Bjork - Telegram (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

Unexplained On Your Collar

Gyakusetsu | Colorado, USA | 07/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Telegram is basically a beautiful compillation of the best mixes (and one b-side) from nearly all of the 'Post' singles.

The album revisits all of the songs off of 'Post' (except for 'It's Oh So Quiet' and 'The Modern Things') and completely revamps them.

1. Possibly Maybe [Lucy Mix] 4/5

This is a very odd version of possibly maybe with complete new vocals. It sounds almost mechanical, but it's deffinitely Björk doing what she does best!

2. Hyper-Ballad [Brodski Quartert Version] 5/5

This is the Brodski Quartert performance with bjork of Hyper-Ballad. The song has so much energy from the strings, and Björk gives one of her best performances with the quartet that I have ever heard.

3. Enjoy [Further Over The Edge Mix] 4/5

This is the most bizarre track on the entire disc. Its an electronic buzzing mind trip like none other. The music is all buzzing beats with sampled Björk vocals. Very awesome track.

4. My Spine 5/5

It takes you through glass windchimes and a sensual tune brought by Björk. A delacate & pretty song, it is a dust devil of pretty beats and chimes.

5. I Miss You [Dobie's Rub Part One - Sunshine Mix] 2/5

In my opinion, the worst track on the disc. It's basically the 'Post' version, except slowed down and put to hip-hop. Not very good.

6. Isobel [Deodato Mix] 5/5

This is the true highlight of the whole album. The song Isobel has here been put with a contemporary jazz beat and really awesome instrumentals that just take the already wonderful song to the next level.

7. You've Been Flirting Again [Flirt Is A Promise Mix] 5/5

Very simple and pretty. The beginning entices you and the beautiful string arrangements keep you wanting more. Different vocals than on 'Post,' but quite an improvement, in my opinion.

8. Cover Me [Dillinja Mix] 3/5

a six minute repetitious sample song. It gets kinda old after the first 2 minutes.

9. Army Of Me [Massey Mix] 4/5

Another bizarre electrick buzz trip. It sorta takes on a hip-hop beat throughout, but in a tasteful way by masking it with other fascinating sounds.

10. Headphones [Mika Vaionio Remix] 5/5

I love this song. It is basically an instrumental tribute of the song. It preserves the best bits of the 'Post' version, while managing to make a completely new sounding song. Björk's vocals are just beautiful in it.

Even though the song is 6 min+ in length, it does not get old.

11. I Miss You 5/5

This is the 'Post' album version of the song. cool, edgy and an awesome music video to go along with it. I don't really understand why this track was included, but I can only assume that it's to apologize for the bad hip-hop version in track 5 of the disc ;).

Overall, this album (or EP, whatever) is deffinitely worth adding to your Björk collection. the different versions of Björk's 'Post' Songs are really worth hearing."

Elegantly crafted remixes

Joseph Mogavero | Buffalo, NY USA | 07/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"of Bjork's eccentric music. Very powerful sounds yet a very modest approach. A definate must own for any fan of her work. Variety of musical genres presented here from a classical approach with the brodsky quartet to dark thumping techno-like pieces as well as traditional tracks. Bjork is a musician into and of her own style."

Possibly maybe one of the best remix albums ever

J. Holmes | yokohama, japan | 08/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"say goodbye to the deliciously demented Sugarcubes, and say hello to Bjork solo pop star! in her old bands it was obvious that there was a mighty strong force brewing in her mind and with her vocals. sometimes her ideas seemed suffocated by her fellow band member's contributions; so thank god that someone had the sense to let her go solo and really explore the outer and inner dephths of her talent. now that she has enjoyed a healthy and high profile solo career for quite some time; it's amazing to take a look back at her past catalogue and examine her progression over the years.

"Telegram" stands out not just as an excellent Bjork album, but also as a superb example of how a remix album should be done. (Massive Attack's "No Protection" is another outstanding example.) the Bjork originals on "Telegram" are not just given a thumping 4/4 techno beat or some other kind of lazy "remix" treatment. in fact, many of these songs add so much more life to the originals that you may have a hard time choosing which is your favorite. it's also amazing to me that even though each song gets a different remix from a different artist, the whole album has a very coherent and organic feel to it. the songs flow and some of the performances are downright brilliant! "Possibly Maybe" warps and spaces out Bjork's sultry vocals and adds a lazy stumbling beat that fits it perfectly. Deodato's treatment of "Isobel" is sheer bliss, and "I Miss You" in the hands of Dobie becomes a fun and bouncy hip-hop lite anthem. the new track on here "My Spine" comes across alot like some of the percussion from Tom Waits' "Bone Machine" album crossed with some crazy calypso. it's a great song and fits in perfectly with the whole of the album. there are lots of great ideas and artistic energy here on "Telegram."

that's the beauty of Bjork. she can harness all her outrageous ideas and mold (or allow her producers to mold) those elements and create an amazing sonic masterpiece that stands the test of time. all her albums come highly recommended and i have a hard time trying to tell people who don't own any of her solo albums which one is best to start with. and even though it is a remix album, "Telegram" is a fine place as any to begin exploring."

