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Björk
Vessel
(Polygram)
When Björk performed earlier this year at London's Royalty Theatre, a group
stage comman dos dressed in SAS black ran around with cameras. They were presumably
meant to be conspicious, but it was difficult not to be distracted by the roving cameraman
lying at Björk's feet waggling his equipment.
The good news is that it worked. Rather than a straightforward live shoot, director
Stephane Sednaoui (Madonna, U2, PM Dawn) has experimented with feel and atmosphere,
trying to marry Björk's private aesthetic sensibilities with the crassness of the pop
world she inhabits. He intercuts the colour of the stage show, including the hits
'Venus As A Boy' and 'Big Time Sensuality' with black-and-white film of Björk
strolling around London and New York, expounding on her quirky philosophy of life. Normally
the artist on longform is a pretentious beast, but Björk's shy warmth comes through
almost despite the format.
"Most songs I worte very quietly in
my room when everyone was asleep,"
she says. "It was a private affair
between me and myself. Then I put a recored out,
just a little statement. So many people say they like it...
this makes me very happy."
She still pulls her little-girl faces,
but being able to hear the dry irony in her
speakin voice gives that sickening adorability new bite.
o7
The release of Vessel has been put back to the first week of September.
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