All is Full of Love

That Swan dress: 2001 Academy Awards

Bjork is someone whom I admire for two things: her overly dramatic and unique style of dress and her intense but often melodious musical tastes. In terms of her clothing, she knows no boundaries; there are no restrictions, unbalanced opinions in how she went about creating a look with a wonderful mantra- she went for it by no way following a set of ‘rules’. And not once did any of this overrule the strength of her music, nor was it the reason for its success. 

Biophilia (below) is her latest and ninth studio album which looks into scientific analysis and technology, adding another dimension to her music, for example, the Earth’s rotating force. The series of 10 apps, are each relating to a song from the album, delving into, exploring and interacting with the song’s themes. I find this such a clever and unique idea emphasising further, the fascinating characteristics of Bjork and her interesting way of recording. What fascinates me is her ability to reference the scientific through her music. For instance, the intense gibberish sang throughout “Dark Matter” (cosmology phenomena) is a direct reference to how “unexplainable” this overly scrutinised theory is. I find it such an unusual way of explaining it, but a completely fresh remarkable way of studying and analysing a subject as complicated as physics. 

My mother is an immense fan of Bjork- someone who is notoriously attracted to the out of the ordinary, bizarre sounds of artists ranging from the lyrical genius that is Kate Bush to the electronic stance of Moby. I always remember feeling captivated by the eccentricity of It’s All So Quiet, her most commercial and perhaps famous song amongst those who are not as familiar with her work. I myself am familiar with various albums played on countless occasions. I find her music incredibly powerful, slightly eerie and mystifying and I think that is the effect she hopes it will have on a listener and certainly what she was expecting with her latest album.

   
Whether you enjoy or are confused by her music, there is no denying the talent and inspirational force of Bjork- she has inspired so many. There will never be another like her.

All Is Full Of Love is one of my favourite Bjork songs. From Homogenic, the song is beautifully sounding, powerful and takes over your emotions as the strings fade and echo throughout, drifting and dipping in and out of electronic pounding sounds and loud beats and of course, the brilliance and strength of Bjork's voice and the notes she holds onto, they too overlapping the background singing, repeating. I just love it. It also holds a really positive message: Just look around you and you will see all is full of love. 

Play Dead from album Debut featuring David Arnold and written as the soundtrack to film The Young Americans has one of my favourite pieces of string music and is possibly one of my favourite songs of all time. It is complex and forceful and a lot of instruments play their part throughout the track. Drums and tambourine slam together with drums and the intermixing of trumpets before Bjork screams and then sings pretty harsh lyrics: "...where no one cares and no one loves / no light, no air to live in / a place of hate, the city of fear", "Curling up inside my private tortures / I nestle into pain", though sang above the mellow guitar notes which you hear faintly alongside the string orchestra which remains upbeat working with the constant (apart from the second break before it makes it impact again) banging of the drum, all complimenting well the overall trip hop beats.

 

As you can imagine, I have been listening to a lot of her mateial of late. I have gone through the back catalogue of Bjorks singles and listened to them all; some I had never heard of and others I recognise from my Mum having played them at some point at home - if I like them they will stay in my head. She is so headstrong and manages to get such a powerful message across with her music, whether mystical, startling or terrifying. 

An example of this is the famous Pagan Poetry from Vespertine which is accompanied with a music video directed by photographer Nick Knight (below). It is fantastic and the song is beautiful; the harp, the crashing background synth and the brilliance of not only Bjork's vibrating, breathy voice as she repeats the lyrics, but the expression in her face and hands. She shakes about the screen wanting to cry, then smiling all whilst wearing a beaded dress hung around her neck which she pulls at with the wind forcefully caressing her face and hair. It is stunningly horrifying, the beginning even more so. I won't spoil it. You must watch it- both are geniuses and have created something truly amazing.

More great songs:

Joga (Homogenic) - Mix of varying string & heavy synth

Hidden Place (Vespertine) - Strong vocal with eerie electro

Who Is It? (Medúlla) - Beautiful vocal, cow bells & tapping beats

Did you know?

She was awarded/nominated for 25 awards for her role in Dancer in the Dark, including Best Actress at  the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. 

She was in a relationship with English actor Goldie during the 90s.

