Björk
Alarm Call EP

"Homogenic" was the album she released in 1997, taking everyone by surprise: after the gossip of tormented romantic affairs gone wrong, and attempted murder on the artist by crazy fans, a rather lackluster and fashionable return to the scene was expected after the unattainable "Post", one of the absolute masterpieces of the Icelandic artist. And yet it wasn't so... "Homogenic" was an album as simple as it was complex, becoming a new masterpiece: beautiful songs, how can one forget, in fact, the diamonds of Bjork's entire production contained in that album like "Jòga" or "Bachelorette", or even "Hunter"?

This is an EP released after the creation of the album containing the three parts of the last single taken, the danceable and cheerful, yet beautiful "Alarm Call". An EP that collects an overview of the versions characterizing the track, proving to be the best remakes of the "Homogenic" era: if the remixes of "Jòga" and "Bachelorette", although successful, were not able to detach from the song structure, with "Alarm Call" there is more opportunity to experiment, perhaps precisely because of its danceable texture: prominent names such as Matmos, Beck, Daft Punk, and the trusted Mark Bell are brought together, who distort, destroy, and make the track even more danceable with often sublime results.

The "Radio Mix" by Mark Bell is a much more techno and pumped-up version, which is even more famous than the original, as it was the version used in the music video and broadcast on the radio, and even manages to surpass it, despite the puritan choice to cut that "Fucking" from the lyrics. The remix by Matmos (Rhythmic Phonetic Remix) is perhaps the most beautiful, hard to dance to, but clever and worth re-listening to several times, anticipating the idea that will be the basis of Bjork’s 2004 absolute masterpiece, "Medulla", that is, voices becoming rhythms, sighs turning into beats, accompanying the beautiful voice of the singer which erupts on an almost orgasmic base. Beck, a great Bjork fan, as well as an eclectic and poignant artist of delirious works like "Odelay" or "Mellow Gold", completely dismantles "Alarm Call", removing its dance structure and rendering it Caribbean with a spectral theremin and cheerful rhythms. The result is truly enjoyable. Daft Punk, on the other hand, as expected, overuse dance rhythms, turning "Alarm Call" into a thumping disco track; however, the result is very successful. This time, unexpectedly, the only one who misses the mark is Mark Bell: after splendid remixes for the songs of "Post", he disappoints with the "Gangsta" and "Phunk You" versions, in which he practically ruins Bjork's beautiful voice by rendering it techno, yet surprises with the "Locked" version, where the rhythms are made almost like a crazy slot machine and the Icelandic girl's voice is not manipulated or touched up.

The result is a very heterogeneous and idea-rich EP, definitely worth purchasing if you were insanely in love with "Homogenic" and the electronics that dare, without shame. Indeed, an interesting step in the artist's career.