Where Is Björk Going Next?

Icelandic superstar and all-round artist Björk releases her tenth studio album this Friday. Like most of the other records, it has a somewhat cryptic one-word title, Flossora, and features Björk in an otherworldly costume on the cover.

I used to be a colossal Björk fan, and there were times when a new album by her meant a trip to the record store on release day. That has changed. Circa since 2011’s Biophilia, I find her music too complicated and exhausting. I did make a conscious effort in 2015 and listened intensely to Vulnicura, trying to understand where Björk was going, but eventually decided that I could not follow her.

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Rewind to 1993, in a hipster furniture store in downtown Munich when they played Björk’s first record Debut over the PA. And even at that low volume, I somehow recognized her – she was nowhere a household name back then – and realized this was some incredible music. So I bought the CD at the next opportunity and played it on repeat at home.

Even though Björk said later that her first albums were not her greatest work and played down the use of electronic instruments, Debut was regarded as highly influential for pop music. It helped to introduce electronic production – back then primarily used for dance music – for serious singer/songwriters. Something that is absolute mainstream these days; just look at Billie Eilish.

It is the sign of a great artist, though, that she didn’t stop there. It is not unusual that musicians struggle to build on their first breakthrough and fizzle out after a few albums. Once innovative bands like U2 or Depeche Mode have long stopped making exciting new music and live mostly from playing their old songs live.

Björk hasn’t arrived at this point yet. Album by album, she pushed the boundaries of her music. 2004’s Medulla was almost entirely recorded with vocal performances. Three years later, Volta was heavy on brass instruments, and in 2015 Vulnicura put the spotlight on strings. In addition, she introduced an ever-increasing complexity to her songs. If you, like me, want to latch on to a melodic or rhythmic theme in a song, you will have to listen many times to have a chance to find one.

But even if her music is not or is no longer your cup of tea, it is exciting to have Björk active and sparkling with ideas. She is a reminder that great art must come from the artist’s soul and not be influenced by the various popularity metrics.

Song Pick of the Day

Listen to all our daily song picks on our playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.

carina – summer air buzz ft. Bel Cobain

The cover photo might make you think of gentle folk songs but there’s nothing ‘folksy’ about carina’s music. It’s subtle, understated lo-fi pop at its best. Think Billy Eilish before she became a household name. The London-based artist just released her debut EP spaceout!, a beautiful collection of five fabulous songs. For me, “summer air buzz” ft. Bel Cobain is the standout track with its laidback, intimate and crazy catchy feel. The lyrics support the feel-good vibe:

Mood nice and mellow, cool air kept by a sun so yellow, mood smooth like the sun play cello.

Inspired by lo-fi beats and using as many real-world sounds as possible, carina says about her EP:

To me the tracks all kind of flow into each other, and I really wanted it to feel immersive more than anything else. To me, the record is basically a dream-like spacey version of my life at the time when I was 16.

Listen to “summer air buzz,” our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect with carina here.

Actrese – Vivid But Vague

The London singer/songwriter Actrese does pop music with an edge. How the chords progress and the songs develop is often not what you expect. Her new song “Vivid But Vague” strikes with rich instrumentation, and who could set the mood better than the artist herself:

“You are in a secret crypt-like club, you have already heard Ben Howard and Jessie Ware play their acoustic sets with a punch. That’s when you hear ‘Vivid But Vague’. You’re into a conversation with a mysterious, intriguing man, the crowd chatter is loud and you gradually begin to hear a gentle, anxious voice backed by ambient pads (those of a church choir), vividly but vaguely. Preaching for the lack of a better word, praising yet dreading the fleeting moments. Just when you think it’s ended, the song transforms into a different shape. Heavy, rough around the edges, although full of potential, contradiction and soul. Bendy guitar in tango with a full of substance voice. It might have been a dream. You’ve experienced it. It’s all that matters.'”

Listen to our Song Pick of the Day, “Vivid But Vague,” below:

Blessed – Redefine

“Redefine” marks the second single and opening track from art-rock quartet Blessed‘s upcoming album. Titled Circuitous, the record will be available October 28 via Flemish Eye. This is not easy-listening-pop, but this is music that takes you under its wings and makes you listen, and in the process, really enjoy the sprinkled surprises and the intensifying mesmerizing vibe. Without knowing the album (yet), I’d say “Redefine” sets the tone for the entire eight-tracks offering.

