Greatest Hits

The album comprises a selection of fifteen songs, spanning all four of the Icelandic singer’s studio albums. They are diverse enough to appeal to a variety of listeners; yet retain within them the distinct sound that the world has come to know as Björk Gudmundsdottir. Although the omission of material from Dancer in the Dark’s Selmasongs and Post’s ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’ are questions worth asking, there really isn’t much to complain about in terms of content.

A gorgeous remix of Homogenic’s ‘All is Full of Love’ opens the album in surprisingly gentle style, flowing onto early hits ‘Hyperballad’ and ‘Human Behaviour’ before hitting its stride in the sheer vocal drama of ‘Joga’ and the full-bodied lyrical marvel that is ‘Bachelorette’. ‘Pagan Poetry’, the beautifully obsessive centrepiece of 2001’s Vespertine, follows a sinister sounding ‘Army of Me’ and precedes the bouncy grooves of ‘Big Time Sensuality’.

The second half of the album loses a little momentum, perhaps caused by what is evidently a random track order that manages to lump together four or five sparse electronic tracks at the back. This having said, songs such as ‘Hidden Place’ and ‘Hunter’ do give an accurate presentation of the darker side of Björk that surfaced circa Homogenic, focusing more on sonic landscapes and atmosphere than traditional song structure. The placing of melodic bass-driven rarity ‘Play Dead’ near the end is a welcome change of pace for the album, closing finally with ‘It’s in Our Hands’, a previously unreleased electronic number that would have sat snugly on Vespertine.

It’s nearly impossible to pick out the highlights from an album compiled of highlights, and for anyone not yet introduced to Björk’s near-inhuman larynx and kooky Icelandic charm, the Greatest Hits album is a great place to start.

Fourteen of Bjork's nineteen cuts have made it to the tracklist here, alongside her new single, "It's In Our Hands". Tellingly missing however is her breakout hit "It's Oh So Quiet", her only single that reached the top 5 in the UK (albeit the only song that Bjork herself detests). However, purists will be pleased with the selection on offer here; the video version of "All Is Full Of Love" is used here, not the lesser album version, and the almighty Fluke remix of "Big Time Sensuality", as heard in the promo video, makes an indelible appearance. The rest of the songs are dutifully clipped from the albums in a fan-friendly, "no radio edits here!" vein. Though "All" polled in at number one with fans, runner-up "Hyperballad", "Pagan Poetry", "Isobel" and "Play Dead" are just as amazing.

But the happiest surprise is the new song, "It's In Our Hands", which confirms that, at 37 and after twenty-five years of creating music, Bjork isn't giving up anytime soon, which is music to all her fans' ears! And for those out there who would like to hear more from Bjork, check out the expensive-but-extensive "Family Tree" collection, which goes back to when Bjork was writing music at 15! And the drawings, which are individually numbered and based on each song, are cool too!

Well worth it!