HYPERBALLOT: ILM Artist Poll #88 -- Björk Resultsness

Interesting that three of the polls shared so far have 'I Go Humble' highly ranked. If it were on Post I'm sure it would be top 30.

Tracks on my ballot that didn't make it:

7. Scary
11. Future Forever
14. Aeroplane
17. Notget
18. Vertebrae By Vertebrae
19. Mouth's Cradle
22. Pleasure Is All Mine
23. The Gate
24. Sod Off
27. Dark Matter
28. Cover Me

I wish Future Forever had placed!

XP: Whoops, "Mouth's Cradle" did place, of course

i wont post my whole ballot but "declare independence" was my number one track and "undo" was my two, everything else i put in unranked

my ranked ballot:
Hyperballad
All Is Full Of Love
Undo
Pagan Poetry
Unravel
Joga
It's Not Up To You
Unison
Stonemilker
Venus as a Boy
Pluto
Play Dead
One Day
Isobel
Aurora
It's In Our Hands
In The Musicals
Sun In My Mouth
Cocoon
Army of Me
Hunter
Big Time Sensuality
Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)
Hidden Place
Family
New World
Alarm Call
Human Behaviour
The Modern Things
Black Lake

I'm shocked that It's In Our Hands didn't place at all

Great poll with great images, thanks for running this Eric

Well done, sir! Bjork is unquestionably my favorite artist of the 90s-10s. And Ind think she'll continue to do fascinating thing.

My lists:

Albums

01. Homogenic (10.0)
02. Post (1995) [9.7]
03. Medulla (2004) [9.5]
04. Vespertine (2001) [8.3]
05. Vulnicura (2015) [8.0]
06. Debut (1993) [7.7]
07. Biophilia (2011) [7.2]
08. Utopia (2017) [6.0]
09. Drawing Restraint 9 (2005) [5.3]
10. Semlasongs (2000) [5.1]
11. Volta (3.5)

Songs:

01. Hyper-Ballad ('Post')
02. Joga ('Homogenic')
03. Bachelorette ('Homogenic')
04. The Anchor Song (Live w/ Brodsky Quartet) ('Debut')
05. Unravel ('Homogenic')
06. Hunter ('Homogenic')
07. Where Is The Line ('Medulla')
08. Visu Vatnsenda-Rosu ('Post' b-side)
09. Unison ('Vespertine')
10. All Neon Like ('Homogenic')
11. Who Is It ('Medulla')
12. 5 Years ('Homogenic')
13. Possibly Maybe ('Post')
14. Generous Palmstroke ('Vespertine' b-side)
15. Oxygen (Post-era, released by Evelyn Glennie)
16. Cocoon ('Vespertine')
17. Army of Me ('Post')
18. All Is Full of Love ('Homogenic')
19. Mouths Cradle ('Medulla')
20. Submarine ('Medulla')
21. Domestica ('Vespertine' b-side)
22. The Modern Things ('Post')
23. Black Lake ('Vulnicura')
24. Vokuro ('Medulla')
25. Isobel ('Post')
26. Enjoy ('Post')
27. Desired Constellation ('Medulla')
28. Undo ('Vespertine')
29. Alarm Call ('Homogenic')
30. Stonemilker ('Vulnicura')

Remixes/Versions:

01. Anchor Song (Strings Version)
02. Isobel (Deodato Mix)
03. Black Lake (Viola Organista Version)
04. Hyperballad (Girls Blouse Mix)
05. I Miss You (Dobie Part 1)
06. All Is Full of Love (Strings)
07. Sun In My Mouth (Recomposed By Ensemble)
08. Oceania (Piano & Vocal)
09. Bjork - Earth Intruders (Lexx Remix)
10. Wanderlust (Ratatat Remix)

Wow surprising but pleasing results for Volta tracks, it was really raved about bitd (maybe not on ILX?), but i never understood the hype.

Great poll, wish i'd had time to play along but my Top 10 would have been pretty much The Hits.

Thanks Eric for running this -- I know next to nothing about Björk and this poll is a big help as I dig in.

Undo was a bit robbed, man that's an incredible tune.

Internet high five to the other Cocoon #1 votes.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, May 11, 2018 6:58 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

High five!

Thanks so much for doing this Eric, it was in typical charm with gorgeous images to boot.

Thanks everyone! The first batch of images were straight up Google search results, but on Tuesday, I discovered a French fanpage that has a treasure trove of shots to choose from ... I wanted to, as much as possible, avoid using stills from the music videos because, among other reasons, they're just not available in good quality.

