| Post | ||||
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| Released | 12 June 1995 (1995-06-12)[1] | |||
| Recorded | Late 1994 – April 1995 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:04 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Björk chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Post | ||||
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Post is the second studio album by Icelandic singerBjörk.[a] It was released on 12 June 1995 byOne Little Indian Records. Continuing the style developed on her first albumDebut (1993), Björk conceived ofPost as a bolder and more extroverted set of songs than its predecessor, featuring aneclectic mixture ofelectronic anddance styles such astechno,trip hop,IDM, andhouse, alongside that ofambient,jazz,industrial, andexperimental music. Björk producedPost herself with co-producers includingNellee Hooper,808 State'sGraham Massey, and formerMassive Attack memberTricky. She wrote most of the songs after moving toLondon and intended the album to reflect her new life in the city.
The album reached number one in Iceland, number two in the United Kingdom and number 32 in the United States. It was certified gold in New Zealand and Sweden, and platinum in Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK. Six singles were released: "Army of Me", "Isobel", "It's Oh So Quiet", "Hyperballad", "Possibly Maybe", and "I Miss You", with three reaching the UK top 10. Their accompanyingmusic videos were noted for theirsurrealism, themes of nature and technology, and artistic development of the medium. Aremix album titledTelegram was released in 1996.
DuringPost's commercial peak, Björk was affected by promotional touring and media attention. She assaulted a reporter and survived amurder attempt. Björk would relocate to Spain away from the press and produce her next album,Homogenic (1997). Considered an important exponent ofart pop,Post has been praised by critics for its ambition and timelessness. It was named one of the greatest albums of 1995 by numerous publications, and has since been named one of the greatest albums of all time by publications includingEntertainment Weekly andRolling Stone.
"[Post was] reflecting my life at the time. Kinda big city, big lights,Trafalgar Square kind of energy… [I'd been an introvert] all my life and then suddenly I was very extroverted… But maybe also knowing that you didnt want to do that forever… it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing."
Björk released her previous studio albumDebut in 1993. At that time, she had moved to London.[7] The production ofDebut was "long and laborious", as Björk sought to fully realise the songs she wrote from the past. After its release, she began to look for new ideas in the present for her next album.[8] She contacted producerNellee Hooper who had worked with her onDebut.[8] He initially encouraged her to produce the album herself, but agreed when she insisted.[9] Björk agreed to co-produce with other enlisted producers; "to make it stay fresh, she had to think about other people being involved".[9] With Hooper's confirmation, Björk commenced work on the album in late 1994 at theCompass Point Studios inNassau.[9][10] The picturesque locale inspired Björk to meld the recording process with the exotic natural environment.[11] For example, Björk waded into the ocean and recorded vocals while the sun set, captured by a digital recorder powered by a generator on the beach.[12][13] The first version of "Cover Me" was recorded entirely from a cave.[11]
Björk incorporated songs she had written inManchester with808 State'sGraham Massey before the recording ofDebut.[11] These included "Army of Me" and "The Modern Things", which she had performed live and did not need to be extensively changed.[11] Björk said she left "Army of Me" offDebut as she feltDebut "was a more gentle energy andPost was more raw, more brutal".[6] Massey said: "With 'Army of Me' we wanted to try something that was quite hard andtechno-y. I'm not sure how she wrote those lyrics so fast but I remember that song being almost instantaneous. [...] We kind of knocked that off in one day and then started on 'The Modern Things' the same day and finished that the next."[11]
Although the album was supposed to be delivered the day after she returned from the Bahamas, Björk felt it was not yet complete and continued its production in London.[14] She enlisted a new team ofengineers andprogrammers, and spent the next months "tweaking,rearranging, and sometimes completely rerecording her pre-existing tracks".[14] Ultimately, it was the inclusion of more "real" instruments that "resuscitatedPost for Björk".[14] Björk continued to compose songs such as "Isobel", which was created while she was visitingReykjavík forChristmas, before bringing it back to Hooper's studio.[15] The song's lyrics were written in collaboration with Icelandic poetSjón, which was his firstsongwriting experience.[16] Sjón would become a frequent collaborator throughout Björk's career. She also enlistedtrip hop artistTricky to assist in producing the album, on the condition that he would work on two tracks on her album and she would contribute two vocals for his album.[15] Their collaboration resulted in thePost songs "Enjoy" and "Headphones"—in addition to "Keep Your Mouth Shut" and "Yoga", which appeared on Tricky's 1996 studio album,Nearly God.[17]
The track that underwent the most extensive change was "I Miss You", an old song from theDebut era.Howie Bernstein gave the song its "Latin-tinged [rhythm]".[18] Back in London, Björk contacted "old standby"Talvin Singh to record additionalpercussion parts for it.[18] Fellow former Sugarcubes memberEinar Örn Benediktsson was also contacted to play thetrumpet on "Enjoy".[19] EnglishsessionistGary Barnacle was enlisted to play thesaxophone.[20] Brazilian composerEumir Deodato participated on the album at Björk's request.[18] She contacted him after hearing his arrangements of aMilton Nascimento song called "Travessia".[18] Deodato's presence as composer and conductor "immediately bolstered" the songs "Hyperballad", "You've Been Flirting Again" and "Isobel".[21] This addition ofstrings,brass and percussion elements gavePost the balance Björk felt her original recordings had lacked.[21] "It's Oh So Quiet" was the last track to be recorded.[22] By the time the album was finished in April 1995, the list of co-producers included Björk, Hooper, Bernstein, Massey, and Tricky.[21] Björk has said: "The people I collaborated with were all people I was hanging out with in clubs in London. I had known them all for a while before we ended up working together."[22]
"OnPost she uncovers a range of specific sounds—not broad styles—that best express her emotions and color her arrangements. With little awe or irony, Björk blends these recognizable scraps and otherworldly snippets into a striking pattern of her own design, makingPost an album that's post-everything but akin to nothing else."
