Customer Reviews

Selmasongs: Dancer In The Dark (2000 Film)

5 star:		(96)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First off, if you haven't seen the movie yet don't get this cd. The soundtrack has to be listened and understood within the context of "Dancer in the Dark". It's possible for the cd to stand on its own, but it gains in emotional power if you know what happens in the movie.

With that being said I was highly disappointed that it wasn't fully faithful to the movie version of the songs. While I enjoyed hearing Catherine Denueve on 'Cvalde' I would rather have had Peter Stormare's vocals for 'I've Seen It All' and the original version of 'Scatterheart' You'll find some lyric switching between Yorke and Bjork in 'I've Seen It All' and the lyrics for 'Scatterheart' barely resemble that which was sung in the movie.

The greatest tragedy of all with this cd is the omission of 'The Next to Last Song'. A powerful moment in the movie is completely lost on this cd, rendering '107 Steps' and 'A New World' not as powerful as they were in the theater. Don't get me wrong though, you'll still find yourself moved by these tracks, but the moment is not complete without 'The Next to Last Song'.

I can only hope that somewhere down the line a more complete soundtrack will be released or the DVD will offer a music only track. While this is a terrific soundtrack and one that any movie music lover should own, it's not complete.

Bjork is poised to become a multi-media superstar. Her latest album, "Selmasongs" doubles as a collection of songs from her first movie, Dancer in the Dark. She has won critical acclaim for her work in the film as a mother who works in a factory and labors to save her son from a disease that will cause him to go blind. The premise of the seven songs on this EP deals with her character's ability to keep her spirits up by fantasizing about musicals. The songs sound like something out of a postmodern Rodgers and Hammerstein with Bjork's careening vocals lending weight to compositions that fuse industrial clatter and dream-like, sweeping string arrangements. Whats more significant is that these songs feel as if they come from a created persona that Bjork fully embodies in both the film and throughout the soundtrack. She never breaks from character and the songs soar because of the emotion she has invested in each track. Bjork's co-star Catherine Deneuve makes a vocal cameo for the track "Cvalda". Thom Yorke's duet with Bjork, the moody "I've Seen it All" is a warm moment where he the question is posed, "What about China? Have you seen the Great Wall?" Yorke responds, "All walls are great if the roof doesnt fall." This statement unknowingly parallels the plight of Bjork's charachter, Selma who seems cute and carefree in the film's outset only later to be seen as dilusional and the victim of the wall she has constructed against her own crushing reality. Her imagination/wall cannot save her from the life she must face. As the album continues, it reaches its emotional zenith with the glorious, "In the Musicals 1&2". Then, the album finds closure with the companion piece to the album's opening, "Overture", the cascading "New World" finds Bjork cooing a few verses over spiralling strings and raindrop beats echoing the opening melody. The album's songs feel like the soundtrack to some feverish mid-afternoon nap with Bjork's voice playing the part of the woman you encounter in your dreams repeatedly and whose name you never seem to learn. Selmasongs tracks cut and flow effortlessly like oil on the bearings of a well made machine. It is only fitting that Bjork finds herself the beating heart at the middle of the glorious clickety-clacking.

This review is for people who loved Bjork in Dancer in the Dark, know very little about her musical talent, and want to know if this is the album they should buy. If you liked the music in the movie; beware that these SelmaSongs are not taken directly from the movie. Bjork sings almost all the parts (no Joel Grey, for example) and several lyrics are altered (to not give away plot points in the movie, I guess), and some songs are extended. Anyway, it's a *great* CD for people who already love Bjork's music (even though it is a short set of songs), but only a *good* CD for people who are just intrigued by Bjork and liked the music/her singing in the movie. SO, my recommendation to those of you who are not yet hardcore Bjork fans (and you want to get your money's worth while introducing your ears to Bjork's personal style) is to buy any one of these three Bjork albums: "Debut", "Post", or "Homogenic". Debut was her first solo album, and while it is still great after all these years, it is slightly dated. Pick this one if you prefer the melodies on top of flat-beats type of dance music. My general recommendation however, is "Post". It showcases Bjork's wide range of styles, contains what many people consider to be her most beautiful song ("Hyperballad") and has more driving beats that keep you tapping your fingers after the song is over. For the more adventurous, you might choose the light-industrial/electronica-packed "Homogenic". Bjork's emotions on this album are the closest to what you might expect if you have only seen Dancer in the Dark. This is her 'edgiest' album though, with a spot or two that is difficult to take... a bit of screaming that goes on too long even though it compliments the poetry of the song, and (I must warn you moms out there) the F-word is used once - but this is the only time I know of her cussing in an album. All three albums are great, and you should eventually get them all. Avoid the remix album "Telegram" until you have sampled the aforementioned 3 albums... then you might find it a nice treat IF you like remixes. Bjork almost always re-sings her lyrics on her remixes so that can be a real treat! Then I would recommend you buy this Dancer in the Dark "soundtrack" to complete your Bjork collection of major releases. Don't believe me? Ok, then buy this one AND "Post" and tell me what YOU think :)

