RPS

I actually rated them poorly vis a vis her top albums but even her worst album is an 8/10 from me. I think her back catalogue is unwieldy and daunting, but I think there are lots of gems I think you would appreciate. As your post demonstrates, she has an interesting history with more experimental, almost punk like bands and you can see it percolate through. As I said about Post, I think Bjork uses genre as a reference and allows instruments and process to differentiate herself. There is a track on Medulla called "Where is the Line". It reads to me as being very influenced by punk, metal and noise rock. But Medulla is an album constructed solely by voices and vocals. So it is Bjork performing a punk song but she can only use vocals. I think this is what differentiates Bjorks from her peers. It's a cliche, but so many artists will do "their break up album" or "this is my pop album". Bjork is like: "okay this is my album about mushrooms and I'll heavily rely upon wind instruments". Yes, there is very Bjork elements (extraterrestrial, pop meets experimental, orchestral arrangements, heavy electronic focus), but it still feels unique.

BAMBII's debut release, INFINITY CLUB, is an outstanding release. It's twenty minutes of music designed to get you on the dance floor. It's a mix of dance hall, techno and 90s pop music.

I have listened to Bjork's whole discography. This is my ranking. 10. Biophilla. There is lots of great ideas here, but I find the execution and consistency is hard. It feels at times like ideas are repeated or that it is redundant. Crystalline was the stand out track, but I felt like it was a slog to get through. 9. Utopia. I love Arca. I love Bjork. There are moments where that aspirational partnership feels present. I think what lacks is that Bjork and Arca could go so unconventional, but a reliance on the conventional makes it feel less like a partnership and more like a compromise. I loved Sue Me the best. Sounded like a proper collaboration. 8. Volta. I imagine this may be most people's least favorite Bjork album. I love how bizarre and disjointed it is. I felt after Homogenic, Bjork moved towards allowing form and genre define albums. Volta is the rare exception. It's so bizarre. There is crisp and bizarre pop songs, borderline punk songs that assault their audience and some monotonous songs in between. Standout was Innocence. It's Bjork at her most unhinged as it sounds like space invaders are shooting her. 7. Vulnicura. This album is very intense. Which makes sense as it is Bjorks break up album. There are so many little flourishes of experimention married with the intensity of Bjorks voice and song writing. Quicksand is an outstanding song and a great example of how you can marry breakbeat and strings for an otherworldly experience. 6. Vespertine. I imagine that this is higher for others, but from here out, everything is an exceptional piece of music. In so many the layers and depths to the music. I think the first half is incredibly strong and the final third slightly muted and soft. I really enjoy the songwriting here too. I think Bjork writes from an abstract and personal perspective on this album. 5. Debut. This is Bjorks most straightforward album, which makes sense. It's her first. But it is similar to Post in its grab bag, all over the place structure. It is undeniably a 90s record. I love that it feels like her most playful album. Bjork has a reputation of eccentric, but not always fun. Debut doesn't take itself seriously. Not that taking yourself seriously is an issue it's a large part of why I love her. Bjork takes herself and the craft of making pop music incredibly seriously. But on Debut, she is just having fun. 4. Fossora. This is Bjorks latest album, but I also think her most arresting album in years. Later works of Bjork, while amazing, often times feel dictated by form and sound. On Fossora, Bjork feels less constrained by sounding consistent and more with ensuring that across all songs she conveys a feeling and a message. It also feels as though rather than focusing on a consistent sound, she pulls from each of her periods. I think it's also notable in the track listing - lots of interesting guest features that compliment Bjork rather than attempting to define her. 3. Medulla. What a stunning achievement. I can understand how this is not everyone's cup of tea. My six year old daughters first reaction when hearing a song was "where are the guitars" but I think she meant the instruments. But only Bjork can make an album so focused on her voice. Using the human voice to guide each track, Bjork leverages the limitations go create something deep and layered. Voices can be your percussion, your strings or your synthesizer. By focusing solely on the voice, you can so centrally focus on Bjorks voice. Each whimper, moan, chant can be savored. It's also the most collaborative album. Tanya Tagag and Rahzel are also so central to the power of each track. 2. Homogenic. The perfection and attention to detail exhibited on Homogenic has been a guiding principle for Bjorks discography. The composition and arrangement of each track is insane to me. Often times popular music relies upon the verse, chorus, bridge structure for two reasons- its likely easier and more accessible. You can focus on three distinct sections that can all blend into together. Bjork achieves something exceptional - Bjork does not feel beholden to structure and form but also sounds just as accessible as other musicians. There is often structure to her songs, but not in the conventional structures and yet it doesn't feel experimental or inaccessible. Bjorks focus on these, plus ensuring each track has an interesting and captivating melody, is what makes Homogenic stand above and beyond. 1. Post. I do sincerely wonder if she named this Post knowing how seminal it was. First thing first - the production on this album is amazing. The crispness of every single instrument is a feat. If you told me this released in 2023, I would believe you. Secondly, it is incredible to me that in 1995, Bjork released such a blend of genres and sounds. The marriage of new sounding synths and drum machines along with traditional instrumentation such as horns or a harpsichord is a feat. Each song has a story, a distinct point of view that could in itself be explored for hours. I do think today, it is apparent that Bjork represents that shift towards a genre-less future. Rather than being defined as a rock or hip hop group, you can take influence from different perspectives and meld them together. Genres and labels are only as constraining as you put weight into them. Bjork views labels and genres as liberating on Post, because they can influence her singular perspective on the songs. Rather than being constrained to what a trip hop song is, Bjork asks how far can I push this so that it stops being trip hop and becomes Hyperballad. This was my TED talk on Bjork.

