Bjørk's "Unravel"

I’ve been in my hometown (town?) of LA for about 3 weeks now. I’m leaving tomorrow, early morning. I’ve grown attached to a certain someone. In our intermingling, we’ve connected over a few great songs and records – agreeing and disagreeing and arguing points. It’s possible, even safe, to say that we’ve grown closer this last trip, our fleeting moments and funny interactions have an expiration date, known as my return flight back into Chicagoland. This morning he left me a mix CD that he must have spent last night making, or perhaps the last few nights making... I am unaware of when he actually had the time to make it frankly – he’s been so busy lately. In any case, he put this song on the mix pillowed in-between a Neil Young song and a Guns N’ Roses one. He really knows how to hit home... I’ll undoubtedly miss my pal.

I think that, lyrically, “Human Behavior” was a great debut representative of Bjørk’s music. It’s almost like a synopsis of her following work, all being obsessed with feelings, both revealed and unsaid. All her songs are studies of human behavior. “Unravel” makes me realize that she’s so human, in the way that it exemplifies vulnerability. Many people can’t appreciate her “weirdness,” you know, the way she expresses herself through fashion. I don’t think those VH1 lists will ever forgive her for that swan dress she wore on the red carpet a few years back. But perhaps that’s what she’s trying to convey – that the way she looks has little to do with her talent, underneath it all – we all have felt this way (or close to it unless of course you’re a heartless slob) at least once in our lives. The way the vocal lines “He’ll never return it” and “When you come back/We'll have to make new love” overlap, it’s like an inner argument... I think she’s a really great example of the fact that through our many aesthetic differences, we are capable of relating through common feelings as a result of life’s experiences.

So far, for me at least, most of her songs have remained timeless and innovative. I revisit albums and experience new thoughts and assumptions about them.