Bjork considers this album to be her best work ever. I agree. As a person who has tirelessly followed her career since her Sugarcubes days, I am stunned at how Björk has managed to lift her music another notch and become truly other-wordly. Its albums like this that make me wonder why I ever thought Tori Amos was a demi Goddess, or that Fiona Apple was as good as they come. 'Selmasongs' is a revelation, and also a showstopper - I doubt anything on Björk's new album 'Vespertine' could rival the musical genius of this CD.

That said, this is meant to be a review of the CD and not a critical analysis of the artist's musical growth, so lets move on. I must emphasize that this album is best appreciated only if you've actually seen the movie. If you haven't, don't go here. And while its true that Selmasongs is NOT a soundtrack in the real sense of the term (all the songs are studio-sung and barely resemble the songs on the screen), it is also not an EP or a regular album. Once again, our Icelandic diva has managed to triumph over genre and typecasting to create something so new and revolutionary, that it takes your breath away.

1. Overture : The theme to the film is also the tune to 'New World' and 'The Next to last Song'. It opens the movie, in a long drawn sequence that is meant to evoke the sentiment that life is one big open canvas.

2. Cvalda : The equivalent to 'Its Oh so Quiet' but more musically creative. 'Zing boom' becomes 'Clatter Crash', and when Catherine Deneuve steps in to give Bjork a hand with the vocals, you know that this is an instant masterpiece. Using electronica, machinery, and industrial harmonies, Bjork has managed to do what Tricky and Goldie could not - to create the ultimate example of factory-blend alterna. 'Cvalda' is the perfect song to kick off the soundtrack, and is also the first musical number in the movie.

3. I've seen it all - Despite being sung by a different male voice (Thom Yorke, in this case), the track retains its freshness, and while it is certainly novel, it seems rather contrived and formulated - guess they had to have one track on here that stuck with convention and modern rhythm. Lars Von Trier is said to have monitored the making of this song keenly and all the over-interest has not managed to kill it off totally. Its a wonderful orchestral and vocal piece, and the lyrics are beautiful.

4. Scatterheart : While this is the most chilling songs on the screen, Bjork insisted on rewriting it for the soundtrack. The result is a hacked, lyrically different version from the one on film. The haunting child vocal ('You just did what you had to do') is replaced by the more pensive 'You just have to find out for yourself' sung by Bjork. This is not bad, but I did miss the original version. The new song also doesn't reveal as much of the storyline as the movie version's does. But of course.

5. In the Musicals : This has become one of my favorite Bjork tracks. It is unique and breathtaking, and I have played it over, imagining how Bjork must have constructed such a multi-layered song from scratch. One on hand, the song serves as a fantasy for Selma as she sits in the courtroom while people decide her fate. On another, its a 50s style musical number, the likes of which have not been seen ever. On yet another, its a spiritual hymn thats both uplifting and devastating in its' simplicity. I was awestruck the first time I saw this on screen, and the faithful reproduction on CD is wonderful. Look out for the Gene Kelly-style dance interlude.

6. 107 Steps : If you've seen the film, you'll know what happens during this sequence. I can't help skip this track, although beautifully rendered as it brings back too many memories of the film and I am afraid I do not have the strength to sit through those emotions a second time. 'Dancer in the Dark' is the most powerful movie I have ever seen.

7. New World : The best song Björk has ever recorded. Period. Listeners have noticed that this song is actually 'The Next to last song' with instrumentation and a different meter and placing. Its a soaring ballad, sung from the point of view of a blind woman. Her imagery and sense of perception are so touching and heartbreaking. When the chorus soars as Bjork wraps up the second verse, you know that this is what music is all about. Its not about Madonna, or Eminem or Rolling Stone. Its about being able to breathe and live yourself through your music, and Bjork has done that with this CD. Brilliant and a masterpiece.

I initially agreed that this CD was overpriced, but I have come to realize that it is well worth the full price of the album. A small price to pay for such a divine gift. Stunning, a work of art.

Take heed from a guy who never owned a Bjork CD before buying this "soundtrack": this is great stuff.

Someone had passed me a Bjork single of a Deodato mix of "Isobel" years back and I liked it and recognized her talent, but it took this film and the accompanying 'score' to wake me up and take notice (as I bark like Catherine Deneuve does in the opening scene of the film, a sly reference itself to 'The Sound of Music' - the last musical anyone in America allowed to be a musical without dismissing it).