Somebody Somewhere season 2 is really great and interesting concept. Shows are often so much about romantic love. Often the love on TV is presented as completely functional, even when some of the actions and characters themselves in real life would be dysfunctional. Somebody Somewhere wants to explore platonic love between Joel and Sam. But I think what it does is take those potentially toxic traits and exposes the dysfunction. You hear on TV people say "I would do anything for you". It's actually a quite toxic idea when you just think about it for a minute. Now what if you say that and later fail to pick up the phone when your friend is in a place where they need you? Did they fail you? It really explores co dependence in an interesting way. Also Fred (Murray Hill) deserves an Emmy. Lifts every scene he is in.

My kids are fully on the Ticket to Ride boat. The expansions aren't expansions in the typical sense, but standalone games, correct?

Husband and I went to The Smile and Alvvays. My husband really enjoyed Alvvays. It was dripping with nostalgia but layered with scuzz, reverb and fantastic song writing. The Smile were incredible. I know lots of people hate Radiohead here. I don't agree, but I see the complaints. They are up their own ass, overwrought at times, and perhaps leaning too hard into their electronic influences. That is fine for me; I would never call Radiohead my favorite bands but I'll gladly listen to anything they put out. The Smile feels like they lean so heavily on what people hate about them and the concert was that exact way. Straight up I saw lots of people leave - songs had jam sessions, lots of electronic elements added, new songs lacking a conventional song structure. But I thought it was so grandiose and a spectacle. A song like the Opposite felt less like a rock song and almost something made for the club with the way the vocals were auto tuned, the overwhelming drums, the focus on rhythm. Definitely made an enormous fan out of me. My husband had never attended a rock concert before and said it was incredible and overwhelming.

