After cathartic statements like
Homogenic, the role of
Selma in
Dancer in the Dark, and the film's somber companion piece,
Selmasongs, it's not surprising that
Bjoerk's first album in four years is less emotionally wrenching. But
Vespertine isn't so much a departure from her previous work as a culmination of the musical distance she's traveled; within songs like the subtly sensual
"Hidden Place" and
"Undo" are traces of
Debut and
Post's gentle loveliness, as well as
Homogenic and
Selmasongs' reflective, searching moments. Described by
Bjoerk as "about being on your own in your house with your laptop and whispering for a year and just writing a very peaceful song that tiptoes,"
Vespertine's vocals seldom rise above a whisper, the rhythms mimic heartbeats and breathing, and a pristine, music-box delicacy unites the album into a deceptively fragile, hypnotic whole. Even relatively immediate, accessible songs such as
"It's Not Up to You," "Pagan Poetry," and
"Unison" share a spacious serenity with the album's quietest moments. Indeed, the most intimate songs are among the most varied, from the seductively alien
"Cocoon" to the dark, obsessive
"An Echo, A Stain" to the fairy tale-like instrumental
"Frosti." The beauty of
Vespertine's subtlety may be lost on
Bjoerk fans demanding another leap like the one she made between
Post and
Homogenic, but like the rest of the album, its innovations are intimate and intricate. Collaborators like
Matmos -- who, along with their own
A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure, appear on two of 2001's best works -- contribute appropriately restrained beats crafted from shuffled cards, cracking ice, and the snap-crackle-pop of Rice Krispies; harpist
Zeena Parkins' melodic and rhythmic playing adds to the postmodernly angelic air. An album singing the praises of peace and quiet,
Vespertine isn't merely lovely; it proves that in
Bjoerk's hands, intimacy can be just as compelling as louder emotions. ~ Heather Phares
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