Björk's website describedPost as "a bit of a bolder side of [Björk], who now had ventured all the way from Iceland to England, and was exploring the faster pace and big city life that this new country brought. This album became influenced of that and became more adventurous andclub-friendly as a contrast to the shy first album,Debut."[24] WhileIDM and trip hop influences were present onDebut,Post is characterised by Björk's fuller incorporation of these genres.[25] The balance between synthetic and organic elements inPost —generated through the combination ofelectronic and"real" instruments—is a recurring characteristic of Björk's output.[14][21]Simon Reynolds wrote in 2011 that "Post tapped into the vortex ofmulticultural energy that was mid-90s London where she had relocated, and where strange hybrids such asjungle and trip-hop were bubbling".[26]Post has been described asart pop,[27]experimental pop,[28] andavant-pop.[29]
With itseclectic nature,[30] Post touches on various musical styles. When asked if this variety of genres was intentional, Björk replied: "Yes, I'm very aware of that. I've got very many sides to me."[31] Björk describedPost as "musicallypromiscuous" and "spastic".[22] In 1996, when asked about the album's musical influences, she stated: "I'm influenced by everything. By books, by the weather, by the water, by my shoes, if they're comfortable or not. Everything."[32]
The album opens with "Army of Me", an aggressive[36] song withindustrial rock,[37] and trip hop influences.[35] It incorporates aloopeddrumsample ofLed Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks".[38] Dedicated to Björk's younger brother,[22] the song's lyrics are, according to Björk herself, "about telling someone who is full of self-pity and doesn't have anything together to get a life and stand up"; as she sings: "And if you complain once more/You'll meet an army of me!"[35] "Hyperballad", is a track that incorporateselectronic andorchestral styles,[39] with a soundNME described as being "altered from gentlefolktronica todrum and bass-tintedacid house".[40] Its lyrics are about Björkpondering her own suicide, as she throws objects off a cliff as a form ofExorcism before returning to her partner.[41] The track is followed by "The Modern Things", a song that, in amagical realist tone,[42] "playfully posits the theory thattechnology has always existed, waiting in mountains for humans to catch up".[43]Interview described it in 1995 as a "spooky tune", noting "the odd scratchings at the end" of the track.[44] Thebig band track "It's Oh So Quiet" covers a German composition made famous byBetty Hutton.[36] It has been described as "apalate-cleanser during the course of the record".[45] Björk included the song "just to make it absolutely certain… that every song would be a shock".[22]
The following track, "Enjoy", a song concerning the links between sex and fear, has been considered "decidedly trippy",[19] and "Post's most abrasive track".[46]NME described it in its 1995 review as, "a dark and deranged techno thing".[47] Overmilitary drums and "squalls ofnoise", Björk sings about "herhedonistic tendencies".[46] The orchestral interlude "You've Been Flirting Again",[37] like the previous track "Enjoy", features "mysterious or open-ended lyrics".[22] They are an attempt to describe the ambiguous nature offlirting.[22] "Isobel" is a string-laden, orchestral trip hop song,[48][49] Craig McLean ofThe Face called the track "Broadway onbreakbeats".[50] Conceived by Björk as "part autobiography part storytelling", its lyrics concern Isobel, a woman magically born in a forest who finds people in the city "a bit too clever for her", eventually retreating back tonature and sending them a message of instinct through trained moths.[16]
"Possibly Maybe" is anambient dub track that fuses trip-hop and chill-out music and has aslide guitar in the background.[45][48][51] Its lyrics document the various stages of Björk's failed relationship withStéphane Sednaoui.[51] With the track, De Vries "create[d] a vinyl-crackling ambience, full ofglissando strings and leaden, mutedbass.[10] "I Miss You" was described in 1997 as an "amalgam of styles, withelectronic drums melding intoAfricanbongos mixed withjazzyhorn playing".[52] Ahouse music number, its "horn-infusedAfro-Cuban strains [...] reflect the romantic whimsy of [its] lyrics".[19] Björk wrote "Cover Me", one of the quieter moments on the album, to her co-producer Nellee Hooper after he agreed to participate in the making ofPost. She has said: "I guess I was trying to make fun of myself, how dangerous I manage sometimes to make album making. And trying to lure him into it. But it is also a admiration thing from me to him".[22] The album ends with the experimental "Headphones",[39] an ambient track.[53] Featuring "just-for-headphones studio tricks", it has been described as "a chiming, somnolent dip into Björk's heavy-lidded pre-dream state".[14] Its lyrics were written as a thank you to Graham Massey, who would make compilation cassettes for Björk.[22] She also stated: "But, of course, it is also a love letter to sound. The sound of sound.Resonances,frequencies,silences and such... a music-worship thing".[22]