FULL RESULTS

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1go55y2oWRttEQFnC8VnzSu9MrWgdQirfZK8FW_sBvKQ/edit?usp=sharing

The next 17 tracks, if it had been a full 77 poll:

Pleasure is All Mine
You've Been Flirting Again
Declare Independence
I Go Humble
Future Forever
New World
History of Touches
I See Who You Are
So Broken
Family
Earth Intruders
Tabula Rasa
It's in Our Hands
Gate, The
Storm
Charlene
Atom Dance

Of that group, honestly, I think "I See Who You Are" is my favorite. Maybe "You've Been Flirting Again," tho it's a tough listen most of the time.

Sleep deprivation and the concurrent rollouts have me imagining "Stonemilker" as a particularly devastating Eurovision entry just now. Representing Iceland, naturally. I see a whole continent weeping in unison as the strings step up a notch in the "we have emotional needs" part... Anyway, I'm glad that almost 2/3 of y'all voted for it!

I've been out watching Claire Denis' latest and getting drinks. "Pagan Poetry" sounds fabulous at the moment.

Tracks:

Unison
Possibly Maybe
All is Full of Love
Verandi
Come to Me
Mouths Cradle
Virus
Desired Constellation
Amphibian
Who is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)
Hyperballad
Aurora
Immature
It's Not Up to You
Karvel
Isobel
Big Time Sensuality
5 Years
One Day
I Go Humble
Domestica
Headphones
Black Lake
Pluto
Arisen My Senses
Undo
Cosmogony
Family
Generous Palmstroke
The Modern Things

Albums:

Vespertine
Medúlla
Biophilia
Homogenic
Debut

Remixes:

One Day (Springs Eternal Mix)
Human Behavior (Underworld Mix)
Isobel (Transfunk Remix)
Violently Happy (Masters at Work 12”)
Big Time Sensuality (Morales Def Club Mix)

Music Videos:

Possibly Maybe
All is Full of Love
Hyperballad
Triumph of a Heart
Mutual Core

amazing work Eric H, you can run a poll anytime. great images and a great roll-out. i only know the Sugarcubes and was going to vote in that but ended up being only one song so i ended up not bothering.

"Oxygen" was seriously sorely overlooked--nobody besides me rated it? Maybe it's just not well known? If you don't know it, it's one of her most purely beautiful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIccpF1S2mY

ok that is beautiful, never heard it

amazing work Eric H, you can run a poll anytime

there is no higher praise

Bjork in her interpreting EE Cummings mode didn't get much love. "Mother Heroic" might be my favorite of the 0-votes tracks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp3S4Vod0yw

And "Sonnets/Unrealities" is amazing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfrPlsgO_vw

I guess "Sun In My Mouth" placed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhYZXhYIZ3Q

Ok, "Show Me Forgiveness" is my favorite 0-vote getter. I hope she won't always eschew melody, simply because she's so brilliant at it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=846_dq6iUlQ

Top 5 was really similar to the previous singles polls but those are undeniable

My tracks ballot

Cocoon
Desired Constellation
Come to Me
Jóga
Domestica
Pluto
Hyper-ballad
Unravel
Amphibian
Mouth’s Cradle
Alarm Call
I See Who You Are
Scatterheart
So Broken
Undo
5 Years
All is Full of Love
All Neon Like
Bachelorette
Possibly Maybe
Who Is It
Lilith
One Day
The Anchor Song
Headphones
Wanderlust
Heirloom
Immature
You've Been Flirting Again
Aurora

Haha turns out I did vote for Heirloom but it’s way too low in my ballot. Careful ranking would give it a top 10 spot.

Been at work since #5, about to click "Click here if you want to load them all" to see what order Hyperballad, Joga, Bachelorette and Pagan Poetry landed in. Excited!

I echo everyone's praise for eric, the images were perfect and it's been a great poll.

my ranked ballot:

It's Not Up To You
Joga
Wanderlust
Hidden Place
Hunter
Utopia
Hyperballad
Blissing Me
All Is Full of Love
Bath
Army of Me
Bachelorette
An Echo, A Stain
Unravel
Tabula Rasa
Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)
Triumph of a Heart
Undo
Frosti
Human Behaviour
Cocoon
Where Is The Line
Heirloom
Pagan Poetry
Alarm Call
Isobel
Thunderbolt
Crystalline
Arisen My Senses
Vertabrae by Vertabrae

And albums:

Vespertine
Homogenic
Utopia
Post
Biophilia

also want to rep for bath from drawing restraint, an incredible one off that sounds sort of like charalambides or something, like she's casting a spell

That was brilliant, Eric. Many thanks!

Ha, were we allowed 30 tracks? I should've read the instructions properly; I assumed it was 20 as per. Here are my ballots. The remixes/alt versions should really be seen as an extension of my tracks ballot.