Yes, I do wish Selmasongs was in the truest sense a 'soundtrack' of "Dancer in the Dark"... maybe that one is in the pipeline someday soon. Bjork has remixed and dubbed many of the songs to be different than heard in the film, itself an agonizing, witty, frustrating, iconoclastic, and at-times brilliant and self-reflexive meditation on the cultural murder of the musical by Industry and the 'chic cynicism' propogated by a media that would rather seduce people into buying SUVs, and look down on smaller cars, rather than have them feel deep and beautiful things. All that said, Bjork still provides 37 quality minutes of a modern musical.

It's subjective of course to choose a highlight here, but for my money it's "I've Seen It All", a lovely duet with Radiohead's Thom Yorke. I do regret the male chorus is missing from the film musical segment (possibly one of the most exquisite moments in cinema of the last ten years this side of Kieslowski). Siobahn Fallon's counting on "107 Steps" chills for anyone who has seen the film as Bjork marches bravely towards the Death of the Musical. The bulk of the material is orchestrated grandly by Vince Mendoza (the genius on Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now") and the underlying techno-beat emerges from Bjork's film role-plight as a lowly worker in a hellish sink factory.

"Selmasongs" moved me to research previous Bjork efforts, many of which I like and will purchase. As for its length and truncation, well, the lady is still a brilliant artist. It's quality, not quantity, or has that wisdom been trained out of us along with our spontaniety to suddenly get up, sing and dance?

Not only does this album completely reinvent musical theatre with a broad, lush mix of symphonic swells and cutting-edge industrial dance beats, it provides a brilliant character insight for the film "Dancer In The Dark" by Lars von Trier which won this year's Cannes Film Festival.

The music is daring and brilliant, bringing to mind the huge dance numbers of the golden age of cinema. The best songs on it are the hauntingly touching "I've Seen It All", a duet with Radiohead's Thom York, and "In The Musicals" which is about her character's hiding from reality by daydreaming her musicals.

This album is more accessable then some of Bjork's other work, and is definately brighter in it's tone. It is one of those rare soundtracks that stands alone as a striking piece of music, and also compliments the film to perfection. Both the film and the album are exceptional individually, but together they are an artistic force that will (I hope) redefine and revitalize the dying genre of film musicals.

This album is certainly a strong departure from the heavily electronic sounds of the wonderful "homogenic" to a much more "Broadway-musical" scene. But make no mistake, this album has all the things that have made Björk so great. However I would suggest that before you buy it you watch the movie first (I've seen it 3 times already). It will give you a much better understanding of the album and you'll appreciate it much more. I bought it before seeing the movie and I liked the album but I absolutely loved it after the movie. The album starts off (like the movie) with "Overture" which is a purely instrumental song. The next song, "Cvlada", is absolutely brilliant with the music being generated trough the noises in a factory. And Catherine Deneuve does a pretty good job in this song although her voice can't be compared to Björk's. Afterwards you'll see the Oscar-nominated "I've seen it all". Once again the song is born from ambient sounds being in this case a train. Many Björk fans will find this song particularly interesting as it's sang by both Björk and Radiohead's vocalist Thom Yorke and as many of you know a lot of people that like Björk like Radiohead. Afterwards you have "Scatterheart" which is much more electronic than the previous songs. The lyrics on the song are quite different from those in the movie but it's a fantastic song nevertheless. "In the musicals" sounds just like its name: A song from a musical but with an excellent percussion and very interesting changes in rhythm. 107 steps is absolutely wonderful. The synchronisation between the woman on the background counting from 1-107 and Björk singing specific numbers is fabulous. The album closes with "New world" which is based on the rhythm of "Overture" but with percussion, electronic sounds and Björk's lyrics. I personally regard it as one of the best on the album with an impeccable instrumentation and outstanding vocals.

Some people have complained about the album being too short. Though it's some 37 minutes long (If I'm not mistaken) I believe that on the quality aspect there's nothing to complain about it. Maybe if Björk had decided to produce a less "cleaner" album she could have added the movie version of "Scatterheart" as I personally love the part when she sings "...the time it takes a tear to fall, a snake to shed it's skin, it's all the time that's needed to forgive me...". She could have also added the song about "a few of my favourite things" and the "next to last song" would certainly bring tears to my eyes every time I listened to it.

But like I mentioned earlier, I strongly recommend that you watch the movie first (Which is one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time) and when you exit the theatre buy the CD and I assure you that you'll enjoy it a lot as you'll understand both the lyrics and the sounds of the album. However, if you're not going to see the movie, you'll be missing out on a fantastic movie but you should buy the album anyway. But I can tell you from personal experience that it doesn't sound half as good as it sounds after you've seen it.