Björk said the titlePost refers to the fact that all the songs were written after her move to England,[29] in contrast toDebut, the songs of which were written while she was still living in Iceland.[24] In a 1996 interview, Björk said: "I always knew it would be two albums and that's why I called themDebut andPost. Before and after."[54] The title also has the meaning of "mail", inspired by Björk's desire to communicate with friends and family in Iceland.[24][55]
Me Company designed the album artwork, while Martin Gardiner modeled thelotus flower in the booklet and packaging.[20] The album depicts Björk inPiccadilly Circus, London, her pale skin and dark hair contrasting with the colours of the Japanese-inspired signs behind her.[55][22] The photograph was taken on 1 April 1995 by Stéphane Sednaoui.[50] The designer Paul White of Me Company, who had collaborated with Björk since her time withthe Sugarcubes,[56] "surrounded her with giant postcards to represent communication with friends and family".[29] Björk said "my musical heart was scattered at the time and I wanted the [cover] to show that".[22]
The jacket Björk wears was inspired byRoyal Mail airmail envelopes, referencing the album title.[55] It was specially crafted fromTyvek envelope paper by the designerHussein Chalayan.[57] The jacket is displayed under glass atHard Rock Reykjavík, and was part of the 2015Björk exhibition in theMuseum of Modern Art, New York City.[58]Vice identified the airmail jacket as one of the "ultimate fashion moments" of Björk's career.[59] A photograph of Björk surrounded by silver balls was planned as the cover, but it was scrapped in favour of something "more poppy".[60] The photo later appeared in a 1995 article forThe Face.[50]
Post was released on 12 June 1995,[29] as a12" record,CD, andcompact cassette.[61] It was issued onOne Little Indian Records in the United Kingdom andElektra Records in the United States and Canada;Polydor Records issuedPost in Australia and Japan, also releasing the European edition of the album.[61] In September 1995, Björk and poet Sjón releasedPost, apaperback book meant to be a "pictorial and verbal record of the making of that album".[62] It contained interviews with Björk and also focused on the European leg of the tour.[62] ThePost tour was her first proper North American tour as a solo artist, with Aphex Twin as her opening act.[63] While in the United States, she also appeared onLate Night with David Letterman; this tour "helped maintainPost's momentum and keep Björk in the public eye", since airings of "Army of Me" and "Isobel" had been relegated primarily to after-hoursalternative music shows inMTV.[63] In the United Kingdom, Björk also performed onTop of the Pops on several occasions.[64][65][66][67] In 1996, Björk took part inArnold Schoenberg'sPierrot lunaire, conducted byKent Nagano and theOpera orchestra of Lyon.[60] In addition, Björk also appeared in severalmusic magazines.[68]
In November 1996, Björk released the "often-delayed"remix projectTelegram, which contained reworkings of several songs fromPost, with her voice re-recorded.[54]Telegram has been described as "effectively a completely new album".[69] Author Mark Pytlik writes, "Promises of aPostremix album had been circulating since the release of "Army of Me" in April 1995.[70] To compensate, Björk announced the release of a string of 12″ remixes beginning in June, limited to only 1,000 copies each.[70] Producers and musicians featured onTelegram include:Dillinja, Eumir Deodato,LFO, and Graham Massey, among others;[71] Björk only remixed "You've Been Flirting Again" herself.[54] The album also contains a new composition, "My Spine", a collaboration with British percussionistEvelyn Glennie.[7]Telegram spent five weeks on the USBillboard 200 chart, peaking at number 66.[72] In the UK, it peaked at number 59, spending two weeks on the albums chart.[73]
In 2005, theUNICEFcharity recordArmy of Me: Remixes and Covers was released; it is a collection of seventeen eclectic remixes of "Army of Me".[74] All profits went directly to the charity, to assist the victims of the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.[74]Live at Shepherds Bush Empire was released as aVHS in November 1998, containing the last performance of the Post tour, which took place atShepherd's Bush Empire in February 1997.[75]Post Live, alive album consisting of songs recorded during the Post tour, was included in the 2003box setLive Box.[76] The 2002 box setFamily Tree includesdemos and alternate versions of various tracks off the album.[77]Post has been reissued several times, adapting to different formats such ascolored records, 180g vinyl, andDualDisc.[61] Aremastered version of the album insurround sound was included in the box setSurrounded, which was released in 2006 on Elektra Records.[78] In 2012,Universal Japan issued a limited edition ofDebut andPost together as one compilation .[79] All ofPost'smusic videos were included on the 1998 video releaseVolumen, and its 2002 reissueVolumen Plus.[80][81] They also appear onGreatest Hits – Volumen 1993–2003, a release that includes the videos featured onVolumen andVolumen Plus.[82] They are also featured on video compilations of its directors, includingThe Work of Director Michel Gondry andThe Work of Director Spike Jonze, all of them from 2003.[83][84][85]
