Review Summary: Coming out of her shell in spectacular fashion.
After the release of her breakout album
Debut in 1993, Björk could have gone down many different routes when it came to the follow up. What we got was
Post, and it really was the next logical step. Certain elements from before were retained, while others were left behind in favour of minor progression and change. They may have been baby steps, but Björk was slowly coming out of her shell.
The album begins with a bang, in the form of
Army Of Me. The track is mainly driven by a slow, grinding synth and an industrial drum beat. Right away, we know the woman on this track is no longer the shy and introverted woman of before. The main message behind the song is one of pulling yourself together, moving on and not being so reliant on others, which is demonstrated perfectly through the powerful lyrics and (for the most part) restrained delivery from Björk. The song may not be an accurate representation of the album as a whole, but it certainly works well on its own as a fantastic track. What comes next may just be one of the greatest songs of Björk’s entire career,
Hyperballad. The song is a tour de force in emotional songwriting, and it really does get everything right. From the slow building electronic instrumentation to the lyrics, which tell the tale of a woman who stands on the edge of a cliff and terrifies herself with the thought of suicide every morning, just so she can feel safe with her lover. It’s a unique concept to say the least, and it’s executed perfectly. The instrumentation builds up to an epic climax of house drum beats and swirling synths.
Björk could have made things so easy for herself by simply doing what she did previously.
Post would most likely have been equally successful and the fanbase would have been happy. But as we all know, Björk doesn’t like to stick to one sound and she certainly doesn’t take the easy way out. The third single from the album and ironically her most popular and well-known song (even though it doesn’t represent her career in the slightest) is a cover of
Blow A Fuse by Betty Hutton (known here as
It’s Oh So Quiet). In terms of instrumentation, the song retains all of the elements of the original. The difference? Björk is at the helm of course. She begins by singing softly and hushing, before bursting into a chorus of frantic shouting and screaming. In 1995, no one had heard her do this before.
Debut, while exploring many musical avenues, featured a calm and collected Björk. So to hear her screeching like a banshee one minute and softly singing the next startled many casual listeners and even fans she had picked up previously. She has never made another song like this since and she most likely never will.
However, there are other more subtle changes throughout.
Enjoy, as well as aberrant synth flourishes in the verses, includes small amounts of bass guitar towards the end of each chorus. It may not be a prominent element of the song, but it’s there and it represents the small changes that Björk was making. The downbeat
Possibly Maybe has a melancholy synth line that plays throughout the chorus, marking the first time a Björk song has actually sounded sombre and reflective. Sure, there were times before where lyrically she wasn’t at her most optimistic, but every piece on
Debut and the first half of
Post sounded upbeat in one way or another. The lyrics see her reflecting on love and whether it’s really worth it, and are told in an honest and almost stream of consciousness style. Lines such as
“as much as I definitely enjoy solitude, I wouldn’t mind perhaps spending little time with you” see her debating whether it’s best to be in a relationship or live a life of solitude (which is something we may all have thought about at one time).
On the other end of the spectrum is the infectiously joyful
I Miss You. The song includes elements of world music, which would be explored further on 2007’s
Volta. The video is probably more famous than the song itself, animated by none other than John Kricfalusi, the twisted mastermind behind Ren and Stimpy. It’s a shame
I Miss You doesn’t get as much attention as some of the other songs on
Post, because it’s a fun song to listen to and a testament to how far Björk is willing to go to show that she doesn’t want to be known for one musical style.
Post is in an interesting position in the Björk canon. It lies in between
Debut and her landmark artistic statement
Homogenic. The changes made aren’t as drastic as those on the latter, but it doesn’t stray too far away from the former. It isn’t quite a transition album because they can sometimes see the artist in question in an awkward place, not quite achieving greatness. Make no mistake,
Post is the definition of an essential album and contains some of Björk’s best songs. It’s just hard to believe that what would come next could actually improve upon the greatness of it.
