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Vespertine

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Vespertine is the fourth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk.Template:Refn It was first released on 18 August 2001 in Japan<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> by One Little Indian Records and in the United States by Elektra Entertainment. Björk aspired to create an album with minimal and intricate electronic music to evoke an intimate and domestic feeling, in contrast with the louder styles of her previous studio album Homogenic (1997). She enlisted producers such as Opiate, Console and the duo Matmos, and has also worked with harpist Zeena Parkins. Production on the album began while filming her role in Dancer in the Dark.

Björk composed arrangements with thin-sounding instruments, including the harp, the celesta, clavichord, strings and custom music boxes. Assisted by Matmos, Björk created "microbeats" from various commonplace sounds, such as that of shuffling cards and ice being cracked. Lyrically, the album drew inspiration from Björk's new relationship with Matthew Barney, exploring themes related to sex, intimacy, eroticism, and love. Other lyrical sources include the poetry of E. E. Cummings and British playwright Sarah Kane's Crave. Three singles were released from Vespertine: "Hidden Place", "Pagan Poetry", and "Cocoon". The music videos of the latter two were banned on MTV for their depictions of sexuality. Björk embarked on the Vespertine world tour with Parkins, Matmos, and a choir of Inuit women, where they performed at theatres and small venues in favor of acoustics.

The album peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard 200 selling 75,000 copies in its first week<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified gold in Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. Noted for its erotic, intimate mood and sonic experimentation, Vespertine received universal acclaim from music critics, with some considering it Björk's best album to date. The album appeared on several publications' lists of the best albums of 2001 and of the decade, and has been evaluated by many critics to be one of the best albums of all time.

ConceptualisationEdit

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".<ref name="mtvnews">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She also described "All Is Full of Love"—HomogenicTemplate:'s closing track—as the first song on Vespertine, as it opposed the rest of the album's "aggressive, macho" aesthetic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref name="Pytlik159">Template:Harvnb</ref> In 2000, she starred in Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark, and composed its soundtrack, Selmasongs.<ref name="vontrier">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref name="twilight">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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".<ref name="aloneinthedark">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

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She initially set about making a record with a domestic mood featuring "everyday moods and everyday noises translating into melodies and beats",<ref name="Pytlik159" /> hence its working title Domestika.<ref name="Pytlik155" /> Marius de Vries told Sound on Sound that the project was driven by an "overriding aesthetic of being homely and comfortable", which had "all to do with Björk wanting to make a record as a reaction to the wanderings and the pain she experienced making Dancer in the Dark… [and coming back] after you've wandered."<ref name="devries" /> Björk's initial idea was also to "celebrat[e] the banalities of everyday life."<ref name="Pytlik176">Template:Harvnb</ref> For example, the title track "Domestica", originally titled "Lost Keys", was meant to be a "gentle, humorous snapshot" of Björk looking for her keys.<ref name="Pytlik176" />

Her new relationship with artist Matthew Barney, and the stress she experienced while filming Dancer in the Dark, have been referred to as the two major forces that shaped what would become Vespertine.<ref name="Pytlik155">Template:Harvnb</ref> Her relationship with Barney influenced her lyrics, which became more intimate, detailed, and revealing in contrast to her past works.<ref name="Pytlik160">Template:Harvnb</ref> 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.<ref name="Pytlik155" />

The eventual title change of the record reveals its changing nature. Writer and critic Mark Pytlik notes that, "where [Domestika] signified a focus of extracting magic from the platitudes of everyday life, [Vespertine] [...] suggested a creation of magic through much more powerful forces. In fine style, Björk had set out to write an album about making sandwiches.Template:Refn She'd ended up with an album about making love".<ref name="Pytlik160" /> A stylistic antecedent was her poem "Techno Prayer", published in Details magazine in July 1996, which would later be used as part of the lyrics of "All Neon Like". It featured thematic ideas such as cocooning and thread-weaving that she would later explore on Vespertine.<ref name="Pytlik170">Template:Harvnb</ref>