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"Army of Me" was released as thelead single fromPost on 24 April 1995,[86] shortly after the album's production concluded.[21] It was released in the United Kingdom as two different CD releases, with "Cover Me", "You've Been Flirting Again", "Sweet Intuition", and various remixes as itsB-sides.[87] A commercial success, it peaked atop theÍslenski Listinn Topp 40,[88] as well as at numbers five and ten in Finland and the United Kingdom, respectively.[89][73] In the United States, it peaked at number 21 on theAlternative Airplay chart.[90]Michel Gondry directed the video for "Army of Me", which takes place in acyberpunk environment.[91][92] In the video, Björk is seen driving a massive truck, which has been described as "alternately [looking] like an overgrownSUV and ascience fictiontank" as she quests to rescue her loved one from anart museum.[93][94]
"Isobel" was released as the second single on 14 August, with B-sides "Charlene", "I Go Humble", "Venus as a Boy", and several remixes.[95][96] Although the record company was against the idea of releasing "Isobel", Björk insisted because she "felt intuitively that this was the right choice".[97] However, "Isobel" did not replicate the success of "Army of Me", peaking at number two in Iceland and number 23 in the UK.[73][98] The music video for "Isobel", directed by Gondry, represents the story of the title character Björk envisioned with Sjón. It tells the story of "awild child discoveringurban culture through installations of toy fighter planes", over lush superimposed imagery.[93] Like in the lyrics, where Björk takes the role of narrator and protagonist, she plays two different parts in the music video:[99] Björk is seen as the Isobel who "weaves and composes this world and this story on her organ", and as the Isobel who inhabits this primal world.[100]
"It's Oh So Quiet" was released as the third single on 13 November.[101] Its B-sides included "You've Been Flirting Again", "Hyperballad", "Sweet Sweet Intuition" (a rework of "Sweet Intuition"), and "My Spine".[102] The music video for "It's Oh So Quiet" became one of the most played clips on MTV,[103] and the song became Björk's most successful single,[104] peaking at number one in Iceland and within the top ten in Australia, Finland, Ireland, Scotland and the UK, while peaking at number nine on the USBillboard Hot 100's extensionBubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[105][73][106][90] The single was certified gold by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 400,000 units in the UK.[107]Spike Jonze directed the music video for "It's Oh So Quiet", a homage toHollywood'sTechnicolormusicals that drew inspiration fromBusby Berkeley andJacques Demy'sThe Umbrellas of Cherbourg.[108] Like Demy, Jonze "mines the magical from the mundane," as he transforms a drabauto shop into the location where Björk dances and sings with a full dance company, an attempt to reflect the "exuberance" of her vocal performance.[109]
"Hyperballad" was released as the fourth single on 12 February 1996.[110][111] The single—consisting of two separate CDs—also included remixes of the song, "Isobel" and "Cover Me".[111] Some regions also included adouble A-side single with the song "Enjoy", although it only received a number of promo remixes.[112] It peaked at number eight on theUK Singles Chart and atop the USDance Club Songs.[73][90] The music video for "Hyperballad", also directed by Gondry, has been described as "a techno-dream visual story full of flashing lights, buzzing static, andholograms."[59] It shows Björk as "a character running through a landscape that simulates that of acomputer game, only tothrow herself off a cliff."[93] The clip is an attempt to reflect the song's story, so Gondry depicted Björk lying down as a dead body, with a holographic image of her singing superimposed on her.[113]