There's not much to criticize about this glorius EP/Album/Soundrack, except that perhaps it would be best to see the equally stunning film (DANCER IN THE DARK) before listening to it. The only other thing is that this is not an exact document of the music in the film. Most of the songs are remixed and do not include some of the actor's voices from the film. Although I love the way the film's music is presented on this album, I would also like to have a recording of the film versions of these songs. Otherwise this is another fine example of Bjork's musical genius. I particularly love the songs, "I've Seen It All," "Cvalda," and "In the Musicals" - that's almost all the songs! Just buy this album and enjoy.

I remember hearing "I've seen it all" on Radio 1, Spring, 2 years ago. It was one of those jaw dropping moments when music puts me in a trance. That doesn't happen very often. I bought the CD when it came out. It sounds like what it is, a film soundtrack. However, the music stands up on its own. I didn't see "Dancer In The Dark" until a year later. The tracks are definately Bjork in sound and feel, yet the style is totaly "Musical", and with "Musical's" intense emotion and Bjork's songwriting ability, I found this album very powerful.
I could waffle on for pages, so I'll keep it short.
"Overture" is a brass band piece. Does what it says on the tin.
"Cvalda" is a great exercise in writing a musical number.
"I've seen it all". Dueting with Thom Yorke was a very good idea.
This song has caught me off guard and brought me to tears more than once. And that's not counting the actual lyrics, just the sound. Definition of beauty.
"Scatterheart" is dark in tone and makes the least sense unless you see the film.
"In the musicals" is the most up tempo one. Makes hardly any sense, but the best musical numbers never do. Very cleverly written with soaring strings and a very inventive percussion section.
"107 steps" is my least favourite, but to prove Bjork's talent and love of music she can even make counting to 107 sound beautiful.
"New world" with graceful lyrics and the easiest sounding delivery, the orchestra slowly building to near breaking point,
ending with the theme from "Overture".
The songs have been changed here and there from the way they are in the film. "I've seen it all" works better with Thom Yorke, and "Scatterheart" doesn't work as well to me, but I'm trying to find flaws.
Over all, Bjork brings orchestral music together with dance music
ideas and makes them work on orchestral terms,(usually it's the other way round) with all the depth and emotion that entails. The fact that it's a musical soundtrack is almost coincidental. The idea of using everyday sounds to inspire music has never been done this well before.
There you go, that's enough. Buy it.

As I was sitting in the theatre, watching Dancer in the Dark, I knew I couldn't help myself from buying Selmasongs, I knew it wouldn't be right to even try to. The music in Von Trier's movie is beautiful, and determined to deliver: it throws itself at you, and you can't help loving it (especially if you know and support Björk's previous albums). So, as I said, I was compelled to buy it.

I didn't get too far into the listening before I realized that the CD I had brought home from the record store was in many ways different from the "real" score of Dancer in the Dark. I was puzzled for about one second, when it finally stroke me that the omissions and variations to the soundtrack could be rationally motivated:

(1)first of all, it was obviously in the record company's own interest that the album be self-standing, likely to please not only those who would go see the movie, but a more general public (mostly made up of Björk fans, I suppose);

(2)secondly, if no one was to know what the movie was going to be about before its release (as Von Trier demanded), Selmasongs - available in stores no less than a month before the movie was out - had to be vague enough to not give the movie's ending away.

I was tickled by my discovery, and I appreciated the sense of humour behind the marketing process of Von Trier's film. Selmasongs, as I see it, (quite ironically) was an "appetizer," a simplified version of the real thing - beautiful no less, but undeniably incomplete.

This point needs to be clear: from a strictly musical (i.e. "instrumental") point of view, Selmasongs is completely untainted... What differs is: the lyrics to some of the songs, their length, and - very important - the number of performing "voices." I don't want to be misunderstood: the music on the record is so powerful anyone will find it hard to resist its charm, and - for those of us who did see the film - it serves its purpose just fine: it brings Dancer in the Dark back to life. Selmasongs is a great album and it will make any competent listener happy. That's why I have no doubt about it fully deserving five stars.

However, I feel that more could and should be drawn from the movie, especially now that there's nothing left to "hide." In other words, I think Björk's score, as we hear it in the theatre, should also be made available on CD. No doubt it would be harder to listen to, particularly for those who choose not to see the movie, but it would gain in expressiveness, complexity, and, consequently, profoundness. The chorus singing in "I Have Seen It All," the duets in "Scatterheart" and "In the Musicals," as well as the "Next to Last Song" as a whole, need to get the attention they deserve. I feel only the real and yet unpublished soundtrack of Dancer in the Dark could truly put Björk in the limelight of contemporary "story-telling through music."

(A question for those Americans who got a chance to see Dancer in the Dark: what do you think about it and particularly its ending? I would really like to find out whether Americans support the you know what or not...)