RecordingEdit

The earliest sessions took place in Spain with programmer Jake Davies.<ref name="devries">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Björk commissioned Valgeir Sigurðsson to relocate some of his studio equipment from Iceland to Denmark where Dancer in the Dark was being filmed.<ref name="Pytlik155" /> While living in Copenhagen, she also contacted the electronic musician Thomas Knak (also known as Opiate), after having enjoyed his 1999 album Objects for an Ideal Home.<ref name="Pytlik156">Template:Harvnb</ref>

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.<ref name="vespertinespecial" /> Then, she "set up camp [...] during summer" in a New York City loft, and began to work with harpist Zeena Parkins.<ref name="vespertinespecial" /> Much of Vespertine was "composed, crafted and edited" in that loft, in what has been called the "Domestika sessions".<ref name="vespertinespecial" /> Some tracks were recorded as an overdub "on top of a slave mixdown" of the Spanish sessions.<ref name="devries" />

"Undo" was written during a two-week session with Knak that January in Reykjavík. Björk recorded her vocals on top of Knak's minimalist rhythmic backbone, and months later she had added a full choir and string section.<ref name="Pytlik161" /><ref name="Pytlik162">Template:Harvnb</ref> "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.<ref name="Pytlik162" /> Knak took it as a chance to make a more minimal track, similar to his own releases.<ref name="Pytlik162" />

"Heirloom" was based on an existing instrumental track from electronic musician Console's album Rocket in the Pocket (1998), titled "Crabcraft" (which itself samples Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "Sacred Heart").<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> Björk contacted Console in early 2000 and they met in London; she then added her vocals on top.<ref name="Pytlik161">Template:Harvnb</ref> 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.<ref name="Pytlik162" /> Björk said that she worked on Vespertine for three years.<ref name="p4kreview">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Also published in Template:Cite book</ref>

InstrumentationEdit

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".<ref name="unitspecialpp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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."<ref name="aloneinthedark" /> For the string and music box arrangements, she used Sibelius scorewriter software.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

For Vespertine, Björk wanted to make a "microcosmos of thirty or forty beats interacting".<ref name="minuscule">Gestsdóttir, R. (Director). (2003). Minuscule [Documentary]. One Little Indian</ref> 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.<ref name="minuscule" /> 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.<ref name="minuscule" /> 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."<ref name="devries" /> Additionally, Knak used an Ensoniq ASR-10, for "Cocoon".<ref name="Pytlik162" />

CompositionEdit

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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".<ref name="q">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="billm">Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref name="mtvnews" /> Björk has also described the album as "more electronic folk music".<ref name="Pytlik159" />

Critics have classified Vespertine as electronica,<ref name=":0" /> art pop,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> psychedelia,<ref name="dallasmorning">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> ambient,<ref name="eecummings" /><ref name="stylusmag" /> trip-hop,<ref name="rs" /> folktronica,<ref name="pastebestalbums">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and glitch pop.<ref name="livepitchfork">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Gittins120">Template:Harvnb</ref> Music journalists have also noted the experimental nature of the record.<ref name="am" /><ref name="bestalbumsrs">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Orlando Weekly wrote that with the album, Björk "[took] her modernist art-pop further into the abstract".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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)".<ref name="favoritealbumstmt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref name="rs" /> Björk's performance on Vespertine has been described as that of an "art-rock torch singer".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Stylistically, Vespertine incorporates elements of both art and dance music.<ref name="subjectivity">Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref name="subjectivity" /> Academic Nicola Dibben wrote that its "classical and dance-based elements" combine "the spiritual and the sensual" allusions of the album.<ref name="subjectivity" />

Vespertine is also characterised by "the obsession with sonic traces of analog technology – that is, the pervasive use of loops, static and white noise".<ref name="Oxford162">Template:Cite book</ref> Unlike previous albums like Debut and Post, "electronic sounds are the norm, and the acoustic sounds become the interjections."<ref name="Oxford162" /> Influenced by the 1999 album New Ancient Strings, a recording of kora duets by Toumani Diabaté with Ballaké Sissoko,Template:Refn Björk said she "messed up the sound of too angelic instruments, like the harp or the glockenspiel" on Vespertine.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Björk's voice is used as a supplement to "the complex electronic textures".<ref name="Oxford162" /> Her vocals often appear to be recorded close to the microphone and with little treatment, and sung in a sometimes "unstable whisper", conveying a sense of close proximity and reduced space suitable for the intimate lyrics.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

