As a stupid teenager I dismissed Bjork as ‘weird’. As an open minded adult I decided to sample some of her music (via virgin digital downloads) I love every single track (can’t remember what the name of the album is that I downloaded)
The tracks are…
I’ve seen it all
Scatterheart
In the musicals
107 steps
New world
overture
Can you reccomend some other Bjork songs?
You have the Dancer in the Dark soundtrack.
My own personal favorite is Homogenic. You mostly can’t go wrong though. The newest album is a little strange, but I lost mine after only 5 listens or so, so who knows… I do not have it, but she has a Best Of CD. They had an online vote on her website to choose the tracklist. It’s gotta be good.
Don’t forget the Sugarcubes too, Bjork’s original band! The first concert I went to was The Sugarcubes opening, then Public Image Ltd, and New Order headlining. Those were my hip days. 
My favorite songs of theirs:
Walkabout
Birthday
Motorcrash
Planet
Bjork’s new album, “Medulla”, is much different from this early work that you could describe as Iceland’s answer to the B-52s.
Personally, I’m a fan of All is Full of Love and Hunter, both of which can be found on her Bjork: Greatest Hits album, and/or on iTunes.
Most of her stuff is pretty great, and different enough from most other pop music to be interesting and fresh. Her lyrics can be bizarre, but again, by doing so give fresh new twists on common themes.
Big-time Bjork fan chiming in here…
Indeed, you have the “Dancer in the Dark” sound track, “Selmasongs”. The most similar sounding album is “Vespertine”, so you might like that. Go back in time before “Selmasongs” and the sound becomes increasingly electronic and pop-y.
Yes, the “Best Of” CD actually has a number of tracks I’d have chosen myself. I don’t own that one, since I already have everything on it. But they’re good choices.
I love Homogenic as well. It’s this fascinating (to me) mix of electronica and a string ensemble. Her best album, in my opinion. “Joga” is fantastic. Some of the remixes of Homogenic songs are even better than the originals-- “All is Full of Love” Plaid mix or Strings remix both come to mind.
Bjork’s music is interesting. I didn’t “get” several of her songs until I heard them live in concert. For example, I would always just skip over “The Anchor Song” 'cuz I thought it was boring. Then, I heard it in concert between two energetic songs, and it was just entrancing. That’s when I “got it”. Same with “Pluto”; I thought it was totally annoying till I heard it in a different concert and it just tore the place up with all its high energy.
The latest album, “Medulla”, is totally bizarre. I think she may have finally lost me. If you’re looking for a CD to buy next, I’d skip it. I think it’s probably only for the most “hard core” fan, which even I am not, apparantly. But the older stuff is great!
I’ll post again with any other recommendation, as I think of them…
Heh. “Medulla” could hardly be any more different from her Sugarcubes days! Iceland’s answer to the B-52s. I never thought of it that way before, but it’s quite apropos!
“Birthday” is a very cute song. Probably worth getting from iTunes…
The thing I really admire about Bjork (besides her music), is that she comes across as being incredibly self-assured in regards to the music she puts out, and the public persona she projects. She has the amazing courage to never compromise herself despite being commonly labelled as a “nutcase”, something few other artists can lay claim to.
Her music is definitely an acquired taste, but one that is truly lasting after a few repeated listenings. As others have suggested, maybe check out her greatest hits first if you’re a bit tentative, but I think you won’t be disappointed with anything from her back catalogue.
She has also has a greatest hits dvd which is awesome, with some of her clips worthy of watching even if the songs were no good.
Another late Bjork-bloomer here.
All is Full of Love is wonderful - just make sure it’s the version from the Stigmata soundtrack.
Bachelorette is another awesome song. Actually my favourite Bjork.
I think I now own all of the mainstream release Bjork stuff, even the new live discs and the Family Tree box set (except of course the Greatest Hits). I am still working on the DVDs, I have the videos and the Live at the Royal Opera House (for fans of Vespertine, a nearly religious experience). My favorite is Homogenic also, all except the penultimate song (“Pluto”), which is among her worst.
Each of her albums are unique, different, and awesome in their own ways. Her last two (Medulla and Vespertine) are painfully beautiful but not as poppy and inherently listenable as her others. Each Bjork album should be taken as a whole, though. She really has a unique sound which she develops through each album. She started out with Debut with a very dancy, beat-heavy sound. This disappeared on Post and she seemed to be more focused on working incidental sound and noise into her beats and instrumentation on Homogenic. This was carried through to an extreme level on Vespertine. With Medulla she has abandoned instruments almost entirely.