"Possibly Maybe" was released as the fifth single on 28 October via several 12-inch records and three different CD releases.[114][115] A limited-edition 12-inch double A-side with remixes of "Possibly Maybe" and "Enjoy" (byMark Bell and Dom T., respectively) was also released.[116] "Possibly Maybe" peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.[73] Sednaoui directed the music video for "Possibly Maybe", despite the song being about his failed relationship with Björk.[51][117] Björk and Sednaoui had previously worked together in the music video for "Big Time Sensuality".[118] In the clip, she appears "as a goddess, floating out from a numinous light-streaked background."[119] Sednaoui is known for having a particularly filmic technique for each of his clips; in "Possibly Maybe", the use ofblacklighting "makes Björk glow sensuously and perversely".[117] It was conceived in atheatrical way: nearly all of the scenes were filmed in the same space, which is transformed with changes in themise-en-scène.[99] The style of "Possibly Maybe"'s scenery and Björk's wardrobe referenceEast Asian imagery, and aJapanese traditional doll is featured as Björk's only accompaniment; as a silent witness, it is the object on which the protagonist casts reflections on her own identity.[99] Regarding the video, Sednaoui said: "Her song and my video were a way of saying things to each other that we couldn't say otherwise."[120]
"I Miss You" was released as the sixth and final single on 17 February 1997.[121] Although it became Björk's third US Dance Club Songs number-one single,[122] it was the least successful single fromPost in Europe, as it peaked only at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.[73] The animation of its music video was produced byJohn Kricfalusi and directed byErik Weiss.[120][123] It was promptlycensored on MTV because of its nudity and violence towards the end.[123]
| Contemporary reviews | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Chicago Tribune |   [124] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A+[125] |
| The Guardian |  [126] |
| Los Angeles Times | [127] |
| Music Week | [128] |
| NME | 7/10[129] |
| Q | [130] |
| Rolling Stone | [23] |
| Spin | 8/10[131] |
| The Village Voice | C+[132] |
Upon its release,Post received universal acclaim frommusic critics. Lorraine Ali ofRolling Stone praised the album for differentiating from thealternative rock offerings of the early1990s, and for successfully merging disparate styles.[23] She concluded: "WhenPost comes to an end, it feels like getting back from a good vacation: the last thing you want to do is re-enter the real world".[23] Writing forEntertainment Weekly, Jim Farber stated that despitePost's "bizarre" combination of diverse genres, the conviction of Björk's delivery and assuring hooks "[made] her most surreal passages as relatable as moon-Junestandards".[125] He felt that Björk "[reinvented] that tradition, constructing standards for thecyber age".[125]
Joy Press, who reviewed the album forThe New York Times, praised the album for not being a "play-safe sequel" toDebut, pointing out that Björk, "[had] followed her most wonderfully wayward impulses".[37]Los Angeles Times critic Richard Cromelin felt thatPost was "an often heady mix of trendiness and nostalgia" that was capable of transcending Björk's self-consciousness.[127]Greg Kot of theChicago Tribune found the album's backing tracks to be "even more varied and unusual" than onDebut, describing Björk as "an extra-terrestrial voice rummaging around in a sonic toybox".[124]Spin's Barry Walters felt the album was an improvement over its predecessor, stating its songs were "stronger, more developed, and less reliant on Björk's wide-eyed delivery". He concluded that: "After years of (no) alternativefascistgrunge domination, it's heartening that Björk and producer-co-songwriter Nellee Hooper stayed true to themselves and created another highly personal album that has a chance of interrupting the airwave flow of whinyrockers with little imagination".[131]
Writing forMTV Online, Lou Stathis wrote that, "[it's mostly] Björk's wacky, mind-altered perspective that makesPost modern pop music at once both baffling and engaging".[133] He believed that the album was a rewarding experience for both the casual consumer, as well as the serious listener, also pointing out that, "it not only sounds good while you're listening to it, but it leaves you feeling good when it's over, too".[133]Robert Christgau, reviewing the album forThe Village Voice, was more critical.[132] He found that the album's "eccentric instrumentation" and "electronic timbres" failed to compensate for its lack of "groove" and was unmoved by Björk's lyrics, which he said "might hit home harder if she'd grown up speaking theEnglish she'll die singing, but probably wouldn't".[132]
Post reached the top ten of several countries, including Australia,[134] Belgium,[135] Canada,[136] Denmark,[137] the Netherlands,[138] Finland,[137] France,[137] Germany,[139] Ireland,[140] New Zealand,[141] Norway,[142] Portugal,[143] Sweden,[144] Switzerland,[145] and the United Kingdom.[146]Post also peaked at number two on theEuropean Top 100 Albums chart.[147] The album peaked at number 32 in theBillboard 200,[72] almost 30 places higher than the peak position of its predecessorDebut. It also received an enthusiastic reception fromcollege radios.[148][149]Post also reached top 40 in Hungary[150] and Japan.[151] The album was certified platinum in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe; and gold in Sweden and New Zealand. In 2007,The Washington Post reported thatPost had sold 810,000 units in the United States according toNielsen SoundScan;[152] it had sold 36,000 additional copies by 2015.[153]
