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Best Albums of 2000-2009

December 23, 2009 — 7 Comments

Well, I’ve found it easier to narrow down the number of albums for this Top100 Albums of the Decade, than to narrow my list of songs to 100. LOL I have around 350 songs at the moment. This is gonna be difficult… and also in every possible language xD

Anyway, I’m sure that I had to take out some albums to include other albums. It was all a very difficult process to figure out what to include… going from “do I really have to take this song out?” to “OMG, I really love all these songs from this artist!!! Which one should I choose!- So please, bear with me, and comment what to add.

Continue Reading…

People have been checking out this space for the reviews of the concert that Bjork gave in Lima on Nov. 13 – I, myself, have been searching the net for pictures and reviews, but I’ve found short to nothing detailed… and I haven’t found photos, like nice kick ass photos, which sucks major donkey butt. However, I’ve found some videos on YouTube, it took me like 1hr on November th 15th to get some videos, and not all are online… or some are but are not on my the playlist I’ve made, but feel free to search for them.

Here is the link to the playlist: Bjork en Lima

I took the liberty to take some captures, that look really crappy… but at least you can see them… Continue Reading…

Gracias… Gracias… or Muchas Gracias!

Bjork was cool. Other than the fact that I was forbidden to take my camera… and I was told it was gonna be restricted… I saw many people with cameras and I was a bit pissed. From my point of view, just a little above 5′ tall… I saw a few heads and a whole bunch of arms from where I was standing… and the seldom view of Bjork. Again, she was cool. My place? Not so much.

While waiting for the concert to begin, we had some electro beats mixed with something reminiscing of Japanese or Chinese opera. Prensa Nikkei would surely have enjoyed that bit, though I don’t know if people realized this… I was expecting someone to come out wearing a kabuki mask at any minute! When finally, it stopped. Lights went out, except for the dark lights, and a brief intro that sounded like It’s Oh So Quiet began, soon it faded as the stage was getting filled up with the members of the band, the choir… I don’t think there’s ever been as many Icelandic people in Lima – and finally, Bjork herself.

Earth Intruders began playing.

The lights were pretty nice, and the sound was better than what I was expecting, for sure… but still I wished they had used a couple of screens, just so you could see her in there, even if you couldn’t see her because of all the heads and arms with cameras…

Since I had no camera, I will have to trust my memory… which more often than not, sucks ass. After Earth Intruders, she sang Hunter – I’m pretty sure – or was it Hyperballad? LOL’ I was trying to take a look at her, and enjoy the music… but I was often taken out of my reverie by people pushing me, or trying to steal my place… and flashes in my face.

The tracklist was good and varied… the more rocking Army of Me, and I Miss You were there~~ actually, the concert really became more powerful right after Bjork grabbed the microphone and said something like;

Stop taking photographs, we are almost at the end. Enjoy the music, we are in a live concert not  documenting this.

The more sensitive people kept their cameras down after that, although some retards began taking a few more. You could tell Bjork really cared about it, and thus you learn to respect her opinion. At the beginning she wasn’t really there… in fact, I noticed she approached the side of the stage I was more closed to less than the opposite side, because there were many people with their cameras up! She must have thought, if you keep doing this… I will not stay on this side for too long.

After people began enjoying the concert for what it was, Bjork exploded with energy and started bouncing up and down and shaking her head as if trying to tell us she’s seen Gloria Trevi perform “Pelo Suelto” – LOL’ – The singing became superb, and in some numbers I could feel my eyes water a bit because she was here… lol. Bjork was in Lima, but better than her acknowledging Peru or Lima, it was exciting because I was there hearing her sing, talk and seeing her bounce and shake. It was quite emotional actually, haha.

Bjork looks in person, just as you could imagine… short, peculiar… radiant, and glowing creativity! She talked twice, once saying that about the cameras… and the other to say that her Spanish wasn’t very good, but that she was happy to be in Peru. And, of course, the usual Gracias, or Muchas Gracias after each song hahaha. I think most people were getting like “well, duh!” – She also yelled Viva La Revolucion right before the full encore, Declare Independence.

Overall, the concert was good… you can tell, though I missed some of my fave songs like Venus as a Boy, or Big Time Sensuality, or Oceania… and I wished I had my spikes on so I could poke people around me. LOL’

Rate: 4/5

Top5 Amy Live Concerts:
The Futureheads (Vancouver – 2006)
Bjork (Lima – 2007)
La Ley (Lima – 2001)
The Killers (Vancouver 2005)
John Mayer / Maroon 5 (Vancouver – 2004)

Ok, so it was like yesterday or something that I made a post about Bjork’s news update on the gigography. Now, Lima seems to be getting their own Bjork fix this week with a TV special on Plus TV’s musical show “Nadie Nos Escucha” (which translates to “Nobody Listens to Us”) – Now, Somos (El Comercio’s own magazine suplement) shows a shot of Bjork’s face from a Corbis photo. xD

The cover reads;

Bjork
The beauty freakie fairy from the north comes to Peru.

Now, I will probably be documenting all that I catch from Bjork in the media in here… since it was not very often I heard or read about her in everyday’s life. So I will be exercising my translating skills with this…

Bjork
Polar Star
‘Miracles. Bjork, one of the most original and still working in the music scene of today, comes to Lima’

+ The most important Icenlandic performer in history comes to our country to perform in a one and only concert, this November 13th in El Vertice del Museo de la Nacion, on her world tour to promote her latest album, VOLTA. While they announce that tickets are almost gone, the Limeño fans count the days for such an unexpected visit.

