HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. I hate you all.
#72 – Vertebrae By Vertebrae (6.74)
Highest: 10 x4 (@Petty Mayonnaise, @vikeyeol, @clockworknovak, @enjoy)
Lowest: 1.5 x1 (@etienne)
BOO YOU WHORES. I fucking love this one too and I genuinely can’t understand why it’s leaving us this early. It’s magnificent, it’s brooding, it’s almost primal - it’s Björk metaphorically howling at the moon with the ferocity of a thousand feral wolves. The “CLAUSTROPHOOOOOBIIIIIIIC IN MEEEEEE” line is one of my favourite vocal moments in her career, too. The sheer strength is insane. I have to close my eyes and really feel it every damn time.
Co-produced by Damian Taylor and with beats by Homogenic-veteran Mark Bell, Vertebrae By Vertebrae is on ode to the power of motherhood: “I had a daughter, and suddenly I understood my mom better, and her mom, and her mom, and her mom. You get this kind of line… and suddenly you get this gate opening way to the beginning of mankind.” It’s also inspired by the dangers of organised religion because this is Björk we’re talking about so WHY NOT. Vertebrae By Vertebrae is supposed to take us back to ancient times before religion, when we were more impulsive, more intuitive, driven by primal needs and not societal pressures; it asks why people are so scared of nature, why we feel the need to control time by splitting it up exactly how we want to, why we’re so scared of arbitrary numbers that we build skyscrapers with no thirteenth floor. On a related note, one of the things I love most about Björk is her willingness to admit that so many of her songs border on ridiculous self-parody, and this one’s no different: “it sort of became this joke-song, kind of like a b-movie soundtrack to, The Earth Mother RISES back from the mud!, like the earth goddess as a zombie. And she’s going to go Vertebrae by Vertebrae, back on her hind legs, the beast is back!” God I love her so much. She writes immensely complex, deep songs questioning our entire existence as a species then just turns around and goes “i was kind of taking the piss i thought it was funny ha ha ha ha ha”. This is how she summarises the song: ”basically this song is sort of the earth goddess rising up on her hind legs, grabbing a crayon, and crossing out all the fourteens in Manhattan and writing thirteen. The beast is back!” Actual queen.
Let’s get the lame flops who don’t like this out the way first. “This is boring.” You’re boring, Push. “Now you’re just being sadistic.” Now you’re just being sadistic, Ray. “This one time I was listening to Volta and I fell asleep and I can’t remember if it was this track or the next one that did me in.” I can’t think of a way to turn that one back on Can’t Speak French but trust me I’m not happy about it.
Thankfully everyone else got it right, so we can blame all those silent lurkers for unfairly sinking this one. NecessaryVoodoo channels the anger in the song into a desperate plea I can 100% empathise with: “The film noir-style horns really remind me of something Portishead would release if they EVER RELEASE ANYTHING AGAIN.” YES GET A MOVE ON. One Stop Candy Shop references the fact that the brass instrumentation in the song is taken from everyone’s favourite Björk album. “So Drawing Restraint 9 found its way to a proper Björk album. Sometimes I find this annoyingly repetitive and sometimes I like how hypnotic it is.” AllGagaLike can’t even decide which word to use to describe the song. “Urgent? Strange? Brilliant? All of the above?” All of the above and so. much. more. “Some of her best vocals and the power just grows with each verse…” P’NutButter praises, “those horns too add an eeriness to the whole thing.” The horns are eeeeeeverythiiiiing. Tell ‘em, Up Down Suite! “This one I love, sounds like it could be on any of her albums. Haunting and very intense.” Finish them, NightmareBoy! “The sound of discomfort and menace. Her voice is incredible here. Her urgency, coupled with the brass samples, makes this an unforgettable moment.” Yes. Thank you.
Let’s have a victory cheer from constantino, although I think he meant anatomy and not physiology but he’s showing the song some much-needed love so I won’t judge. “I really appreciate how theatrically and cinematic this is, mainly because of the stunning horn section. The addition of synths as the track progresses elevates the drama even further. Queen of physiology!” Queen of exploring our innate, primal desires and channeling them into ridiculously amazing pop songs, more like.
Another angel just died. I hope you’re all proud of yourselves.
