrical atmospheres and it sounds a bit like the themes-song from a James Bond-movie. The string-arrangements remind me a bit of "Play dead" and the crunching drum-machine sounds ever so cool. The best parts of the song are the ones containing only Björk's voice, horns and that lovely drum-machine. The accordion-ending is stunning to say the least. A very nice tune....and I think it's got MTV-potential too.

5. "All neon-like"

My favorite "Homogenic"-tune! Björk's voice mixed with glass-bowls, softly distorted keyboards and the greatest drum-programming I've ever heard! The atmosphere is fairy-like to say the least, and there are lovely back-up-noises all over the song. The melody-line is spellbound but the song is probably far too anti-commercial to end up as a single.

6. "5 years"

Another one of my favorite "Homogenic"-tunes and one of the angriest songs to come out from Björk so far. The drum-programming could have been taken from "Hyperballad (Over the edge mix)". Björk's backed up by a silent keyboard but suddenly all the instruments get changed for some strings. In the end, the drum-machine enters again and goes along with Björk's voice and the strings. This is almost industrial....I love it!

7. "Immature"

Again, a song with a fairy-like atmosphere and the only song containing only Björk's voice and keyboards. The drum-programming is a bit housey and the vocal-arrangements are stunning to say the least. Even better than the version on the "Jóga"-single!

8. "Alarm call"

My second least favorite "Homogenic"-song. All the industrial noises and the ending where Björk's voice is drowning all of the instruments sound cool to say the least, but I find the melody a bit too cheerful and I fear this is going to be the "hit-single" of "Homogenic".

9. "Pluto"

Yes! Techno-madness at it's best! "Pluto is the strangest and probably coolest kind of industrial techno-punk I've ever heard. Björk's voice is drowning in all the distortion and it ends up with a frustrated scream. The angriest song to come out from Björk so far!

10. "All is full of love"

Björk's strangest song to date. It contains only Björk's voice singing one of the album's beautifullest melody-lines and strange noises made by accordions, harps and strings. A nice way to end this remarkable album.