The music video for "Army of Me" was removed from MTV's playlist before it aired because its ending depicted Björk bombing an art museum; theOklahoma City bombing happened at this time.[154] Author Mark Pytlik wrote that this "foreshadowed a string of unlucky events that would further hinderPost's unveiling".[154]
Robin Rimbaud filed a lawsuit demanding a co-songwriter credit for "Possibly Maybe", claiming that the song sampled his work. After Rimbaud's label New Electronica refused a sample clearance compensation of£1,000 from One Little Indian founder Derek Birkett, Björk and Birkett resolved to destroy over 100,000 copies of the album to create a new version without the sample. However, at the request of Rimbaud, New Electronica gave Björk permission to use the sample.[154][155]
Musician Simon Fisher sued Hooper and Björk over writing credits inDebut (1993), but these charges were cleared by judgeRobin Jacob.[155] According to Pytlik, these events resulted in "the strangest promotional tour anyone could have ever envisioned: in the week sincePost had been released, Björk had seen her album deleted, her video banned, and two separate lawsuits brought against her".[148] One Little Indian were also better prepared to promote the album, scheduling a string of European and American tour dates from the beginning of July into late August.[148]
During thePost era, the extensive media attention and a world tour of 105 dates began to affect Björk.[60][156] She repeatedly complained about the intrusiveness oftabloids and reporters.[157] On tour in February 1996, Björk arrived atBangkok International Airport with her son Sindri after a long flight. While the pair walked through the arrival terminals, reporter Julie Kaufman approached them and said, "Welcome toBangkok!" Björk charged at Kaufman and wrestled her to the ground.[156] It was later reported Kaufman had been bothering Björk and Sindri for days prior.[156] The incident was reported around the world.[156][158]
On 12 September, an obsessed American fan,Ricardo López, sent aletter bomb rigged withsulfuric acid to Björk's residence in London, returned home and filmed his suicide. Police contactedScotland Yard, who intercepted the package without incident. To record in privacy away from the unwanted interest of the press, Björk's tour drummerTrevor Morais offered her his studio inMálaga, Spain, to record her next album,Homogenic.[158]
"Björk's recorded output has always been ahead of the curve, both in its embracing of technology and its audacious ambition and inherent eccentricity. What's truly arresting, though, is just how vibrant, how astoundingly fresh, her work sounds today…Post's influence is felt far and wide today, and not exclusively indance andelectronica circles… The [album] continue[s] to inspire, and [its] imperial design qualifies it as a timelessclassic."
| Retrospective reviews | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [39] |
| Pitchfork | 10/10[160] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [161] |
| Slant Magazine | [162] |
| Spin | [163] |
Nick Coleman ofThe Independent consideredPost to be an important release of the art pop genre,[27] Retrospectively,Slant Magazine's Eric Henderson argued thatPost "will likely always remain the Björk album that most successfully sustains her winning balance of experimental whimsy and solid pop magic",[162] while Heather Phares ofAllMusic wrote that the record was "not simplyDebut redux" and concluded: "The work of a constantly changing artist,Post proves that as Björk moves toward more ambitious, complex music, she always surpasses herself".[39] Celebrating the album's 20th anniversary, the British magazineNME described it as, "a masterful matching of hard, up-to-the-minute beats with complex, personal lyrics about the rush and rage of being a modern urban woman".[29]
The album's influence has been identified as being increasingly palpable on the contemporary music landscape, and later reviews of the album also make note of the timeless aspect of the music.[159][164][165] Writing forThe Daily Review, James Rose wrote in 2015: "Post is where mainstream music could have gone. While modern chart music hasn't gone there entirely[,] she undoubtedly helped broaden the playing field. [The album] stands today as a body of work that still informs the more marginal artistic fringes of modern music and reminds us how narrow and staid our world would be without outliers like Björk.[165] Also in 2015, Andrew Shaw ofNerdist felt thatPost "chose to ignore expectation, market restrictions, and contemporary trends", and that Björk "pushed her vocal performances into new places, where no other vocalists could dare to sing".[164] He compared the album's impact on audiences to that ofJimi Hendrix's 1967 album,Are You Experienced, writing it "set the benchmark for what was possible when you take tradition and set it on fire".[164] Raymond Ang ofThe Wall Street Journal consideredPost to be "Björk's last stab at the pop game… she would dig deeper into her increasinglyavant-garde interests and, in the years to come, thrill and challenge her audience".[120]
