Vespertine (album)

Björk had released her previous studio album, Homogenic, in 1997. The album's style differed from her previous two releases, described by her as "very emotionally confrontational and [...] very dramatic". She also described "All Is Full of Love"—Homogenics closing track—as the first song on Vespertine, as it opposed the rest of the album's "aggressive, macho" aesthetic. Writer and critic Mark Pytlik writes, "Her appetite for thumping techno had been, temporarily at least, subsumed by a desire for stark melodies and minimalist production". In 2000, she starred in Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark, and composed its soundtrack, Selmasongs. While she worked on the film, she also began producing her next album, writing new music, and teaming with new collaborators. She has said "Selmasongs was the day job and Vespertine was the hobby". During this time, she also began to use her new laptop to write music, and Vespertine has been retrospectively referred to as "her laptop album". She initially set about making a record with a domestic mood featuring "everyday moods and everyday noises translating into melodies and beats", For example, the title track "Domestica", originally titled "Lost Keys", was meant to be a "gentle, humorous snapshot" of Björk looking for her keys. Her relationship with Barney influenced her lyrics, which became more intimate, detailed, and revealing in contrast to her past works. As Björk had to be extroverted during the filming process, the music she wrote for Vespertine also became hushed and tranquil as a way for her to escape. == Recording ==

The earliest sessions took place in Spain with programmer Jake Davies. Björk commissioned Valgeir Sigurðsson to relocate some of his studio equipment from Iceland to Denmark where Dancer in the Dark was being filmed. In Iceland, programmers Jake Davies and Marius de Vries joined Björk for a writing session, laying down more tracks, in addition to nine already mixed. "Cocoon", also produced by Knak, was one of the last songs to be written for the album; its melody suddenly came to Björk and she contacted him. Björk contacted Console in early 2000 and they met in London; she then added her vocals on top. During this period, Björk also worked with Bogdan Raczynski on the song "Who Is It", but it did not make the final cut and was subsequently re-recorded for the album Medúlla. == Instrumentation ==

As she wanted to write her own songs on music boxes, Björk contacted a music box company requesting transparent acrylic boxes because she wanted the sound to be "as hard as possible, like it was frozen". Björk decided to use sounds that would not be compromised when downloaded from sites such as Napster, such as "microbeat[s]", whispered vocals, the harp, music box, celeste, clavichord, and strings which "ended up being more panoramic textures in the background." For Vespertine, Björk wanted to make a "microcosmos of thirty or forty beats interacting". To do this, she recorded noises around her house to make beats out of them. Once the songs were almost finished, Björk contacted the duo Matmos, who she considered "virtuosos" in the field, and sent them various songs to work with. They added beats made from the noise of crushing ice and shuffling cards, among others. In her documentary Minuscule, Björk explained that this process consisted of "taking something very tiny and magnifying it up to big", intending to convey the "sensation that you've been told a secret", that is also present in micrographs. Marius de Vries and Björk did much of the sound design on Vespertine with a text-based synthesizer called SuperCollider. De Vries said that typing in commands as opposed to using knobs, "take[s] you in surprising directions." Additionally, Knak used an Ensoniq ASR-10, for "Cocoon". == Composition ==

Björk has stated that she wanted the album to sound like "modern chamber music", referring to the times where "the most ideal music situation was in the home, where people would play harps for each other". She also considers Vespertine to be the opposite of her previous studio album Homogenic, the former being an introverted, quiet, winter record; the latter a loud, dramatic, summer record. psychedelia, ambient, and glitch pop. Music journalists have also noted the experimental nature of the record. The Orlando Weekly wrote that with the album, Björk "[took] her modernist art-pop further into the abstract". According to Joseph Hale of Tiny Mix Tapes, described Vespertine's music as a combination of "psychedelic techno, chamber music, and chorale together into modal constructions that swelled and receded like emotions (or psylocibin)". David Fricke of Rolling Stone wrote "Vespertine is the closest any pop-vocal album has come to the luxuriant Zen of the new minimalist techno". Stylistically, Vespertine incorporates elements of both art and dance music. For example, the instrumentation of choir, strings, and harp is suggestive of Romantic art music, while the "synthesised keyboard sonorities, filtering effects and complex percussive sounds" are elements characteristic of dance-based pop. Unlike previous albums like Debut and Post, "electronic sounds are the norm, and the acoustic sounds become the interjections." Björk's voice is used as a supplement to "the complex electronic textures". == Songs ==