>Tour 2007. Edited on May this year, Volta made it to the #9 spot on the Billboard 200, her best spot to date. Her current tour mixes instruments, dances, and African outfits with electronic music of edge.

The Icelandic singer has always played the seer of what pop music will sound tomorrow. Unlike many avant-garde musicians, Bjork’s not motivated by misanthropic airs nor elitist: she’s sold without shame over 15 million albums; she’s got a similar number of fans around the world and has achieved, throughout her decade and a half of solo career, a prestige colleagues her age would love to reach, even for a while. With her, the word timeless finds meaning: Bjork doesn’t seem to belong to any period. Sometimes, which is the weirdest, she doesn’t even seem from this world.

And we’re not talking about her recurrent fantasies, put together splendidly on videos of the French Michel Gondry, where she experiments various transformations from girl to bear, insect or robot. We’re not even talking about her eccentric personality, which lead her to use the swan dress in the Oscar 2001 Gala. There’s that something very earthy in her albums coming, most likely, from her indescribable voice, capable to go from a soft lullaby to a powerful holler in a split of a second. Bjork’s tone is unique and distinctive; her range can also be impressive, but it’s her original phrasing which gets us. It doesn’t seem from here nor there, and no one really knows. Yet, there lies the mystery.

Soy Tu Fan

I'm Your FanHer full name is Bjork Gudmundsdottir but with the precise sense of shortening things, they’d rather call her “China” (Chinese Gal). “I love my China,” says 24-year-old Barbara Garcia Ramos, moderator at the Bjork Peru forums, that gathers local fans of the singer. They confess everything in there: from their unrequited love to the dreams they assure to have, sometimes, with her. They’re young. Most of them between 6 and 10 years of age when the muse began her solo career. The so-called “Bjorkholic” for the chronic musical addiction. Also for the kind of beverages that enlightens their meetings.

“Her voice is something that you listen to, and you get goosebumps”, Rolando Anton admits, the webmaster of the Bjork Peru site.

There’s 150 members subscribed in their forum, and few more in the site of Bjork en Lima, opened for the upcoming performance of the singer in our country.

“There’s people from Ecuador and Bolivia that have written to say they’re coming over here to see her”. Like all of them in the group, Rolando bought his ticket on the first day. Others, like Eduardo Palomino, have to make wonders to be able to pay for a ticket, pricier than the average. “I do anything to see her.”

According to Lalo Ponce from Phantom Music Group, one of the people responsible for the event, this visit was possible only for Bjork’s desire to visit the country. “Our offer was way below from what she usually gets per gig”, says without revealing the actual sum. Bjork will perform in Lima, in el Vertice del Museo de la Nacion, as part of her Volta world tour. She’s supposed to take a few days for pleasure touring. The show includes new versions of old classics with new arrangements, female choir, and the famous Reactable, a new electronic instrument created by a Spanish university that can be listen to in the album and is central to the show. All in all, just to not repeat herself.

Amy’s going!

October 4, 2007 — 1 Comment

To Bjork’s concert… at least, for the time being. I’m still keeping a close watch… you know, in a country like mine- you can never say it’s a done deal until it’s a done deal. hahahaha.

Here’s a picture of my dorkness;

Amy's a dork, but she's going to see Bjork

Bjork viene a Lima!

October 3, 2007 — Leave a comment

Es acaso oficial? Bueno… sera oficial cuando tenga mi ticket! xD

Acabo de encontrar este site de Bjork en Lima – esteticamente y tecnicamente es malazo~ JAJAJA –  pero por lo menos da una idea mas concreta que Bjork si viene a Lima. xD

El foro no funciona, y el press d Peru tampoco, y su email form tampoco funciono JAJA – pero ahi esta el site…

Björk 6th Album~

March 3, 2007 — 1 Comment

I’m so excited! I just read a press release for Björk’s 6th album, entitled “Volta” – three years after “Medulla”

Here’s what was posted:

“Musical innovator Björk releases her next studio album ‘Volta’ on May 7th 2007.

‘Volta’ is Björk’s sixth studio album and follows the release of ‘Medúlla’ in 2004.

Featuring ten brand new and original tracks ‘Volta’ is entirely written and produced by Björk.

In the role of producer Björk has brought in various other musicians to work on her songs and ‘Volta’ features some of her most interesting collaborations so far with Antony Hegarty (Antony And The Johnsons) singing on two tracks, and Timbaland (Jay-Z, Missy Elliot etc) working with Björk on beats that she created for three further songs.

Other artists that feature on ‘Volta’ include electronic pioneer Mark Bell of LFO and two unique drummers – Chris Corsano (the improvisational drummer who has worked with Sonic Youth amongst others) and Brian Chippendale from Lightening Bolt.

Björk also brought in two acclaimed African artists for ‘Volta’ – Toumani Diabate, the Malian kora player and Konono No1 the experimental band from The Congo who won a BBC World Music Award in 2006. She has also put together her own 10 piece female brass section of Icelandic musicians who play on three further tracks. Meanwhile Chinese pipa expert Min Xiao-Fen plays on one song.”

It’s so exciting!!!! ^^