SongsEdit

Tracks 1-6Edit

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The album opens with "Hidden Place", which features a soprano section and strings, "over the top of a warm, intimate melody".<ref name="musicomh" /> Michael Hubbard of musicOMH felt the track was reminiscent of Homogenic's "Hunter", but less focused on the beats.<ref name="musicomh" /> NME called it progressive folk,<ref name="nme">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while Drowned in Sound wrote it was electro.<ref name="dis">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref name="billboard113" /> "Cocoon" is "based around an exploratory bassline and beats that sound like fingertips on skin".<ref name="mcragg">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref name="cocoonspecial">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref name="mcragg" /> Björk sings a breathy, "whispered, near-cracking falsetto" on the track.<ref name="mcragg" />

"It's Not Up to You" has been described as a "dizzying ballad" and a song that lifts the album upward.<ref name="spin07">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Michael Paoletta of Billboard described the track as "melancholy".<ref name="billboard113">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Its lyrics are about "love for the unknown devices that culminate in 'perfect days'",<ref name="wire">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and "pleas to find beauty in unlikely places".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The "caressing lyrics" of "Undo" assure that: "It's not meant to be a strife/It's not meant to be a struggle uphill".<ref name="cmj">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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".<ref name="Pytlik195">Template:Harvnb</ref> "Pagan Poetry" is a "harp-splashed" song that concerns unrequited love.<ref name="billboard113" /><ref name="billboard287">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The song also features "a flotilla of music boxes with an Asian-teahouse touch".<ref name="rs" /> The instrumental interlude "Frosti" has been described as "metallic tundra".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Its sound stems from a music box,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> creating an intimate, fairy tale-like effect.<ref name="am" />

Tracks 7-12Edit

"Frosti" fades into "Aurora", while "a warm, faintly crunchy sound" is heard.<ref name="Pytlik173">Template:Harvnb</ref> These are samples of footsteps in the snow—the work of Matmos—re-appropriated as the song's "subtly shifting beat".<ref name="Pytlik173" /> "Aurora" has been described as "something that appeals to a child-like imagination", and having a "magical and airy quality".<ref name="medialiteracy">Template:Cite book</ref> In the lyrics, she addresses a Nature goddess,<ref name="medialiteracy" /> and sings about "literally dissolving with pleasure" as she "prays to become one with… the northern lights".<ref name="rs" /> One of Björk's broodiest compositions, "An Echo, a Stain" is underpinned by a creeping choir line and nibbling clicks, and features an "unresolved, ominous tension" that is atypical of her writing style.<ref name="Pytlik172">Template:Harvnb</ref> 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.<ref name="Pytlik172" /> "Sun in My Mouth" is an adaptation of E. E. Cummings' poem "I will wade out/Till my thighs are steeped in burning flowers", with an emphasis on the vocal and accompaniment provided by a string orchestra, a harp, and soft electronica.<ref name="eecummings">Template:Cite book</ref> 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".<ref name="medialiteracy" />

"Heirloom" alters "between what sounds like a samba preset on a vintage Wurlitzer organ and skittering breakbeats, and is decorated with inverted synthtones and analog keyboards".<ref name="pitchforkmedia" /> The song's lyrics tell a "fuzzy story" about a recurring dream,<ref name="billboard113" /> while "[likening] the art of singing to swallowing and exhaling 'glowing lights'" as Björk sings: "During the night/They do a trapeze walk/Until they're in the sky/Right above my bed".<ref name="rs" /> Film director Harmony Korine wrote "Harm of Will"'s lyrics. The Slate album review noted the minimalist nature of the track, pointing out a lack of hook, beat and melody.<ref name="slatereview">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It is a slow song, as is the closing track, "Unison".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref name="Pytlik195" /> It "brings beats and strings together in a final crescendo that also manages to incorporate a little jungle".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

