A few years ago, for a music blog feature, I asked Björk to share her favorite records. Her list included Mahler’s 10th Symphony; Alban Berg’s Lulu; Steve Reich’s Tehillim; a collection of Thai pop called Siamese Soul, Volume 2; Alim Qasimov’s Azerbaijan: The Art of the Mugham; Joni Mitchell’s Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter; Kate Bush’s The Dreaming; Nico’s Desertshore; Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back; Aphex Twin’s Drukqs; The Ranges’ Panasonic EP; Black Dog Productions’ Bytes; and James Blake’s self-titled debut album.
What’s notable about the list is not only the wide range of Björk’s musical taste—something expected given her deep curiosity about various musical genres—but also the diverse array of styles that emerge from it. It’s as if, in a reversal of tectonic drift, different musical tastes are converging into a supercontinent. From the grand, late Romantic anguish; to the forceful 12-tone modernism; a minimalist dance through Hebrew psalms; eclectic pop from South Asia; a masterful exploration of Azerbaijani mugham; three unique albums by female singer-songwriters; three groundbreaking electronic records; a powerful political hip-hop statement; and a collection of dubstep ballads—Björk’s list spans the globe while crossing the boundaries between art and pop, mainstream and underground, ancient past and cutting-edge present.
