Having been fortunate enough to have seen Bjork at the start of her '95 tour, I was pleased to discover its evolution in "Live At Shepherd's Bush Empire," a 1997 film of that tour. What one can expect to see in the live performance: an intimate, nonstop experience in experimental pop. The staging is postmodern and playful. The music engaging from the start, beginning with "Headphones," a sweet, inviting song about how music can soothe the soul. She then blasts the viewer with "Army of Me," one of her best songs, displaying her ability to combine electronic with organic elements. The show contains duets of a sort wih her purcussionist on a remixed version of"One Day,"(once was danceable jazz is now beat heavy.) Other duets with her band include "You've Been Flirting Again" & "Anchor Song" with her accordionist, another remixed version of an old song, "Big Time Sensuality" with her music programers/mixers, and a cacophonous duet with her other mixer (who may appear familiar to viewers of Bjork's other live video,"Vessel") on "Enjoy." "I Go Humble", a non-album track, is a sure-fire treat for any Bjork fan. The standard Bjork songs are also there, "Venus As a Boy," "Human Behavior," "Isobel," etc. By the time "Violently Happy" rolls around your bound to find yourself raving in your living room. The reason I give only four stars to this fanastic show is that the encore performances are missing from the final product. If you are a fan of experimental, electronic-pop, then this is for you. Nay-sayers of electronic music should also check this out and winess a soul music of a sorts, brought to you by the performer known as Bjork.