Me, my hubby, my son and my daughter went to see Bluesfest here in Ottawa last night. My daughter and hubby saw Charlotte Cardin and us Fleet Foxes. We saw a few opening bands and split up. It was jam jacked on a side stage and we found a place with an obstructed view and sat on the grass. We barely saw the band, but saw the rest of the set. Fleet Foxes was a top concert experience of my life and a top experience as a dad. My son knew a half dozen songs and we sat down holding hand, singing the songs, staring at the stars and taking in the whole experience. My son at one point said "I think they will play White Winter Hymnal" and it was the next song. Singing his over tired mind being blown was something else to behold. My daughter apparently loved Charlotte Cardin. She danced the whole night and told my husband that every time the next song came on it was her favorite song ever. She thought it was overly loud and hated standing, but the crowd was not overwhelming and they could take a seat on the grass before going back to the main stage and get a glimpse. We saw PUP, Billy Talent and Weezer last Friday. My son lost his mind the whole night. We got super close for PUP and he lost it seeing people crowd surf, the band, the energy. Seeing the weird punks zip through the crowd. They played all his favorite songs. He enjoyed Billy Talent and Weezer, but truthfully knew none of their songs. He was just content dancing around. I know it is sappy and saccharine, but music is so incredible. It's a great gift you can share with your kids. Sitting in a field, not being able to see a band, having your son sit on your lap as you sing out songs is just a magical moment. It told my son I would never forget the night and he told me he works never forget it. But he said he had one regret- he couldn't bring his stuffed animals to see the concert so they would never forget. To be 8 again.

I thought the Anohni and the Johnstons album very good, maybe even great. The standout is certainly Why Am I Alive Now. It's a departure for Anohni. Very rock minded, but still has the same passion in their voice. Look up Unruly Records Anthology - 1991-1995 (the Early Years). It's a compilation from the aforementioned Unruly Records, but the ideas are truly ahead of their time. The production is obviously not as crisp, but it feels like a decade ahead of its time. Julie Brynes new album is really incredible. I think it's probably labeled a folk album, but I think that is a little reductive. I think it's what if minimalist, almost ambient music was mixed with a breath taking folk vocalist. There is lots of minimal electronic elements and flourishes. If somber was my mood, this would be in album of the year contender. Joanna Sternberg album I've Got Me is incredibly special and singular. It reminds me of Daniel Johnston. There is an innocent, confident perspective mixed with lo fi surroundings. It's great, if not overwhelming. I enjoyed the Lucinda Williams album. I'll likely never listen to it again. Sweeping Promises album Good Living is Coming For You is a riot girl lo fi fever dream for 2023. If you told me this was a Huggy Bear or Bikini Kill album from 1993, I would believe you.

I mean, it's Fall Out Boy in 2023, is that not a given?

Yeah I bought one. I think it was Ponkor. Has not bricked it.

That whole Nintendo direct was made specifically for me. Wonder looks exactly the right direction for Mario in 2023.

I meant more like ArchAndroid and Dirty Computer felt eclectic, expansive in its themes and purposefully diverse and the Electric Lady and the Age of Pleasure felt more interested in a specific pallette and felt way more grounded.

With all her acting gigs, it felt like Janelle ending her record deal. I actually don't love her second album and felt this cut from the same cloth, but half the length.

Janelle Monae's The Age of Pleasure is so fun and breezy. Not my favorite album of the year, but a great album for being tipsy by the pool side. Water Slide is a banger.

The desert boss is by far the hardest I did. Zora and Rito were a cake walk in comparison. How do I upgrade my battery?

That was really enjoyable. It was a little too tender for me, but I would put that record on a Sunday morning with a fresh coffee.

Yep. When you get one, smart to unlock a bunch of roots.

Chris Korda's EP Not My Problem, I'll Be Dead is delightfully absurd. It's the horny dance soundtrack for the end of the world.

Also, there is modes of transportation down there that make unlocking the roots incredibly easy.

I'm taking my son. He likes them a lot in between the Ed Sheeran and Imagine Dragons.

I'll be seeing PUP, Thundercat, Fleet Foxes, Alvvays and the Smile this summer.

Yeah, this game has been amazing for that. All the podcasts I listen to share very different experiences to mine. I prioritized unlocking every tower in the game. Just finished last night. I have about 20 or so korok seeds and 30 shrines. I haven't been in the depths outside of two short trips. I'm not sure what my next priority will be. More shrines, side quests or main story.

So funny. I'd be reading spoilers tomorrow if it were me not finding him.

Not at all. I love the minimal information so it doesn't spoil me. This game is overwhelming and amazing.

Tears of the Kingdom... do the towers look the same as in the original?