ArtworkEdit

Template:See also Template:Multiple image 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,Template:Refn which caused a media frenzy and was widely criticised.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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"),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> illustrated the cover, featuring a swan and the album's title with feathers. Björk thought swans embodied VespertineTemplate:'s music, describing them as "a white, sort of winter bird" and "very romantic".<ref name="Pytlik153">Template:Harvnb</ref> Vespertine came with a booklet of M/M (Paris) artwork.<ref name="liner">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> Michael Hubbard of musicOMH commented, "the spine of the CD is entirely white, while the rest of the sleeve features innovative photography and artwork".<ref name="musicomh">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.<ref name="subjectivity" />

Release and promotionEdit

File:Björk2001.jpg
Björk performing during the Vespertine world tour 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.<ref name="grapewire133">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Vespertine was released on 27 August,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as a double 12" record, CD and compact cassette.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A second single, Towards the end of 2001, Vespertine was released as a DVD-Audio.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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).<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref><ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

AppearancesEdit

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.<ref name="billboard287" /> To promote the album, Björk appeared in various magazines in mid-2001, including: The Fader, Q, Pulse, URB, USA Today, InStyle, Vibe, Us, Nylon, Index, CMJ New Music Monthly and, Spin.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Times issued a Björk special, featuring videos, music, photographs, and a competition to see Björk perform.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

SinglesEdit

Hidden PlaceEdit

On 6 August 2001, "Hidden Place" was released as the album's lead single, its music video having premiered in July.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was released as two CDs and a DVD, featuring B-sides "Generous Palmstroke", "Foot Soldier", "Mother Heroic" and "Verandi".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref name="vespertinespecial">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was originally planned for a song from Selmasongs, but Björk felt the project was more appropriate for Vespertine.<ref name="unitspecialhp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="unitspecialhp" />

Pagan PoetryEdit

File:Pagan Poetry music video.jpg
The controversial music video for "Pagan Poetry", directed by Nick Knight, features highly stylised images of unsimulated sex, going in hand with Vespertine's central theme of eroticism and intimacy.

"Pagan Poetry", was released on 5 November 2001 as two CDs and a DVD, featuring a remix by Matthew Herbert, "Domestica", "Batabid", an Opiate remix of "Aurora", and the music video for "Pagan Poetry".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Nick Knight, who had previously shot the cover art for Homogenic, directed the music video for "Pagan Poetry".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.<ref name="makingofpp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="makingofpp" /> This first two-thirds of the video contains a great deal of post-production by Peter Marin, who gave the image its abstract watercolor-like effect. The shots of Björk with her Alexander McQueen topless wedding dress were filmed in super 35 format. The main idea behind the music video was: "to do something with the moving image that was a mirror of what was happening musically".<ref name="makingofpp" /> Although the music video has been well received by critics, it was highly controversial and banned from MTV in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

CocoonEdit

"Cocoon", the album's third single, was released on 11 March 2002. Its music video had premiered in February.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The music video for "Cocoon" was directed by Eiko Ishioka and was shot in April 2001 in New York City.<ref name="vespertinespecial" /> One of Björk's most avant-garde music videos, it: "plays with minimalist white for both costume and bleached eyebrows, treating Björk as a geisha whose makeup extends over her entire nude body".<ref name="mediumcool" /> Red threads emerge from her nipples and circulate between her breasts and nose, finally enveloping her in a cocoon.<ref name="mediumcool">Template:Cite book</ref> Björk actually wore a very close-fitting body suit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although not as controversial as the "Pagan Poetry" music video, it was still banned from MTV.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

TourEdit

Template:See also

File:Haeckel Hexacoralla.jpg
Fauna illustrations by Ernst Haeckel, 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She enlisted Matmos, Zeena Parkins, a choir of Inuit girls from Greenland, and conductor Simon Lee;<ref name="minuscule" /> Visually, fauna illustrations by Ernst Haeckel were used as a backdrop during the tour.<ref name="operahouse">Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The tour opened at the Grand Rex in Paris on 18 August.<ref name="billboard287" /> While in Paris, she held a press conference to discuss the album but gave no individual interviews saying that: "she'd rather do music than talk about it."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> While in France she also received the National Order of Merit at the Ministry of National Education in Paris.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Another press conference was held in Barcelona on 3 November 2001 while touring in Spain.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

