77. Bjork, Selmasongs (Elektra, 2000)
We had to go three years without a Bjork album because she was working on the film Dancer In The Dark. We got a mesmerizing performance and a gutsy swan dress out of it, along with this brief, seven-song soundtrack. Many will favor Post, Homogenic or Vespertine over this, but for me, Selmasongs is where Bjork perfects her electronic/orchestral meld, creating bold, accesible soundscapes that sound absolutely new (and still do four years later.) "Cvalda" magically morphs from industrial machine clatter to Busby Berkeley dream; "I've Seen It All" pulls off an unlikely duet with Radiohead's Thom Yorke, and "New World" resonates and reverberates in a state where the heart's stopped beating but the soul lives on.
78. The Negro Problem, Joys and Concerns (Aerial Flipout, 1999)
True, twisted successors to early '90s psych-pop gods Jellyfish, this collective is primarily an outlet for Stew, a portly, fairly brilliant African-American singer/songwriter whose solo work will be popping up much later on this countdown. At this point, like Parliament-Funkadelic, there's little distinction between TNP and the man's solo work, only that TNP albums tend to be a little more scattershot. This one hops genres and temperaments as much as the others, making room for a slightly sinister, banjo-led ode to the daily grind, a freakout about a network news anchor worthy of Was (Not Was) or Sly and the Family Stone, and even a song about a gay Ken doll. And lots of happy, peppy, baroque pop and a ballad ("Come Down Now") that should've been the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" of its time. Don't let the name distract you (or falsely encourage you, for that matter.) This is heady, lovely stuff.
We had to go three years without a Bjork album because she was working on the film Dancer In The Dark. We got a mesmerizing performance and a gutsy swan dress out of it, along with this brief, seven-song soundtrack. Many will favor Post, Homogenic or Vespertine over this, but for me, Selmasongs is where Bjork perfects her electronic/orchestral meld, creating bold, accesible soundscapes that sound absolutely new (and still do four years later.) "Cvalda" magically morphs from industrial machine clatter to Busby Berkeley dream; "I've Seen It All" pulls off an unlikely duet with Radiohead's Thom Yorke, and "New World" resonates and reverberates in a state where the heart's stopped beating but the soul lives on.
78. The Negro Problem, Joys and Concerns (Aerial Flipout, 1999)
True, twisted successors to early '90s psych-pop gods Jellyfish, this collective is primarily an outlet for Stew, a portly, fairly brilliant African-American singer/songwriter whose solo work will be popping up much later on this countdown. At this point, like Parliament-Funkadelic, there's little distinction between TNP and the man's solo work, only that TNP albums tend to be a little more scattershot. This one hops genres and temperaments as much as the others, making room for a slightly sinister, banjo-led ode to the daily grind, a freakout about a network news anchor worthy of Was (Not Was) or Sly and the Family Stone, and even a song about a gay Ken doll. And lots of happy, peppy, baroque pop and a ballad ("Come Down Now") that should've been the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" of its time. Don't let the name distract you (or falsely encourage you, for that matter.) This is heady, lovely stuff.
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