Bjork  – Debut

The aptly titled debut album by the diminutive Icelandic singer Bjork Guomundsdottir (thank goodness she is known simply as Bjork) arrived in 1993.  Technically she had released an album, as a child singer, in 1977 – but it is not generally recognised as her debut release.  She had been in a pop group ‘The Sugarcubes’ but this Debut was a big departure from that.  In fact, it was a departure from almost anything anyone had ever heard before – as all her albums have been.  The shy half-smiling portrait on the cover belied her musical maturity.   Well, this record was different, indeed there is nobody quite like Bjork.  Love her or hate her, she has a style of singing and instrumentation that is both her own and instantly recognisable.  Best tracks on this debut are ‘Human Behaviour’, ‘Venus as a Boy’ and ‘Big Time Sensuality’.  At times it feels as if she is singing to an entirely different melody than the music – but somehow it works.  Another great debut album.