A 16 December 2001 performance at the Royal Opera House in London was released as the DVD Live at Royal Opera House in 2002.<ref name="operahouse" /> A DVD release featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the tour, titled Minuscule, was released at the end of 2003.<ref name="minuscule" /> Vespertine Live, a live album consisting of songs recorded during the Vespertine world tour, was included in the 2003 box set Live Box; it also includes a live version of "All Is Full of Love", a song from Homogenic and "Overture" from Selmasongs.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

Commercial performanceEdit

Vespertine debuted at #19 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 75,000 units in its first week, becoming her career peak in sales.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It also debuted upon the top spot on the Top Electronic Albums chart, staying there for 3 weeks.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> One Little Indian head Derek Birket declaring that the album had sold over 1.2 million copies in Europe alone.<ref name="europe">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That month, the album also became number one on the album charts in Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, France, Norway,<ref name="vespertine1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the European Top 100 Albums chart.<ref name="eurotop100" /> In addition, Vespertine charted in the top 10 of Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Australia.<ref name="hungmedien" /><ref name="can" /><ref name="japanchart" /><ref name="uk" /> The album has been certified Gold in Canada, France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Lead single "Hidden Place" reached the top spot of the singles charts in Spain,<ref name="spain">Template:Cite book</ref> also charting in the top 40 in the United Kingdom,<ref name="uksingles">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Canada,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Italy, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Belgium and France.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Following release "Pagan Poetry" also performed well in Spain, while entering the French chart at number 49 and the UK chart at number 38.<ref name="spain" /><ref name="uksingles" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "Cocoon" performed more poorly, charting at number 61 in France and number 35 in the United Kingdom.<ref name="uksingles" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Critical receptionEdit

Template:Music ratings 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.<ref name="MC" /> Various writers including David Fricke and Simon Reynolds named Vespertine Björk's best album to date.<ref name="rs" /><ref name="avclub" /><ref name="aboutdotcom" /><ref name="popmatters">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album received some praise for its themes of intimacy and introversion,<ref name="am" /><ref name="billboard113" /> with Anthony Carew from About.com writing: "What makes Vespertine even more intriguing is the way that it marries its musical ambitions to its thematic emotions… And what makes it great… is the purity and intimacy of its feelings."<ref name="aboutdotcom">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fricke and musicOMH's Michael Hubbard have both noted that the singer had shown a more mature side of her.<ref name="rs" /><ref name="musicomh" /> The A.V. ClubTemplate:'s Keith Phipps found it to be: "an album both timeless and of the moment, an avant-garde electronic-pop exploration of classic themes".<ref name="avclub">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref name="RSAlbumGuide" />

An enthusiastic review came from The Wire, which felt that: "In the end, Vespertine commits its magic by daring to go places more obvious and more human than one would have ever expected."<ref name="wire" /> Calling it "one of the most impressive and cohesive" albums of the year, Tiny Mix Tapes found Vespertine to be Björk's most effective use of the studio as an instrument.<ref name="tmt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Chris Smith of Stylus Magazine praised the album for its nuance and delicacy, describing its sonic palette as "a breath of fresh air."<ref name="stylusmag">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Additionally, Vespertine was thought to have challenged gender roles in rock music and in sexuality.<ref name="medialiteracy" /><ref name="popmatters" />

Q also praised the album, stating that it "quietly proves that cutting-edge production and human contact aren't mutually exclusive."<ref name="qreview" /> American music journalist Robert Christgau enjoyed the album's central theme of sex and wrote: "when she gets all soprano on your ass you could accuse her of spirituality".<ref name="Christgau" /> A more lukewarm review came from PitchforkTemplate:'s Ryan Schreiber, who felt that: "while undeniably beautiful, Vespertine fails to give electronic music the forward push it received on Björk's preceding albums".<ref name="pitchforkmedia" /> David Browne of Entertainment Weekly said "her lyrics occasionally dive into the deep end" and "her voice is at times stiff", although he also wrote "when it all comes together, [...] Björk and her electronica collaborators create moving interplanetary chorals".<ref name="ew" /> Almost Cool wrote: "if there's one question to be raised with the album, it's that it's all simply so lush and nice that on some levels it fails to excite".<ref name="almostcool">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In a 2015 interview with The Pitchfork Review, Björk said that her work on Vespertine was not fully acknowledged by press,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.".<ref name="p4kreview" />

