Appreciation Post for Björk’s Album Openers

Hey, everybody. This will be a quick, casual post because time is tight these days. Lately, I've been really into Björk. There’s so much to be said about her and her music, but today I’m going to focus on one aspect of her career. She is somebody who absolutely, undeniably knows how to kick off an album. I’m just going to talk about a few of the album opening tracks I really love.

Post - “Army of Me”

Post is the last album of Björk’s that you could really call pop, so it’s fitting that it opens up with one of her catchiest, most accessible songs. This track kills. It’s the first song I ever heard of hers, and I still love it. Her voice sounds so powerful, and the sounds are colorful and perfect. 

Homogenic - “Hunter”

Homogenic might be my favorite Björk album altogether. This skittery, ominous song is a perfect example of why. One thing I love about her music is that all of it feels so beautifully textured. This song is so perfect to begin an album because it just makes everything feel like something’s about to happen. I don’t know if that makes sense. I really seriously thought about buying some of those ridiculous waterproof bone conduction headphones just so that I could go swimming and listen to Homogenic underwater. But that was a dumb idea. If you listen to this with headphones, it feels like the percussive sounds are a bunch of little bugs running all over the place.

Vespertine - “Hidden Place”

“Hidden Place” is one of the most gorgeous songs I’ve ever heard. The first time I listened to it, I was sitting on a packed Blue Line train around five thirty, and I very nearly wept like a baby in front of fifty people. Björk’s voice takes its place alongside a heavenly choir; every other sound is manipulated beyond recognition, ground up and spread across the track like snowdrifts. 

Medulla - “Pleasure is all Mine”

Medulla, made up almost entirely of human voices, is one of Björk’s strangest, most divisive works. Personally, and this is a little harsh, but I don’t really want to listen to beatboxing for an hour. This one’s not for me. But I adore this song. The harmonies are just so beautiful, and the song is so intimate and close to the ear.