Customer Reviews

Debut

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Bjork is back with a new sound...her own.

1. Human Behaviour - The first single from Debut. This is one of Bjork's earliest songs and still one of the best. Her voice soars and has one of the greatest videos I've ever seen. 10/10

2. Crying - When I bought I was hesitant to any song I hadn't heard before. I was letting the cd play one day from Anchor Song and on and this came on. It is wayyy better live though. But still one the best songs on the cd. 9.3/10

3. Venus As A Boy - A really good Bjork but it really does depend on your mood. It's very poppy and upbeat. It has some great Icelandic lyrics though. 8/10

4. There's More To Life Than This - I first heard a sample of it in a Bjork Megamix (Igor's Violenty Happy Remix w/Depeche Mode). I loved it. I downloded it and bought the Venus as a Boy single just so I could get the studio version (Non Tiolet Mix). 10/10

5. Like Someone in Love: Annoying. I absolutely hate it. 0/10

6. Big Time Sensuality : When I first heard the fluke version I loved it from the beginning to the end. This version is way better though. It sound very 'Ray Manzeryck' like. 10/10

7. One Day: I love her voice but I don't listen to it often b ut nontheless it is a very very good song. 8/10

8. Aeroplane: Definetly my favorite song on the cd. At first it sound indimated and unproportionate. It is on of the best songs she has ever written. Better live though. 10/10

9. Come To Me: Hate it. 0/10

10. Violently Happy: Let's put it this way...it should have been on the Greatest Hits CD.....10/10

11. Anchor Song: I love the jazz sections and Bjork's voice. It simply soars through the song. 10/10

Over all rating: 8/10 or... 4/5

"Debut" is such a fabulous album because it seems to age along with the listener. At 19, when I first heard this music, I didn't know what Bjork hinted at when she wrote "One Day."
Now, at 27, I cry when I hear the song because I can feel the movements of my first child inside my womb. She perfectly expressed the hopes of motherhood without actually mentioning babies at all. True to her subtle nature, she playfully weaves a tapestry of meaning using baby sounds and ambiguously playful lyrics ("The aeroplane will glide gracefully around the volcano/ with the eruption that never lets you down.")
"Debut" is chock-full of such expressive gems, and should convince even the most casual listener that Bjork is more than a kook in a swan dress; her artistic vision is matched by an enormous talent that removes her by light-years from her contemporaries.

If I were forced to categorize this music, I would have to call it techno, but it escapes the sense of sterility and coldness that I associate with that genre through the expressive power of Bjorkfs unique vocal style. From the moment many years ago that I first heard the Sugarcubesf gBirthdayh on our local college radio station, the unrestrained passion and joy in her voice captivated me. I have never heard anyone sing like this before, and the fact that this extraordinary voice is wedded to quality material with innovative rhythms, melodies, and arrangements makes this disk a real winner.

Creative and intelligent dance music? What's going on here? Isn't dance music just supposed to be monotonous and jarring rhythms punctuated with the occassional foreign language phrase (e.g., "Du habst... du habst... du habst nicht")? The surprising thing is that dance/techno is as expansive a genre as rock ever was, and Björk has exploited this fact almost to its extreme. "Debut" explores melodic lines underscored by dance/techno beats with amazing results. Björk's passionate and very eclectic vocals pervade everything making for quite a ride. From the opening booms of "Human Behavior" (is that sampled timpani?) to the squacking horns of "The Anchor Song", "Debut" samples an eclectic variety of sounds and rhythms. Though by no means the album's best song, "There's More To Life Than This" intrigues with its juxtapositions between party noises and closed-door intimacy (Björk even slams the door on the party's rumblings, and you're suddenly sharing a side room alone with Björk as she sings about better things to do than be at this boring party). "Like Someone In Love" almost startles with its contrast; suddenly Björk rhapsodizes about being in love with the sole accompaniment of a harp, a lilting melody, and some ambient noise. "Gazing at stars, hearing guitars." Not at all like what came before. Then the opening keyboards of "Big Time Sensuality" suck you back into the more pounding dance rhythms that make up most of the album. Some of the major themes explored in Björk's lyrics include: the hope-to-die pine for love, escape from the mundane, joyous erotic upheaval, obsession, and the humanly bizarre or the bizarrely human. Björk's voice throughout ranges from heartbreaking tenderness to fearful rage. This album proves that dance music has the ability to intrigue and groove. A great album overall, though I hope I'm never as painfully in love with someone as Björk seems to be in some of her songs.

Bjork is the perfect mix of the hardcore and the gentle. Technically, this album is electronica pop, but the label doesn't do justice the trans-genre influences you hear. And it doesn't begin to suggest the challenging nature of this music, or the fact that it can be repeated over and over and over again.

Take "Anchor Song" for example. It features Bjork's voice, in perfect control, accompanied by nothing more than two of the most godawfully dissonant saxophones you ever heard. Or "Someone in Love", which contrasts dreamy harp strikes with the grunts and shrieks of Bjork. These songs remind me of Paul Gauguin's aphorism: "The ugly can be beautiful -- the pretty, never." It's in the nature of artists to express themselves -- some artists have nothing important to say, or are too naive to understand what they've seen, or deceive us with the patently false. But the worst artists are the ones who show us only what we want to see, who gloss over everything with a coat of prettiness, mundanity, and complacency. Bjork commits neither sin, and at her most ugly, she is beautiful.