David Longstreth ofDirty Projectors is an admirer of the record, stating he was influenced by Björk's deconstruction of classicmelodies.[29] American singer-songwriterAmy Lee has saidPost is "one of the biggest records in [her] life".[166]DJ Shadowsampled "Possibly Maybe" in "Mutual Slump", a track off his 1996 album,Endtroducing......[167] TheVitamin String Quartet—known for its series oftribute albums torock and pop acts—covered "Army of Me" and "You've Been Flirting Again" in the 2001 album,Ice: The String Tribute to Björk.[168] In 2008,Stereogum released acompilation ofcover versions in homage to the album, titledEnjoyed: A Tribute to Björk's Post.[169] It features: Dirty Projectors,Liars,Xiu Xiu,High Places andAtlas Sound, among other artists.[169]
Much ofPost's six music videos have gone on to becomeclassics—most notably "It's Oh So Quiet" and "Army of Me".[162] At the time of its release, music videos were beginning to be used as anart form, and Björk's visual output during this period—and her career in general—have become a clear example of themedium's artistic legitimation.[170] Spanish writer Estíbaliz Pérez Asperilla has identified recurringmotifs andthemes throughBjörk's videography; these include nature and a magnified depiction of Björk.[170]Surrealism and technology have also been identified as recurring features in Björk's visual output of this period. David Ehrlich ofTime Out considered her "one of the first artists to meaningfully explore the aesthetic andsemiotic value ofCG and its relationship to the [videos]."[109] Writing forPaste, Alexa Carrasco felt, "Björk has created some of the most beautiful and weird videos to ever play on MTV."[118] The popularity of the music video for "It's Oh So Quiet" made the song one of Björk's most ubiquitous tracks, and was considered her first breakthrough on MTV.[109][120] The music videos—and the pink boots Björk wears in "Hyperballad" (the work of Belgian designerWalter Van Beirendonck)—were displayed in the Museum of Modern Art,New York City, as part of the 2015Björk exhibition.[58][59] They were also featured in the 2016 exhibition,Björk Digital, which premiered atCarriageworks as part of theVivid Sydney festival.[171]
In 2008, when asked how she felt about the album in retrospect, Björk reflected: "I was kinda surprised how the odd spastic thing of the album had actually aged well."[22]
By the end of 1995,Post appeared on the year-end lists of multiple publications. InThe Village Voice'sPazz & Jop critics' poll for 1995, the album placed at number seven.[172] At the 1995Icelandic Music Awards,Post received the award for Album of the Year; Björk was also awarded Artist of the Year, Female Singer of the Year, Composer of the Year, and was nominated for Songwriter of the Year.[173] Additionally, "Army of Me" received the Song of the Year award, with "Isobel" also being nominated.[173] She also received theBest Female award at the1995 MTV Europe Music Awards,[174][175] and Best International Female at theRockbjörnen Awards.[176] Björk was also nominated for theNordic Council Music Prize.[177] In 1996, she received her secondBest International Female Solo Artist award at the16th Brit Awards.[178] She received the same distinction at theDanish Music Awards, theInternational Dance Music Awards,[179] and the Italian Music Prize.[180] In 1996,Post was nominated forBest Alternative Music Album at the38th Annual Grammy Awards,[181] was awarded anIFPIPlatinum Europe Award,[182] and theASCAP Vanguard Award given by theAmerican Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.[183][184] For the album's music videos, "Army of Me" was nominated forBest Special Effects in a Video and theInternational Viewer's Choice Award at the1995 MTV Video Music Awards.[185][186] "It's Oh So Quiet" was nominated for theBest Music Video award at the38th Annual Grammy Awards, losing toJanet andMichael Jackson's "Scream".[181] At the1996 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was awarded theBest Choreography in a Video award, and was nominated forBest Female Video,Breakthrough Video,Best Direction,Best Art Direction in a Video, andInternational Viewer's Choice Award (MTV Europe).[187]