When asked about “Redefine,” singer and guitarist Drew Riekman dives into the song’s themes and says:

The idea that we cannot disrupt the status quo only serves someone with power over us. It’s easy to feel that you’re never doing enough, that your mere existence in the face of crushing weights of the world isn’t an act of triumph in itself. We’re generally fed a narrative at this juncture that no one works hard enough, and your circumstances are your own fault exclusively. Being told that the only path forward is working 10 hour days, volunteering your labor to companies that make billions, and that you’ll one day be rewarded is a farce.

Definitely food for thought because there’s no easy way out! Listen to “Redefine,” our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect with Blessed here.

Maripool – This Time Again

Maripool is the stage name of Portuguese, London-based singer/songwriter and “one-girl” band Natasha Simões. As a self-thought musician, she prefers to work solo and create intimate, edgy, guitar-driven pop songs. Her latest track, “This Time Again,” creates a paradox between works and music. She explains:

“I wrote a really pretty sounding song and I wanted to take it to the extreme with the lyrics. It’s the kind of song where you wouldn’t expect to hear the words ‘I’d like to see you cry, I’d like to see you die’ but at the same time it also made total sense with how I felt. I wanted it to feel like you’re walking through a field of daisies but you’re also really angry.”

Maripool will release her debut EP, “It All Comes At Once,” on October 14 via Practise Music. Watch the video for “This Time Again” below:

Russel Louder – Come Around

Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer Russel Louder follows their splendid debut album HUMOR with the catchy and exquisitely danceable Come Around. The track’s chorus is a very subtle and elegant nod to “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record),” really just enough to feel something like recognition and be excited for more. Turns out, I’m not even so off with my notion here because Russell says about their new single:

“Come Around” is a pop sharp-tongued symphonic play-by-play of a duplicitous figure in my life reeling me into their web of deceit. Instead of analyzing my experience, I used the writing of the song as a space for imagining what the other could have been thinking or strategizing. Often I find it hard to draw on musical influence for a particular song but I remember that the early demos for Come Around were created when I was listening to a lot of Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, and Dead or Alive.

Makes me almost a bit sad that I can’t add Come Around to our newly created playlist with Best European 80s, because “Come Around” would fit beautifully in! But we’ll have it in our glamglarepick playlist instead.

Listen to Come Around, our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect with Russel Louder here.

Scout Gillett – 444 Marcy Ave

Where is 444 Marcy Avenue? If you look at the map, it is a non-descript residential building in the Bed-Stuy area of Brooklyn. But that is not what indie rock singer/songwriter Scout Gillett means. She explains:

This song was written to encourage my friends and myself to surrender to the present moment and give this whole being alive thing our best shot. 444 is my angel number that I’ve seen since deciding to move to New York in 2017. Marcy Ave is a special place to me, where I’ve made a lot of my fondest memories living in New York.”

Not far from Marcy Avenue is The Broadway, the venue where she celebrates the single release with a show tomorrow, on September 24. If you can’t make it, there is a self-directed video that includes a live performance as well. Here is where the spaced-out costume comes from:

“It was inspired by a daydream I had in December 2020… I have no idea why… maybe it was just apocalyptic times? I was listening to ‘444 marcy ave’ on my stoop in Brooklyn and all I could see was a space-suit and a disco ball head dancing around. I called Katy to share the idea and we just got so lost in this world. I had so much fun designing this costume with her.”

Watch the video here:

Our Song Pick of the Day, “444 Marcy Ave,” will be on Scout’s debut, “no roof, no floor,” out on October 28 via Captured Tracks. Pre-save here.

Francie – Casanova

Dark and brooding, yet with a sliver of promise for something meant to last that is “Casanova,” the new single by Francie. We asked the Italian singer/songwriter to tell us a bit more about “Casanova,” and she says:

This single was born from the need of creating an energetic, liberating and self-empowering song. Its manifesto are the lyrics “I save my feelings for the people who really care”.

Wise words, actually, to not waste love and energy on people who don’t deserve it. One can get blindsided so easily, in romantic but also in other relationships, and here’s a new, beautiful anthem to care with caution!

Listen to the  charismatic “Casanova,” our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect with Francie here.

On Our Turntable this Week

Find more great albums on our favorite albums page.

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