Tracks 1–6 The album opens with "Hidden Place", which features a soprano section and strings, "over the top of a warm, intimate melody". while Drowned in Sound wrote it was electro. Björk sings about "how two people can create a paradise just by uniting", as she intones: "I'm so close to tears/And so close to/Simply calling you up/And simply suggesting/We go to that hidden place". Discussing the glitch nature of the track, Björk said, "when you take technology and use the areas where it breaks, where it's faulty, you're entering a mystery zone where you can't control it". Lyrically revolving around making love, the song alternates between metaphors like "Who would have known/That a boy like him/Would have entered me lightly/Restoring my blisses", and explicit lines such as "He slides inside/Half awake, half asleep" and "Gorgeousness/He's still inside me". Michael Paoletta of Billboard described the track as "melancholy". Its lyrics are about "love for the unknown devices that culminate in 'perfect days'", and "pleas to find beauty in unlikely places". The "caressing lyrics" of "Undo" assure that: "It's not meant to be a strife/It's not meant to be a struggle uphill". Biographer Mark Pytlik wrote that "Undo" is "a reassuring reminder that anything can happen once you let it. If you are in pain, undo it, Björk suggests, no hint of disingenuousness in her voice, over climbing strings and a rising choir". "Pagan Poetry" is a "harp-splashed" song that concerns unrequited love. The track builds slowly, "with Björk wailing over swelling keyboard crescendos", until, at the four-minute mark, "all the music drops away, leaving Björk utterly exposed" as she sings "I love him, I love him/I love him, I love him/I love him, I love him". The song also features "a flotilla of music boxes with an Asian-teahouse touch". Its sound stems from a music box, creating an intimate, fairy tale-like effect. These are samples of footsteps in the snow—the work of Matmos—re-appropriated as the song's "subtly shifting beat". In the lyrics, she addresses a Nature goddess, Most of the song's lyrics speak directly to incidents in Sarah Kane's 1998 dark-themed play Crave, so much so that it was titled "Crave" up to the last minute. The track's lyrics have been considered a "startling allusion to masturbation", positioned "within the fantasy-like imagery of burning flowers, sea-girls, darkness and the sun". It is a slow song, as is the closing track, "Unison". The latter "[contains] a refrain directly inspired by [Björk's] experience in Dancer in the Dark and a healthy dollop of self-effacing humor evoked to counter the balance". == Artwork ==

The cover art, shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in Los Angeles, California, is a black and white photograph of Björk lying down on the patterned ground next to a swimming pool, covering her eyes from the sun and wearing the Marjan Pejoski swan dress that she wore at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, which caused a media frenzy and was widely criticised. The duo M/M (Paris), known for applying and integrating their work on photographs (so called ''dessin dans l'image'', or "drawings in the picture"), illustrated the cover, featuring a swan and the album's title with feathers. Björk thought swans embodied Vespertines music, describing them as "a white, sort of winter bird" and "very romantic". Vespertine came with a booklet of M/M (Paris) artwork. Michael Hubbard of musicOMH commented, "the spine of the CD is entirely white, while the rest of the sleeve features innovative photography and artwork". Academic Nicola Dibben has likened Vespertine's artwork and promotion to representations of the Greek myth of Leda and the Swan, emphazising the erotic overtones of both. == Release and promotion ==

at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Vespertine was released later than One Little Indian Records had intended. Originally, the album's release was scheduled for May, but by March it had been put back to August, so as to enable Björk to work on the album's promotion. On 22 May 2001, Björk premiered six songs off the new album in an intimate concert at the Riverside Church in New York City, accompanied by Matmos and Zeena Parkins. Vespertine was released on 27 August, as a double 12" record, CD and compact cassette. To coincide with the release of the album, Björk also released an eponymously titled coffee table book, created by her and edited and designed by M/M (Paris). A second single, Towards the end of 2001, Vespertine was released as a DVD-Audio. The music videos for "Hidden Place", "Pagan Poetry" and "Cocoon" were included in the DVDs Volumen Plus (2002) and Greatest Hits – Volumen 1993–2003 (2002). Appearances Together, Elektra, and New York-based independent marketing firm Drill Team, created the Björk Vespertine Syndicate (BVS), a group of 30-plus websites that had exclusive access to non-album tracks, music videos, and concert/rehearsal footage. Magazines Dazed & Confused and Les Inrockuptibles featured a special issue with texts, photographs, and different CDs issued randomly, each with a different song from the album. The Times issued a Björk special, featuring videos, music, photographs, and a competition to see Björk perform. She also appeared on several TV shows, including: ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, The David Letterman Show and, Charlie Rose'', among others. ==Singles==