And here's a factoid for your record books: the groovy Garden-of-Babylon sound in "Aeroplane" snatches an old Sufi devotional lyric: "I cannot live peacefully without you for even one moment. I miss you terribly when you are away." You can almost see an elephant waddling to the beat on that track.

For a pleasant surprise, play some of this for a kid you know -- they will fall in love with the giddy lyrics, the playfulness of Bjork's voice, and the music box tones of the synthesizers.

This album came out when we were still merging into the digital age, and my first copy was on cassette. After about ten dozen repetitions on the old boombox, the sound quality really started coming apart. It's been nearly ten years, I'm still listening to this album, and THANK GOD CDs don't wear out.

It takes sometime to get into Björk's world but when you have, enjoy the journey. "Debut" is indeed the Icelandic singer's first album and the best too. I can't describe the music, cause most of the songs sound diffrent, It's alternative with both rock and techno sound to it. Björk's very unique voice can sometimes be tough to understand, Actually i hardly get what's she saying, but i like it just the same. The sound is influented from all over the world, it's meliodic but sometimes a bit dark too. On "Venus As a Boy" my favorite song, it's surely a middle eastern sound with percussion, it's a beautiful rather slow song. The same with the mega hit "Human Behavior" A unusual but good song. "Big Time Sensuality" however it's almost techo and so is "Violently happy" which shows her Trip Hop influents. Another good song is the ballad "Come to me". The whole album is good, it got it's moments and it's a wonderful debut Björk came up with. Another classic 90's moment.

"Vespertine" was my first Björk CDs; I bought it a few years ago when it was new. I had heard a few Björk singles and had briefly owned a copy of "Homogenic," so I was excited when Björk released a new album. I like "Verspetine"-a lot, even-but I must say I am thrilled with "Debut." Where "Vespertine" is good to listen to as you're falling asleep on the couch or lounging around, I like to pop "Debut" in while I'm driving around. It's upbeat enough to keep me interested, without being intrusive: I can still have a conversatio with someone while playing "Debut" but I won't fall asleep if I'm driving alone.

Bjork has refined her sound and evolved as an artist, inspiring others since her first album, released in '93, but 'Debut' is a treasure that's just as priceless and definitely worth having in one's collection. She impressed and showed much potential here, suggesting more to offer in the future, and is one of few that manages to outshine the previous endeavor with the next. She blew many electronic fans away with her refreshingly innovative style and wacky video ideas, staking her claim as a force not to be reckoned with.

On latter albums such as 'Homogenic' and 'Vespertine', the songs were deeper and ultimately darker but most of the material here is playful dance tunes. The music, however, is creatively unique with Bjork's vocal prowess and groovy atmospherics. She became a household name with club hits like "Big Time Sensuality" and "Violently Happy" but, for me, the true highlights include the emotionally-charged "Venus As a Boy" - a striking melody with hypnotic beats and lush strings that have a slight Middle Eastern feel, and the beautifully crafted "Come To Me", which may just be my all-time favorite Bjork song with its delicate, melodic rhythms and gentle yet achy cooing.

Ok first off if you are a Bjork newbie then you MUST listen to this album FIRST or you will not get the full Bjork experience. I have not heard this WHOLE album but I have heard about 5 songs. I have heard Human Behaviour, Venus As A Boy, Violently Happy, Play Dead, and Big Time Sensuality. I will review these songs

Human Behaviour-This song is very tropical and exotic sounding. It reminds me of walking and exploring a jungle. Which isn't strange because the video has the same theme. The song is about getting close to humans and how strange they are. It's a very interesting song. I didn't like it at first but now I LOVE it. She sings so well and the beat is just very nice.

Venus As A Boy-A very very very beautiful song about a sexually appealing man who seems like the goddess Venus but as a boy. The beat is very new age/reggae. I know that's hard to explain but it has a little reggae flavor but very new age. Her voice sounds like a little girl. A very beautiful sound with many beautiful SFX

Violently Happy-A very dark, techno song. Techno is usually very happy. But this song is upbeat but unlike normal techno, this song is kind of dark and mysterious. Which is ironic because the song is called Violently Happy. This song has trippy sounds and is very weird.

Play Dead-Sounds like something written by Bach or Beethoven. A classical slow song with an awesome beat. Bjork's vocals in this song are SO GOOD! She has so much range. This is a very beautiful song about playing dead to stop the hurt from a breakup.

Big Time Sensuality-A typical sounding techno song. I didn't like it at first but now I love it. It's very upbeat and cheerful and it will just put u in a good mood

All in all these songs are good and I believe all the others are good. This song is Bjork's most commercial sounding. It has very good songs and will keep you wanting more from Bjork

It's true...there are so many fantastic tracks on 'Debut', I can't even pick a favorite! 'Venus as a Boy' is so cute and fun. 'Big Time Sensuality' hits the dance beats. It's a winner without any skip over tracks!