She was voted 60th in The Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of all Time.
She provided the music for the intensely beautiful SHOWstudio tribute to Alexander McQueen with Nick Knight.

 WONDER FULL

When I was a child, running in the night

After an amazing Christmas with the majority of my close family and a chilled but fun New Year, I am back with a new post. 

It is my Mum's birthday tomorrow (which is another excuse to have a big get together with lots of wine) and this is a celebration of that, as my Mum is and always has been a massive fan. If you are not familiar with her music, you should definitely listen to some of what she has created over the years. I give my own recommendations.

Happy New Year to everyone and enjoy the post. Do let me know what you think.

Kate Bush is just as much part of my childhood playlist as the Spice Girls (is this not the case for any girl born in the 90s?), M People and Robin S. Show Me Love has got to be one of the best dance songs ever to be produced. I will always remember listening to Bush when either my Mum was cleaning or when I was standing in the centre of the living-room singing my heart out into a hairbrush. Babooshka (its literal definition is Russian for ‘grandmother’, according to the Urban Dictionary) is the one song I remember learning all the words to at such a young age. I recall the huge amount of fascination and curiosity over the album cover for Never For Ever, in which this song was released, with the floating animals and ugly looking sea creatures swirling out from underneath Bush’s dress. It is probably one of her most memorable songs- the lyrical verses tapping into the ideologies of revenge, paranoia and ambush, as it tells the story of a woman’s yearning for the faithfulness of her husband.

 

My Mum was thirteen years old when Bush was signed aged 19 in 1978 and surprisingly has only ever had one number one single in the UK with Wuthering Heights, despite having released 10 studio albums with a maximum of 12 years between releases – The Red Shoes released in 1993 and Aerial in 2005- throughout her massively successful career spanning over an impressive 36 years. Her musical style has altered somewhat over the years, newer material edging more towards her earlier folk style with a fairly vast emphasis on instrumental segments. Wuthering Heights, to those of you who are not familiar with the song but have read the book or watched a film adaptation (I myself really need to soon), is aptly startling, moving and varying in tempo and pitch. It begins with piano beats and ends with amazing electric guitar, amidst the high-pitched, menacing voice of Bush and the drop of drum beat with which you cannot help but move your head in time to.

  

What I love so much about Bush is the incredibly unique tone and the trembling characteristic to her voice- unusual voices are always the best I find. Not only that, the aptitude at which she reaches when altering her voice from deep to very high, powerful, almost screaming at times, is an ability for which she should be admired. Adapting it from each song to the next to suit the melodies and musical choices, ensures that what you are listening to is certainly interesting and grasps you as a listener. Cloudbusting is my personal favourite because of this and the song of the moment (the opeining lyrics of which forms the title) has to be Hounds of Love, inspired by Hitchcock's film The 39 Steps. 

She is undeniably, a fantastic songwriter- completely powerful, startling and I feel there is always a story to her songs, which she maintains throughout from the beginning to the very last note. As for her look, she was always in tight Lycra dance leotards and leggings at the height of her fame during the late 70s, early 80s (who wasn’t?), floating floor length, long-sleeved sheer gowns or futuristic two pieces, as the header picture shows, worn on her one and only tour aged just 20. That large mane of hair, which I vividly remember as the artwork for Lionheart was her trademark, as well as her big brown eyes, porcelain skin and rosy lips. She is one beautiful, talented lady whose niche style of music has gained her a huge, dedicated fan base, one of whom is my mum- a massive one at that. The fact that she vows never to tour again as she claims to be ‘shy’ is something I find hard to understand but it certainly doesn’t lessen her triumph as the most successful solo female artist the UK has ever seen.

WONDER FULL

Rest. In. Peace.

Precisely a year ago today a devestating accident stole the life of a dear family friend, loving father and funny man- a wonderful human being so many people adored. This is my way of dealing with the pain that has been reignited on this sad day and to remind you to think of your loved ones who have passed away...

"I still dream of Orgonon.

I wake up cryin'.

You're making rain,

And you're just in reach,

When you and sleep escape me."

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"But every time it rains,

You're here in my head,

Like the sun coming out."

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"I won't forget."

(lyrics from one of his favourite songs

Cloudbusting by Kate Bush)

XxXxX