group hug - björk
we're quite proud of the many strings to our muscial bow here at bff, what with those horses for courses decreeing that we can all have different things we love. but once in a while, the stars align and we can all agree one something that is unarguably brilliant. this is where our new, and soon-to-be-world-renowned, feature comes in - "group hug" - where we'll all pick our favourite record from a given artist, label, movement or something else entirely, and each have a bit of a scribble on why we love it so much. so we christen this maiden voyage with one of the all-time greatest artists fresh from her return-to-form, scando-minx björk. so without further ado ...
björk - foot soldier (mp3)
ryan says: picking one björk tune took me ages to do and included me changing my choice a zillion times! when you sit down and start listening, you realise just how much incredible - and often challenging - music this genius has made.
and by genius, i actually mean genius. in today’s major music industry it is very rare that something with incredible talent gets the commercial success that they deserve. björk is a rare exception. i got reminded of this when making my choice for this little special. so, in the end, my decision was ‘foot soldier’, an incredible piece of music hidden away on the ‘hidden place’ ep (no pun intended!). the reason for my choice was because it is one of my favourite björk tunes and that. is. that.
björk - joga (mp3)
mark says: picking a björk favourite record is no easy task and as kev will probably agree, writing about said track has proved even harder. my method of selection was somewhat technical - it involved picking my favourite album (i used the same method), close my eyes, point at the tracklisting and voilla, there it is. so 'joga' was the chosen one, and to be quite honest i am quite glad it is, it was probably my favourite after all (damn my indecisiveness). this really tugs on the heart strings does this one, it almost makes me want to burst into tears (in a good way of course)...
björk - venus as a boy (mp3)
rob says: from the ridiculously sparse opening hypno-drums and that nellee hooper bassline so coveted by mr. timbaland (according to the icelandic pixie) you know you are onto something magical with this early solo single from 1993. so good is this track, it even reached the lofty heights of number 29 in uk pop charts - and that's a sure fire indicator of a great song with ambition to transcend beard-strokers. there is a vague memory of seeing this on top of the pops, aged 11, flummoxed by this odd voice and odd sound yet, like all fine things, this just grows and grows and grows on you.
a song about love - and the potential of one 'boy' in particular armed with his elusive sexually insinuating sense of humour - 'venus' rides its digital almost-reggae yet thoroughly eastern-tinged' rhythm off into the hearts of everyone who is lucky enough to hear it.
björk - all is full of love (video version) (mp3)
chris says: hmmm, pick my favourite björk track. that's like asking me to pick my favourite sexual position: it all depends on, well, lots of things.
so, i thought for a bit, had a listen, thought some more, had another listen (and made a brew), listened to some other stuff, thought a bit more, listened again (and made a rhubarb crumble - hurry whilst it's at its best as the rhubarb season's pretty short) and in the end decided that there really was no point in resisting and have gone for the one that really grabbed me by the balls the first time i heard it. it's the one that made me go back and listen with fresh ears and a more open mind to everything else she'd done before. it's the one that made me fall in love with björk: or maybe it was just those sexy white robots.
sugarcubes - birthday (mp3)
neil says: to pick a favourite track from björk is well near impossible as her career has produced so many great and unexpected moments. however, one track for me stands out above all others and that is the first release from the sugarcubes - 'birthday' - and 20 years later, i still remember hearing it for the first time on radio and rushing to the record shop next morning to track down this extraordinary voice. someone should remix it again ... james holden or rhythm and sound maybe?
björk - one day (mp3)
kev says: ahh, the grand old duke of björk. she may not have had ten thousand men, but i've probably listened to her serenade me somewhere in that quantity. it's become quite a joke when people get into my car, her familiar soothing voice is always in the background. i squished all her albums onto an mp3-cd, and it's probably lodged in the my car stereo 80% of the time, with different albums able to match almost any mood. my choice is from her debut (the cunningly titled 'debut'), and shows how perfect a time the album came - a hypnotic bassline that echoes the nu groove sound coming out of new york from years previous, and indian rhythms foreshadowing the universally loved 'leftism', which followed in it's wake. please björk, hook up with neelee hooper again!
björk - foot soldier (mp3)
ryan says: picking one björk tune took me ages to do and included me changing my choice a zillion times! when you sit down and start listening, you realise just how much incredible - and often challenging - music this genius has made.
and by genius, i actually mean genius. in today’s major music industry it is very rare that something with incredible talent gets the commercial success that they deserve. björk is a rare exception. i got reminded of this when making my choice for this little special. so, in the end, my decision was ‘foot soldier’, an incredible piece of music hidden away on the ‘hidden place’ ep (no pun intended!). the reason for my choice was because it is one of my favourite björk tunes and that. is. that.
björk - joga (mp3)
mark says: picking a björk favourite record is no easy task and as kev will probably agree, writing about said track has proved even harder. my method of selection was somewhat technical - it involved picking my favourite album (i used the same method), close my eyes, point at the tracklisting and voilla, there it is. so 'joga' was the chosen one, and to be quite honest i am quite glad it is, it was probably my favourite after all (damn my indecisiveness). this really tugs on the heart strings does this one, it almost makes me want to burst into tears (in a good way of course)...
björk - venus as a boy (mp3)
rob says: from the ridiculously sparse opening hypno-drums and that nellee hooper bassline so coveted by mr. timbaland (according to the icelandic pixie) you know you are onto something magical with this early solo single from 1993. so good is this track, it even reached the lofty heights of number 29 in uk pop charts - and that's a sure fire indicator of a great song with ambition to transcend beard-strokers. there is a vague memory of seeing this on top of the pops, aged 11, flummoxed by this odd voice and odd sound yet, like all fine things, this just grows and grows and grows on you.
a song about love - and the potential of one 'boy' in particular armed with his elusive sexually insinuating sense of humour - 'venus' rides its digital almost-reggae yet thoroughly eastern-tinged' rhythm off into the hearts of everyone who is lucky enough to hear it.
björk - all is full of love (video version) (mp3)
chris says: hmmm, pick my favourite björk track. that's like asking me to pick my favourite sexual position: it all depends on, well, lots of things.
so, i thought for a bit, had a listen, thought some more, had another listen (and made a brew), listened to some other stuff, thought a bit more, listened again (and made a rhubarb crumble - hurry whilst it's at its best as the rhubarb season's pretty short) and in the end decided that there really was no point in resisting and have gone for the one that really grabbed me by the balls the first time i heard it. it's the one that made me go back and listen with fresh ears and a more open mind to everything else she'd done before. it's the one that made me fall in love with björk: or maybe it was just those sexy white robots.
sugarcubes - birthday (mp3)
neil says: to pick a favourite track from björk is well near impossible as her career has produced so many great and unexpected moments. however, one track for me stands out above all others and that is the first release from the sugarcubes - 'birthday' - and 20 years later, i still remember hearing it for the first time on radio and rushing to the record shop next morning to track down this extraordinary voice. someone should remix it again ... james holden or rhythm and sound maybe?
björk - one day (mp3)
kev says: ahh, the grand old duke of björk. she may not have had ten thousand men, but i've probably listened to her serenade me somewhere in that quantity. it's become quite a joke when people get into my car, her familiar soothing voice is always in the background. i squished all her albums onto an mp3-cd, and it's probably lodged in the my car stereo 80% of the time, with different albums able to match almost any mood. my choice is from her debut (the cunningly titled 'debut'), and shows how perfect a time the album came - a hypnotic bassline that echoes the nu groove sound coming out of new york from years previous, and indian rhythms foreshadowing the universally loved 'leftism', which followed in it's wake. please björk, hook up with neelee hooper again!