Björk in concert from Cambridge for this weekend’s Brunch – Recorded at the Cambridge Corn Exchange on December 2, 1998.
I don’t think you get any argument from Music fans that Björk of a force of nature, ever since her stint with The Sugarcubes she’s blazed a trail, especially for Women that stresses letting go of conventions, singing from the heart (and in her case, all three octaves worth) and pursuing your vision.
That her influence has stretched across several genres, branched into producing and made a presence in acting gives you some idea of what’s possible when you keep an open mind, open eye, open ears and trust instincts.
A snippet from Wikipedia:
During her formative years at music school, Björk became interested in avant-garde, classical, and minimalistic music; also becoming a “jazz freak”. Although her music is more consistently tonal and has more crossover appeal, she is considered indebted to avant-garde composers Karlheinz Stockhausen, Meredith Monk, Sun Ra and Philip Glass. In a 2008 article for The Guardian, Björk considered Stockhausen as the root of electronic music, writing “he sparked off a sun that is still burning and will glow for a long time”. Early in her career, Björk cited Sir David Attenborough as her biggest musical influence, saying “she identified with his thirst for exploring new and wild territories”. In 1996, Björk showed her appreciation for expressionist composer Arnold Schoenberg, as she covered Pierrot Lunaire, originally from 1912. She also stated that she “[likes] to discover sounds I had never heard before”.
If you haven’t already heard this 1998 Cambridge concert, Press Play and relax – its Saturday after all, and you can use the inspiration.