My two favorite tracks from each main album:
Debut = “There’s More to Life Than This” and “Human Behavior”
Post = “Hyperballad” and “The Modern Things”
I find her remix CD Telegram almost unlistenable.
Homogenic = “Bachelorette” and “Joga”
Vespertine = “Cocoon” and “Pagan Poetry”
Selmasongs = “Scatterheart” and “New World” although now that I’ve seen the move I can’t listen to the album without getting pretty depressed.
Medulla = “Who Is It” and “Oceania”
Gling-Glo (don’t forget it – her jazz CD with her father’s jazz trio) = “Ruby Baby” and “Pabbi Min”
I love Bjork’s work. She’s truly original. She tries something new and different on every album and yet there’s no mistaking it’s her. I just got Medulla last week and although I liked it, I found it a bit of an acquired taste. But now I just love it. The vocals are so incredibly complex. I’d say it’s my favorite album besides Vespertine. My favorite tracks on Medulla are:
-The Pleasure is Mine
-Vokuro
-Oceania
-Mouth’s Cradle
Just fantastic.
My favorite Björk songs are
[ul][li]Human Behavior[/li][li]Play Dead[/li][li]Violently Happy[/li][li]Army of Me[/li][li]Isobel[/li][li]Hyperballad[/li][li]Possibly Maybe[/li][li]I Miss You[/li][li]Bachelorette[/ul][/li]These are all from earlier albums, which is what I like better from her. Each of these songs is so different from the others that it’s very difficult to explain exactly why I like each one, but there you go. “Human Behavior” and “Hyperballad” are especially good.
Well, just about everything’s been covered, but just let me add my favorite tracks. I have been a fan since the Sugarcubes, and I love the way Bjork can turn her rambling thoughts into a kick ass song.
My favorite album would have to be Homogenic. I like Joga the best, then Hunter, then maybe 5 Years.
The remix CD of Post is Telegram, and while it can be grating, I love the Hyperballad and Isobel remixes.
Sadly, I haven’t heard Vespertine, being of limited funds…but it’s on its way in the mail from BMG.
Good choices. All of my favorite Björk songs are on your list. Play Dead is my favorite – I get chills down my spine every time I hear it.
I’ve never met another Bjork fan who agrees with me on this, but Post is my favorite of her albums (Selmasongs is a close second, but I hate the movie so much it’s kind of soured me on the record).
My favorite tracks, in order (like Kevin Costner, I can’t do accents):
Isobel (Post)
Cvalda (Selmasongs)
I Miss You (Post)
It’s Oh So Quiet (Post)
Human Behavior (Debut)
Enjoy (Post)
Army of Me (Post)
Joga (Homogenic)
Pagan Poetry (Vespertine)
Bachelorette (Homogenic)
Who Is It (Medulla)
Really? They’re not all winners, but a few of the tracks here are among my favorites. In fact, if I had to go to my desert island with one Bjork track, it would be the Telegram version of “Hyperballad” with the Brodsky Quartet.
Vespertine is by far my favorite Bjork album, and I saw this tour live at Teatro Regio in Parma, Italy. Definitely a religious experience.
I started out really liking Army of Me and not liking some of the other stuff so much; these days I’m sick of AoM and prefer tracks like Isobel and I Miss You.
And I maintain that There’s More to Life Than This needs a proper dance remix instead of the dodgy “live” version from Debut.
Oof of course I forgot that one, because I don’t listen to Telegram any more. I have Family Tree, which has 9 tracks of her and the Brodsky Quartet (although, surprisingly, not Hyperballad) and I listen to that quite often… It is very nice, especially their “Hunter” and “The Anchor Song.”
I swoon in jealousy for you. The only time I saw her was in a relatively small club in Austin (The Liberty Lunch, sadly departed) on the Post tour. I would kill to see her with the Inuit choir and Matmos. Do you think the Live at the Royal Opera House DVD is a good representation of that tour?
Vespatine is my personal favorite Bjork album, but I would suggest getting the DVD of all her videos, as they are very artistic.
Seconded, Bippy. It’s called Volumen, BTW, and June, I wanted to recommend it to you too. It has all of the songs I picked as my favorites.