Bjork - Debut (1993)

If you've never seen her, she is exactly how you would have imagined. Right down to those fake pearl tears on the cover of Debut, Bjork is an enigma in that special way that popstars can get away with. Back in 1993 when Debut was released she was voted babe of the year in NME and judging by the stunning shots on this and the single 'Big Time Sensuality' it's hard not to argue. Bjork made her first recording aged 13. She had been a member of the Sugarcubes before she went solo. The Sugarcubes spun off beat dramas that defined an alternative market in the mid-late eighties struggling to find its feet. Bjork's talent was their distinctive selling point though and they may have suffered without her powerful vigour.

Debut is infused with a huge dance sensibility. A lot of the tracks have appeared elsewhere in altogether different guises, suitable for packing dancefloors en masse. Most of the time, these reworkings are loyal to their inspiration and dutifully prove how powerful the original recordings are. The first sign of Bjork's solo output was 'Big Time Sensuality' that came complete with 5 remixes. It has a didgeridoo electronic beat that skips frothily for its duration. Bjork doesn't croon, she just adds suitable splices of cool vocals.

'Violently Happy' creeps up on you like a wayward iceberg and knocks you for six as the delicious white hot beat distils pure alcohol into your shaking torso. It is overwhelming stuff made all the more bearable by the perfect comedown of 'Venus As A Boy'. The song has the comfort of a candle in a dark cave but the warmth of the vocals wrap you in the fur of a fresh bear kill. Just when you think you have a handle on Bjork's vocal range she disappears beyond the horizon. Those put off by the notion of a beat fantastic album shouldn't worry because Debut is much more than this. For every 'Violently Happy' there are at least a couple of seamless vehicles for Bjork's astonishing voice. 'Play Dead' for example boasts a huge orchestral wall of sound and a chorus that wonderfully climbs to the summit of her vocal range. 'There's More To Life Than This' has more than a Moloko ring about it, but then this was released aeons before they had honed their sound.

Elsewhere 'Come To Me' contains all the trappings of a fairytale with the requisite plinking dew drops, distant wailing strings and little red riding hood pretensions. It sashes by with enormous clarity, charming is too underwhelming a word to describe it. 'Aeroplane' is beautifully uneven and hints at that 'It's Oh So Quiet' theme that her second album would so successfully adopt. Listen to 'The Anchor Song' and you can imagine village life. As the prayers for returning fisherman are answered the most serene of lives continue happily as the outside world scrambles for a few hundred more worthless shares, squashing the weaker in society underfoot in the process. There is a natural feel to the album despite all the technology employed. On occasions, like on the rather shallow 'One Day' Bjork drops her quality guard. To recompense the white label take of this song is close to perfection. 'Crying' is another notable disappointment with a vacuous centre, but hey there is a neat doodling session near the finish that almost saves the day.

Aside from these momentary lapses this is a fantastic debut that you should own for its individuality, inner self-belief and consistent wide-eyed arrangements. Where else could you find a disc that will have you dancing, sleeping and crying within the space of a half an hour? Why the next Bjork release of course!

Rating: 8/10


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