AccoladesEdit

In 2002, Vespertine was nominated for the Shortlist Music Prize, though the award went to In Search of... by N.E.R.D.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The same year, the album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Album, losing to Coldplay's Parachutes.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition, Björk was nominated for Best International Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Best International Female Artist at the Italian Music Awards,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while Vespertine was nominated for Album of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

RankingsEdit

Vespertine on select critic rankings
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Fnac France The 1000 Best Albums of All TimeTemplate:Citation needed 2008 561
Les Inrockuptibles Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 5
Jenesaispop Spain Top 100 Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 2010 80
Mondo Sonoro Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 6
Muzikalia Top 62 Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 2009 Placed
Rockdelux Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 10
Top 100 International Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 2009 45
The 300 (+200) Best Albums from 1984 to 2014Template:Citation needed 2014 301
Drowned in Sound United Kingdom citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2006 1
Fact citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2010 13
The Guardian citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2019 27
The Line of Best Fit citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2009 22
Mojo Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 7
musicOMH Top 21 Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 2010 11
NME citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2016 32
citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2009 95
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2013 403
Q Top 100 Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 2009 48
Resident Advisor citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2010 54
Rock's Backpages Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 5
Top 176 Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 2009 44
The Times Top 100 Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 68
Uncut Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 26
citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2009 55
The Wire 2001 Rewind – 50 Records of the Year<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 2001 1
The Word Top 25 Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 2009 18
About.com United States citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2010 2
Addicted to Noise Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 7
Alternative Press Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 3
Amazon.com Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 4
The Best of the Decade in Music... So FarTemplate:Citation needed 2006 Placed
The A.V. Club citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2009 27
Barnes & Noble Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 14
Blender Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 22
CMJ Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed Placed
Coke Machine Glow Top 100 Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 2010 91
Down Beat Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 1
GQ The 40 Best Albums of the 21st CenturyTemplate:Citation needed 2003 Placed
Kitsap Sun The Top 101 Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 2010 49
Los Angeles Times Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 2
Los Angeles New Times Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 7
One Thirty BPM citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2010 11
Paste citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2009 50
Pitchfork citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

92
PopMatters citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2014 32
Rolling Stone Albums of the Year<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 2001 Placed
The 50 Coolest Records of All TimeTemplate:Citation needed 2002 16
Top 100 Albums of the 2000s<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 2009 67
Slant Magazine citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2010 3
Spin citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2001 16
Stylus Magazine citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2005 36
Top 100 Albums of the 2000sTemplate:Citation needed 2010 17
The Village Voice Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 2001 3
Washington City Paper Albums of the YearTemplate:Citation needed 18

Track listingEdit

Template:Track listing Template:Track listing

Notes<ref>"Tracks sampled by Björk" Template:Webarchive. WhoSampled. Retrieved Aug 8 2023.</ref>

  • "Hidden Place" samples "Transfigured Night, Op. 4" (1899) by Arnold Schoenberg.
  • "Undo" heavily samples "1% in 2/3 Speed" (1999) by Opiate.
  • "Sun In My Mouth" contains lyrics from "Impressions" by E. E. Cummings from Complete Poems: 1910–1962.
  • "Heirloom" is based upon "Crabcraft" by Console.
  • "Unison" contains a sample of "Aero Deck" by Oval from Systemisch.
  • <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^[a]{{#if:| }} signifies an additional producer.

PersonnelEdit

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Vespertine.<ref name="liner" />

Musicians Template:Div col

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Technical Template:Div col

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Artwork Template:Div col

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ChartsEdit

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Weekly chartsEdit

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart
Weekly chart performance for Vespertine
Chart (2001) Peak
position
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)<ref name="MM-2001-09-29">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 11
European Albums (Music & Media)<ref name="eurotop100">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 1
Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)<ref name="vespertine1" /> 1
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref name="japanchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

6
Portuguese Albums (AFP)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 5
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)<ref name="MM-2001-09-29" /> 2

Template:Col-2

Year-end chartsEdit

Year-end chart performance for Vespertine
Chart (2001) Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

197
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

90
European Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 55
French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

49
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 4

Template:Col-end

Certifications and salesEdit

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See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

BibliographyEdit

External linksEdit

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