Hidden Place On 6 August 2001, "Hidden Place" was released as the album's lead single, its music video having premiered in July. It was released as two CDs and a DVD, featuring B-sides "Generous Palmstroke", "Foot Soldier", "Mother Heroic" and "Verandi". The music video for "Hidden Place" was directed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin and co-directed by M/M (Paris). It was shot in London over four days in February 2001. It was originally planned for a song from Selmasongs, but Björk felt the project was more appropriate for Vespertine. The video consists of close-up shots panning around Björk's face, as fluids flow in and out of her facial orifices. M/M (Paris) said that they "wanted to get as close to her as we could, as we all felt she had never been portrayed as the 'real' and beautiful woman she is.", and that the fluids in the video "visualiz[e] all possible emotions pulsating and circulating in her very busy brain. Nick Knight, who had previously shot the cover art for Homogenic, directed the music video for "Pagan Poetry". It is about a woman preparing herself for marriage and for her lover, as she sews a wedding dress onto her skin. As she had asked him to make a video about her love life, Knight gave Björk a camcorder and asked her to shoot her own private scenes. Shots of skin being pierced were also recorded with this camera; the people being pierced were five women who "were into subculture and piercings" and Björk herself, who only pierced her ear. Cocoon "Cocoon", the album's third single, was released on 11 March 2002. Its music video had premiered in February. Once again, the single was released as two separate CDs and a DVD, with "Pagan Poetry", "Sun in My Mouth" and "Amphibian" as B-sides. The music video for "Cocoon" was directed by Eiko Ishioka and was shot in April 2001 in New York City. Björk actually wore a very close-fitting body suit. Although not as controversial as the "Pagan Poetry" music video, it was still banned from MTV. == Tour ==

, were used as a backdrop during the tour. In early August 2001, Björk confirmed the first set of dates for the Vespertine world tour which would take place at opera houses, theatres, and small venues, with favourable acoustics for the concerts. She enlisted Matmos, Zeena Parkins, a choir of Inuit girls from Greenland, and conductor Simon Lee; The tour opened at the Grand Rex in Paris on 18 August. While in France she also received the National Order of Merit at the Ministry of National Education in Paris. Another press conference was held in Barcelona on 3 November 2001 while touring in Spain. A 16 December 2001 performance at the Royal Opera House in London was released as the DVD Live at Royal Opera House in 2002. == Commercial performance ==

Vespertine debuted at #19 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 75,000 units in its first week, becoming her career peak in sales. It also debuted upon the top spot on the Top Electronic Albums chart, staying there for 3 weeks. One Little Indian head Derek Birket declaring that the album had sold over 1.2 million copies in Europe alone. That month, the album also became number one on the album charts in Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, France, Norway, and the European Top 100 Albums chart. also charting in the top 40 in the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Belgium and France. Following release "Pagan Poetry" also performed well in Spain, while entering the French chart at number 49 and the UK chart at number 38. "Cocoon" performed more poorly, charting at number 61 in France and number 35 in the United Kingdom. == Critical reception ==

Upon release, Vespertine received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 88, based on 28 reviews. The album received some praise for its themes of intimacy and introversion, Fricke and musicOMH's Michael Hubbard have both noted that the singer had shown a more mature side of her. In a later review for The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Douglas Wolk described the album as "a banquet in the hall of Björk's personal erotics" and stated that "it's not the stuff of radio hits, but the music is spectacular". Chris Smith of Stylus Magazine praised the album for its nuance and delicacy, describing its sonic palette as "a breath of fresh air." Additionally, Vespertine was thought to have challenged gender roles in rock music and in sexuality. In a 2015 interview with The Pitchfork Review, Björk said that her work on Vespertine was not fully acknowledged by press, she further added, "Matmos came in the last two weeks and added percussion on top of the songs, but they didn't do any of the main parts, and they are credited everywhere as having done the whole album.". The same year, the album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Album, losing to Coldplay's Parachutes. In addition, Björk was nominated for Best International Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards, and Best International Female Artist at the Italian Music Awards, while Vespertine was nominated for Album of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards. Rankings == Track listing ==

signifies an additional producer. == Personnel ==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Vespertine. Musicians • Jake Davies – programming , beat programming • Damian Taylor – programming , beat programming • Guy Sigsworth – programming , choir arrangement , clavichord , clavichord arrangement , beat programming , celeste , celeste arrangement • Matthew Herbert – programming • Matmos – programming , beat programming • Björk – bassline , choir arrangement , harp arrangement , programming , music box arrangement , beat programming , string arrangement • Vince Mendoza – choir arrangement , orchestration , string arrangement • Thomas Knak – programming • Valgeir Sigurðsson – beat programming , programming • Zeena Parkins – harp arrangement , harp • Caryl Thomas – harp • Jack Perron – adaptation to music box • Marius de Vries – additional programming , beat programming • Martin Console – programming Technical • Jake Davies – Pro Tools recording engineer ; Pro Tools , recording engineer , vocals recording • Damian Taylor – Pro Tools recording engineer • Valgeir Sigurðsson – Pro Tools recording engineer , Pro Tools , recording engineer • Leigh Jamieson – Pro Tools recording engineer • Jan "Stan" Kybert – Pro Tools • Eric Gosh – music box engineering • Juan Garcia – assistant engineer • Damon Idins – assistant engineer • Eric & Rory – assistant engineers • Aarron Franz – assistant engineer • Adrian Dawson – 2nd assistant engineer • Ricardo Gary Walker – assistant • Jason Spears – assistant • Aaron – assistant • Matt Fields – assistant • Daniel Porter – assistant • David Treahearn – assistant • Björk – vocal editing • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing Artwork • Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin – sleeve design • M/M Paris – sleeve design == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications and sales ==