#72 – Vertebrae By Vertebrae (6.74)
Highest: 10 x4 (@Petty Mayonnaise, @vikeyeol, @clockworknovak, @enjoy)
Lowest: 1.5 x1 (@etienne)
BOO YOU WHORES. I fucking love this one too and I genuinely can’t understand why it’s leaving us this early. It’s magnificent, it’s brooding, it’s almost primal - it’s Björk metaphorically howling at the moon with the ferocity of a thousand feral wolves. The “CLAUSTROPHOOOOOBIIIIIIIC IN MEEEEEE” line is one of my favourite vocal moments in her career, too. The sheer strength is insane. I have to close my eyes and really feel it every damn time.
Co-produced by Damian Taylor and with beats by Homogenic-veteran Mark Bell, Vertebrae By Vertebrae is on ode to the power of motherhood: “I had a daughter, and suddenly I understood my mom better, and her mom, and her mom, and her mom. You get this kind of line… and suddenly you get this gate opening way to the beginning of mankind.” It’s also inspired by the dangers of organised religion because this is Björk we’re talking about so WHY NOT. Vertebrae By Vertebrae is supposed to take us back to ancient times before religion, when we were more impulsive, more intuitive, driven by primal needs and not societal pressures; it asks why people are so scared of nature, why we feel the need to control time by splitting it up exactly how we want to, why we’re so scared of arbitrary numbers that we build skyscrapers with no thirteenth floor. On a related note, one of the things I love most about Björk is her willingness to admit that so many of her songs border on ridiculous self-parody, and this one’s no different: “it sort of became this joke-song, kind of like a b-movie soundtrack to, The Earth Mother RISES back from the mud!, like the earth goddess as a zombie. And she’s going to go Vertebrae by Vertebrae, back on her hind legs, the beast is back!” God I love her so much. She writes immensely complex, deep songs questioning our entire existence as a species then just turns around and goes “i was kind of taking the piss i thought it was funny ha ha ha ha ha”. This is how she summarises the song: ”basically this song is sort of the earth goddess rising up on her hind legs, grabbing a crayon, and crossing out all the fourteens in Manhattan and writing thirteen. The beast is back!” Actual queen.
Let’s get the lame flops who don’t like this out the way first. “This is boring.” You’re boring, Push. “Now you’re just being sadistic.” Now you’re just being sadistic, Ray. “This one time I was listening to Volta and I fell asleep and I can’t remember if it was this track or the next one that did me in.” I can’t think of a way to turn that one back on Can’t Speak French but trust me I’m not happy about it.
Thankfully everyone else got it right, so we can blame all those silent lurkers for unfairly sinking this one. NecessaryVoodoo channels the anger in the song into a desperate plea I can 100% empathise with: “The film noir-style horns really remind me of something Portishead would release if they EVER RELEASE ANYTHING AGAIN.” YES GET A MOVE ON. One Stop Candy Shop references the fact that the brass instrumentation in the song is taken from everyone’s favourite Björk album. “So Drawing Restraint 9 found its way to a proper Björk album. Sometimes I find this annoyingly repetitive and sometimes I like how hypnotic it is.” AllGagaLike can’t even decide which word to use to describe the song. “Urgent? Strange? Brilliant? All of the above?” All of the above and so. much. more. “Some of her best vocals and the power just grows with each verse…” P’NutButter praises, “those horns too add an eeriness to the whole thing.” The horns are eeeeeeverythiiiiing. Tell ‘em, Up Down Suite! “This one I love, sounds like it could be on any of her albums. Haunting and very intense.” Finish them, NightmareBoy! “The sound of discomfort and menace. Her voice is incredible here. Her urgency, coupled with the brass samples, makes this an unforgettable moment.” Yes. Thank you.
Let’s have a victory cheer from constantino, although I think he meant anatomy and not physiology but he’s showing the song some much-needed love so I won’t judge. “I really appreciate how theatrically and cinematic this is, mainly because of the stunning horn section. The addition of synths as the track progresses elevates the drama even further. Queen of physiology!” Queen of exploring our innate, primal desires and channeling them into ridiculously amazing pop songs, more like.
Another angel just died. I hope you’re all proud of yourselves.