Tracks
01. Hyperballad (Girls Blouse Mix)
02. An Echo A Stain
03. Saint
04. Venus As A Boy
05. Army Of Me
06. My Spine
07. Isobel
08. Black Lake
09. Pagan Poetry
10. It’s Oh So Quiet
11. Jóga
12. Lilith (w/Plaid)
13. The Comet Song
14. Alarm Call
15. Hidden Place
16. The Anchor Song
17. Prayer of the Heart (w/John Tavener, Brodsky Quartet)
18. There's More to Life Than This
19. Undo
20. Play Dead

Remixes / Alternative Versions
1. All Is Full of Love - Howie’s Version
2. Big Time Sensuality (The Fluke Magimix 125bpm)
3. Possibly Maybe (w/Brodsky Quartet live at Union Chapel)
4. Hyperballad (Over The Edge Mix by Outcast)
5. Human Behaviour (Darren Emerson Underworld Mix)

Sugarcubes Tracks
1. Birthday
2. Hit
3. Motorcrash
4. Eat The Menu
5. Traitor (Icelandic)

Not a lot of love for "Cover Me", I see. Seems to be the only track where I was all on my lonesome. And the least popular post-Sugarcubes album track until Medulla. I have however learned that I have Anne Sofie von Otter for company, of all people!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaG5EW_AHFI

I listed Bjork in late '16, and I did few changes to the list I submitted to Eric.

Didn't submit a ballot for this, but 'Hyper-Ballad' would have been my #1 anyway.

it's been a real pleasure not having you on this thread, so all for the best

i had band practice right when the top five rolled out but this was a great poll with in-cred-ible images, thank u eric

My god that top 10. If I was being churlish I'd say that Pagan Poetry was too high but it's otherwise virtually faultless.

I'm pretty sure everything of mine placed.

Hyperballad
Stonemilker
Headphones
Bachelorette
Unravel
Possibly Maybe
All Is Full Of Love
Enjoy
It's Oh So Quiet
All Neon Like
Army of Me
I Miss You
Alarm Call
Isobel
Immature
Joga
Modern Things
5 Years
Pluto
I've Seen It All

I agree, that Top 10 is pretty much wall to wall gold. Sleeve, enjoy your FP.

Thanks for doing this Eric!

I'll add myself to the Unison of praise for Eric's rollout and images. So many Björks! I spoke of being Björked out on the voting thread, only to start listening to her again almost immediately thereafter. It's been a turbulent relationship! I'd say I've been like a killer whale trapped in a bay, but I might be more like Meester Fly who, having gotten lost some time around Volta, has since emerged from the ointment and started buzzing against the screen in the darkness.

Re: All is full of love

I've never figured out what string instrument is featured in this, it sounds like plucked harpsichord strings.

Dan - that’s A harpsichord my friend

I don't know for certain what it is, but I'm fairly sure it's not a harpsichord. Sounds much more like a hammered dulcimer.

It’s a harpsichord according to wikipedia:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Is_Full_of_Love

More accurately: according to whoever wrote the paragraph on this song for a Slant best 90s singles list. No hard evidence in that wiki article.

I still disagree. I can't claim to be an expert on the harpsichord, but I have been listening to harpsichord music regularly for about 15 years, and I've heard recordings of dozens or hundreds of different harpsichords - and the instrument in AIFOL just doesn't sound like one to me. The strings sound as though they're being struck, not plucked, and the inflection and variation in volume I hear are impossible to achieve on a harpsichord. As I said, sounds like a hammered dulcimer. Or a cimbalom. If I'm wrong and the strings are being plucked, then I think it must be some kind of harp, zither, psaltery...

Anyway, all this doesn't matter really but the harpsichord comments upthread caused me to listen to this for the first time in years and I felt compelled to inscribe my opinion as a harpsichord enthusiast on this thread.

It is a sampled kora

It is absolutely not a harpsichord. It may be a harp played near the table but I doubt it. It is such a specifically kora-esque sound that I think it’s almost certainly that instrument

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmFY97JlHk8

THE KORA IS FUCKIN DOPE

The next 17 tracks, if it had been a full 77 poll:

Pleasure is All Mine
You've Been Flirting Again
Declare Independence
I Go Humble
Future Forever
New World
History of Touches
I See Who You Are
So Broken
Family
Earth Intruders
Tabula Rasa
It's in Our Hands
Gate, The
Storm
Charlene
Atom Dance
― nourish nourish your turtleheart (Eric H.), Friday, May 11, 2018 5:11 PM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

would've loved to see "family," though i'm sorta relieved i didn't have the chance to unload on "declare independence" at length

don't let them do that to you

five of my votes were in those 17 tracks!