Bjrk

This book provides the first music-based account of Icelandicsinger-songwriter Bj rk's work to date. She is internationally recognized for herunique and innovative musical style, as well as her collaborative workingrelationship with artists, musicians, and sound engineers. Her work blurs boundariesbetween club and dance culture and "high art." Bj rk has won many awards, includingBest Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in the film Dancer in theDark, for which she also wrote the music. Nicola Dibben presents an analysis ofaudio and video tracks, live performances, and recorded sound, viewed through thecritical reception, fanzines, and interviews that surround Bj rk's music. Thisanalysis reveals recurrent cultural themes: landscape and identity, the relationshipbetween humans and technology, song as a vehicle for emotional expression, andfemale autonomy. Additional chapters on Bj rk's compositional process -- with newlygathered interview material -- and on the critical-musicological approach adopted inthe book round out this original study.