Something Rare - True Art

From the moment this incredible box set was announced at the beginning of this year I have been waiting with baited breath and finally it has arrived. After a monumental drama trying to get my hands on it, (not one CD shop in Sydney got it in on the day of release, not one!) and getting over the shock of having to pay $160 (that price is a massive discount!) I finally got it home and had a listen....

The family tree box set is roughly the size of a double CD case and is actually a translucent pink plastic box in a cardboard sleeve. Within this box lie a number of treasures, one full size CD and 5 little three inch CD's, a booklet of lyrics and a note from Bjork having a bit of a chat about the whole thing. The small CD's are in separate little sleeves of their own, the two Roots CD's in one, the Beats in its own with a booklet of sculpture photos and the Strings in another.

The ‘Words’ booklet contains Bjorks favourite lyrics from her songs, and sitting down to read them is a strange experience, you are so used to hearing these things with her music however to read them with no point of musical reference shows just how beautiful they are. Sometimes soft and loving and at other times explosive (such as ‘Pluto’), this booklet is a fantastic addition to the music.

O.K. lets do this in some sort of order, ummm... Right, instead of risking scratching the CD's I just ripped them straight to MP3 and put them in a single playlist so i'll go through it in that order then shall I? Good.

First of the CD's is "Roots CD 1". As the title suggests this CD contains music that Bjork sees as being her roots. Containing 5 songs, including a Flute composition from when she was fifteen (which is also heard at the end of the Shepards Bush DVD), and some sugercubes tracks this one is almost entirely in Icelandic. From the beauty of 'Ammeali' to the punk explosions of 'Fuglar' this truly is a great insight into her beginnings.

Next is the 2nd Roots CD. This CD contains songs that are not so much from where she started but represent her sonic evolution more than others. Included are new versions of 'Immature' and 'Joga'. Of the other three songs I know that 'Generous Palmstroke' was the Hidden Place B-Side, and the beautiful 'Mother Heroic' I had not heard before. These songs encapsulate some of the sounds that Bjork has been using and developing over her entire career.

Next are the two strings CD's. These are live recordings of Bjork with the Brodsky Quartet and contain some stunning recreations of her album works. Some incredible versions include 'Possibly Maybe', 'Hunter' and my personal favourite, 'Play Dead'. Ten tracks in total they really show off her incredible vocal skills to perfection, during 'Anchor Song' there is a moment where her voice obtains a fragility and beauty unlike anything you have heard before. Strings are obviously a very important part of her music, listen to any of her albums and there they are, sometimes as a ‘simple’ backing track and other sweeping emotional waves of fear or love. These two CD’s show off the Brodsky quartet and their ability to use their instruments to create some very different sounds, simply stunning.

Now onto the Beats CD. This is something very special indeed containing a flowing version of 'The Modern Things' and three songs that are not on any albums. 'Karvel' is easily my favourite, containing some nice deep rolling beats and an awesome Icelandic vocal run this song is the intense. 'I Go Humble' which is also found on the Shepards Bush DVD (Highly recommended) is another funky fun song, entirely electronic sounds mingle with the voice perfectly. 'Nature is Ancient' is another deep muted beats extravaganza,

"It's called life, it goes wherever it wants to"

is one of my favourite lyrics now.

Last but not least is the alternate "Greatest Hits", where the other release was picked by her fans via a web poll, this one is a CD of Bjork's favoutire songs and completes the set perfectly. It features everything from ‘Venus as a Boy’ to ‘It’s Not Up to You’, and also songs from ‘Dancer in the Dark’, ‘Scatterheart’ and ‘I’ve Seen it All’.

So that is a rundown of the set but how does it all fit together, is it really worth it? The answers are: Very well, and, yes don't be silly. The way I have it set out it plays the two Roots CD's then Strings 1 then Beats then Strings 2 then the Greatest Hits, 35 tracks later I have a greater understanding and appreciation for the incredible artist that Bjork really is. There is nobody on this earth who can match her in her chosen sphere. Nobody. And this incredible box set is a testament to her talent and art and the people that she works with.

If you are a die hard Bjork fan you probably already own this, however if you are pondering it, it is my belief that it is well worth the price, this is art and I don't believe you can put a price on it.

Tracklisting

Roots 1:
Sidasta Eg
Glora
Fuglar
Ammaeli
Mamma

Roots 2:
Immature
Cover Me
Generous Palmstroke
Joga
Mother Heroic

Strings 1:
Unravel
Cover Me
Possibly Maybe
Anchor Song
Hunter

Beats:
The Modern Things
Karvel
I Go Humble
Nature Is Ancient

Strings 2:
All Neon Like
I've Seen It All
Bachelorette
Play Dead

Greatest Hits:
Venus as a Boy
Hyperballad
You've Been Flirting Again
Isobel
Joga
Unravel
Bachelorette
All is Full of Love
Scatterheart
I've Seen it All
Pagan Poetry
It's Not up to You


Hello all, this is my first review in over a year so leave some comments and tell me what you think, I'm afraid i'm a bit out of practice.