I’ve always wanted to get around to liking Bjork, but haven’t done so yet. So where should I start? I don’t necessarily want her “best” album first; I think it might be better to start with her most catchy/accessible/popiest.
Probably her first, aptly titled Debut, is the most catchy/accessible. Her second, Post, is slightly less accessible but also a bit better; probably a good second album to get. I happen to think she’s been hit-or-miss since then, and wouldn’t recommend getting anything else by her unless you fall head-over-heels for Debut and Post.
I came in to say Debut and Post. Get both. They are great.
Yes, sorry, failed to add in my original post: These two albums are in fact phenomenal. I assume Bjork is enjoying her voyage into art-noise unlistenability, and I’m in no position to judge, but there was such genius in her early work that I can’t help but feel sad about it. I suppose I should just be thankful for what she’s given me.
I like Homogenic.
I have warm fuzzies for Homogenic, but she was definitely a lot more accessible in her first two albums, and in Gling-Gló, which was a jazz album she put out with the Gudmundur Ingolfsson Trio. The further out you go from Debut and Post, the more experimental she gets and the less accessible she is. If you do, however, end up enjoying her work, try Tricky; she’s done guest vocals on some of his songs.
Hmm. I think Vespertine is still pretty accessible. Lush, even. Homogenic is the album that has the most songs on it that really speak to me, and are also mostly pretty straightforward.
But my mother made me listen to 20th century art music when my brain was tender and malleable so my bar for accessible is probably lodged somewhere weird.
I think Debut, Post, and Homogenic are all pretty accessible. Though I actually think Debut and Post represent her at a period when she was still figuring out her own style (and thus doing jazz covers, club songs, and poppy stuff), while Homogenic starts the time of her life when she had become more comfortable with her own personal ‘genre’, if you will. So I would say get at least one of those to determine if you’ll like her, but that Homogenic is more of an indicator of how her later stuff gets rather than Debut and Post being an indicator of her whole career.
I’d also recommend picking up her early band’s stuff, The Sugarcubes, which is even more accessible and high energy. The “best of” disc is a great start.
Huge Björk fan checking in. I want to second the nominations for both Debut and Sugarcubes (Life’s Too Good or greatest hits), both could be described as “catchy”. Homogenic and Vespertine are IMO her best albums but they aren’t necessarily accessible to new listeners, especially if you mostly listen to pop music.
Well, I got Debut and listened to it. The good songs were absolutely amazing, which is rare for me to think on a first spin. I love her voice. Several of the songs were really technoey/dancey/clubby, though, which is not really my thing. Overall I would definitely give it a thumbs-up, but I think I might look for one of her later albums now instead of Post.
I actually listen to very little pop music - only what my wife subjects me to :); I’ve never really been a radio listener or mtv watcher. I just asked for a poppy album because I had/have an inkling that she’s done some really avant garde, inaccessible stuff, and I didn’t want it to be the first thing I heard. I think hearing a terribly “artistic” song first might’ve soured me on Portishead before giving them a fair shake.