Björk in the Mix

Alex Joseph | 07/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A remix usually constitutes just what it implies: vocals with some new instrumentals, and maybe a reverb, delay, and cutup, or two. But Björk being Björk, her less-than-monumental yet doubtlessly ambitious 1996 remix album Telegram is cut from a different cloth than most remixes. In fact, it's another fabric entirely.

Before any commentary, it should be duly noted that, if you disliked Post, stay far away from Telegram. There is certainly difference between the two, but if you found yourself moaning at the LP version of "Headphones," you'll practically gag on the minimalist remix on this disc.

But "Headphone" is the only track that's drastically minimized. The other songs feel busier, in fact. "Army of Me," for example, goes from the lead character to the anthropomorphic tree in the background. "Army of Me" is not minimized in a traditional sense, though the harsh electronic beats applied to it on Telegram diminish its original declaratory beauty.

If you found "Hyper-ballad" lacking on Post, you'll be happily surprised by the Brodsky Quartet version here. It sweeps into a Top Forty, Coldplay-esque crescendo that communicates such a rife, orchestral beauty----a beauty not found in the aforementioned forty. The hip-hop remix of "I Miss You" is a decent, slow-moving old-school mix that not everyone will find Björkish enough. Then again, the yuppie-lounge mix of "Isobel" may cause some listeners to instantly press "eject." And as for "Enjoy"? I don't what the hell is going on there. It's grating and pretty damn annoying. Instantly forgettable.

"Cover Me" has a little drum n' bass thing going on, and it works to an exciting degree. "Possibly Maybe" is possibly better than the original. A misty mysteriousness surrounds it, a blackened fog. Portishead vibes result, sans the emotional whining of Beth Gibbons. "You've Been Flirting Again" reminiscences a deathly little music box. It shimmers and then ogles at it own pity. An excellent track; perhaps another vastly preferable to the original.

The b-side "My Spine" is also included. It's a tiny sensuality that's breezy and a bit ominous at the same time, thanks to Evelyn Glennie's percussion.

Is the luxurious electronic silk that Telegram is made of worth your time, or should you stay to the classics and stick with Post? For a Björk fan, it's a worthy album and deserving of a spot on the CD rack. Otherwise, skip Telegram as a whole and buy its best tracks: "Hyper-ballad," "Possibly Maybe," "You've Been Flirting Again," and "My Spine.""

Re-designing the perfect

Ryan Hennessy | Albany, NY | 11/23/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"An album of dance remixes often signals the end of a musicians career. However, while for most a remix album is a last effort to squeeze a few pennies out of some collectors, Bjork has gone back to the drawing board and redesigned all the songs from 1995's wonderful "Post" from scratch. It seems that Bjork got all her best remixer friends together, and let them have it with whatever song they wanted. The album opens with LFO's version of "Possibly Maybe," a song that sounds nice for the first few seconds on the album, but overall is really boring. Mark Bell of LFO did extensive work with Bjork on "Homogenic" so I can't imagine why his version of "Possibly Maybe" turned out this bad. Luckily, next we get the Brodsky Quartet (who else?) doing "Hyperballad." It's not a far cry from the original version, and although I do miss the breezy brush-drumming, this version still packs the same punch as the original.In the original "Enjoy," Bjork sounded perfectly greedy with the sound of a loud bass-driven beat backing her every word. And if that one wasn't noisy enough for you, this one just pounds on the static. I can't say I love it. "My Spine" is the only original song on the album, and it sounds like the type of music that Bjork should've been making from the start. Xylophone and exhaust pipe music! The kooky sound compliments the intonations that only Bjork can pull off. The Dobie version of "I Miss You" is good, but that's only becasue it infuses just a bit of hip-hop to the original perfect song.The new version of "Isobel" brings the song to Brazil, where it sounded like it wanted to go in the first place. Deodato gives the song a lot of respect by not trying to change it around and make it something it's not. Bjork's new mix of "You've Been Flirting Again" could easily be mistaken for the original mysterious version of "Cover Me." This isn't exactly a song that's best done with spooky vibes. The new "Cover Me" starts off as trip-hop, and then becomes a real Tricky-esque jungle trip-hop dance song. It works really well, with its whirrs, beeps, and magically disappearing and reappearing beats. Graham Massey gives "Army Of Me" a new fuzzy edge and breakbeats. It works well as its own piece, not as a new version of "Army Of Me."Mike Vainio was the one who had the gaul to actually remix "Headphones," a song so minimalist, peaceful and beautiful, that if anyone touched it, you'd sweat they'd screw it up. And he pretty much did. It's a lot like the original but with Mike Vainio junk where he tries to give it the same texture, but can't, and screws it up. Overall, some new mixes turn out as good as the originals, some turn out for the worst, but I would definitely reccomend "Post" instead."

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