FriendBurst Blog

What can I say about Bjork that hasn’t already been said?  Love her or hate her, you have to admit that she is truly one of a kind.  She has been involved in the music industry since the age of twelve.  Before her ‘proper’ debut solo album, she was one of The Sugarcubes (the band had several hits, including the joyous Birthday).  Since then, she has forged a very unusual and uncompromising career path.

It didn’t always work too well.  For her fifth album (Medulla) Bjork decided she didn’t want any conventional rhythms (she replaced everything with vocal fragments and effects).  Experimentation can result in great things.  Medulla isn’t one of them.  Bjork’s first three albums (Debut, Post and Homogenic) are all excellent.  Telegram (a remix album) has its moments.  Vespertine is much softer (although more intense in parts).  It is a beautiful album.  The rhythms returned on Volta.  It was a return to form, for the fascinating Icelandic creature.  Biophilia, on the other hand, is another step backwards.  There are a few box-sets, for hardcore fans.  They are not easy to find though.

Boards Of Canada (a Scottish duo) specialises in moody electronica.  Apart from vocal effects and samples, it is strictly instrumental music.  It is very relaxing (similar in style to Ulrich Schnauss but more glitchy and disjointed).  Boards Of Canada only had three albums (and three EPs).  Music Has The Right To Children (1998) remains the best BOC album.  The follow up (Geogaddi) is more convoluted – and less exciting.  More thought and effort went into The Campfire Headphase.  If you like the albums, the EPs are worth buying.  There is also a mini-album (Twoism) which is a collection of early BOC works (prior to 1998 and previously unreleased on CD).

Bola (or ‘the Bolaman’) is one of my favourite solo artists.  The Mancunian has crafted four albums, full of intriguing electronic soundscapes.  He combines complex rhythms with beautiful strings and effects in a unique way.  In the nineties, he worked with Autechre (before Autechre turned to shit).  He has since excelled, with flawless productions of his own.  There is also an untitled collection of early tracks, which is definitely a worthwhile addition to the Bolaman’s catalogue (it is usually referred to as Shapes).  Don’t let the titles put you off (Soup, Fyuti, Gnayse and Kroungrine; all very corny indeed).  All of Bola’s albums are superb.

Blancmange released a brand new album in 2010 (the first for a quarter of a century).  I haven’t heard it, but I do have all of Blancmange’s eighties albums (Happy Families, Mange Tout and Believe You Me).  There are more compilations than albums, which is a bit ridiculous (one singles collection would’ve sufficed – although there is one great b-side called Get Out Of That, which is not available on the first singles collection).  Blancmange was never a ‘big league’ player, but there were some good songs (eg. Living On The Ceiling, Don’t Tell Me and Blind Vision).  Evidently inspired by various bands of the era (from Cabaret Voltaire and Fad Gadget to Ultravox and Thompson Twins) Blancmange was never really innovative.  The duo did have a certain quirkiness though.  I wonder if the comeback album is any good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmWA0DWzH_U

I was never a huge fan of the Brit-pop scene.  I seem to remember liking Oasis for about five minutes, in the mid-nineties.  I do have The Best Of Blur though.  It is a great collection of songs, which highlights Damon Albarn’s superior and versatile songwriting abilities – compared with Noel Gallagher and most of his contemporaries.  Once Damon focused on the development of Gorillaz, Blur was effectively over.  There was one more album (Think Tank) but Graham Coxon had already left the band (he only contributed one song).  Damon’s heart wasn’t in it anymore.  Aside from Gorillaz, he has been involved with various projects (like The Good, The Bad And The Queen).  He has worked with Toumani Diabate (who also worked with Bjork) and Massive Attack.  Everything he touches seems to turn to gold.  He is one of my favourite musicians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx9nuuuquxQ

Further listening

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpqtavXk5ZA&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL88B0E4A087D0C8D6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkn1rIq_7a4