Vibe included the album in its 1999 list of the 100 Essential Albums of the20th Century.[188]Slant Magazine considered it the second best album of the decade in a 2011 list, only behind Björk's next release,Homogenic, writing it: "is [her] most scatterbrained work to date, but it's tied together flawlessly by [Björk's] singular whimsicality".[189] In 2003,Pitchfork listed it as the 20th best album of the decade, with William Morris writing, "few artists on this list could rival [Björk] in terms of innovation, vision, talent, and high-yield experimentation, andPost was the record to establish this."[190] In a 2012 article,Paste consideredPost to be the sixty-fourth best album of the decade, with Ryan Reed stating: "no Björk album is as weird (or weirdly wonderful) as 1995'sPost, a dizzying whirlwind of sonic textures and stylistic shifts that demonstrates every facet of her ever-expanding bag of tricks. [...] Björk clearly aimed to demonstrate the meaninglessness of genre boundaries. She succeeded."[191]Post was ranked at number 376 onRolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list, with the publication praising its "utter lack of musical inhibition,"[12] and ranked at number 289 on the 2020 updated list.[192] The American publicationConsequence of Sound placed the album at number seventy-nine on their 2010 list of the Top 100 Albums Ever, with Harry Painter writing: "Björk is one of few artists who could put out an album juxtaposing blisteringelectro-pop with big band, club-ready tribaldance withdowntempo trip-hop and find both critical and commercial success."[193] In 2015,Post placed on number 69 onSpin's list of the 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years, claiming that "[Björk's] fearless plunge into styles is matched by the aplomb with which she bares heranxieties and aspirations."[194] Also in 2008,FNAC placed the album at number 246 in its list of the 1000 best albums of all time.[195] In an unordered list of 500 essential albums compiled forVanity Fair in 2013, English musicianElvis Costello includedPost and mentioned "Hyperballad" as a highlight of the record.[196] In the album's entry of the "Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time" list of 2012,Rolling Stone felt, "Björk's artistic stature grew by yards in the course of this strange, affecting work, by turns harshly industrial, meditative and neon jubilant."[197]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Army of Me" |
|
| 3:54 |
| 2. | "Hyperballad" | Björk |
| 5:21 |
| 3. | "The Modern Things" |
|
| 4:09 |
| 4. | "It's Oh So Quiet" |
| 3:37 | |
| 5. | "Enjoy" |
|
| 3:54 |
| 6. | "You've Been Flirting Again" | Björk | Björk | 2:29 |
| 7. | "Isobel" |
|
| 5:46 |
| 8. | "Possibly Maybe" | Björk |
| 5:05 |
| 9. | "I Miss You" |
|
| 3:59 |
| 10. | "Cover Me" | Björk | Björk | 2:06 |
| 11. | "Headphones" |
|
| 5:40 |
| Total length: | 46:04 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "I Go Humble" |
|
| 4:44 |
| Total length: | 50:55 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sweet Intuition" |
|
| 4:43 |
| 2. | "Venus as a Boy" (Harpsichord version) | Björk |
| 2:13 |
| 3. | "Hyperballad" (Brodsky Quartet version) | Björk |
| 4:20 |
| 4. | "Charlene" |
|
| 4:44 |
| Total length: | 16:00 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Army of Me" (music video) | 4:27 |
| 2. | "Isobel" (music video) | 4:17 |
| 3. | "It's Oh So Quiet" (music video) | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Hyperballad" (music video) | 4:00 |
| 5. | "Possibly Maybe" (music video) | 5:14 |
| 6. | "I Miss You" (music video) | 4:03 |
| Total length: | 26:01 | |
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofPost.[20]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[220] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Belgium (BRMA)[221] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[222] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Iceland | — | 8,333[223] |
| Japan (RIAJ)[224] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[225] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[226] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[227] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[229] | Platinum | 846,000[228] |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (IFPI)[230] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
| Worldwide | — | 3,000,000[231] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Edition(s) | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 7 June 1995 | Standard | CD | Mother | |
| Germany | 9 June 1995 | ||||
| United Kingdom | 12 June 1995 |
| One Little Indian | ||
| United States | 13 June 1995 | Elektra | |||
| Japan | 16 June 1995 | CD | Polydor | ||
| Australia | 26 June 1995 | ||||
| Germany | 26 June 2006 | Surrounded | DualDisc | Mother | |
| United Kingdom | 3 July 2006 | One Little Indian | |||
| United States | 25 July 2006 | Elektra | |||
| Japan | 7 September 2011 | Standard | SHM-CD | Universal Music | |
| United Kingdom | 9 March 2015 | Vinyl | One Little Indian | ||
| Various | 29 January 2016 | ||||
| United Kingdom | 26 April 2019 | Cassette(reissue) |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)'Army of Me' ... the first release to be taken from her second solo album proper, 'Post'
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Soundtracks | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Remix albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Collaboration albums | |
| Concert films | |
| Video albums | |
| Documentaries | |
| Performances | |
| Other recordings | |
| Books | |
| Exhibitions | |
| Bands and labels | |
| Related articles | |
