SelmaSongs: Music from the Motion Picture Dancer in the Dark
by Björk
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 108 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 108
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 108
  3. Negative: 8 out of 108

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  1. gagaforever
    Sep 22, 2010
    10
    The movie made me cry so much at the end and the lyrics and songs on the album are exceptional..."New World" is deffinitely a song i can relate to and love listening to Bjork's music...She's so original and like Lady GaGa, Has her own style and voice that no one else can touch
  2. AndrewF
    Aug 2, 2006
    10
    This is by far my favourite Bjork album, and one of my fave albums of all time. It works much better once you've seen the film, and you associate the heart-wrenching tale with the lovely music. Some of the most depressing music ever made to go with a nihilistic film, but it's a bold and daring artistic statement.
  3. jyotirmayad
    Aug 27, 2006
    7
    if you want some cool background music to read the paper to or for napping mood ~ good ... doesn't stand well as an album that would satisfy your need to hear some thing more entertaining except for the song about walls with thom yorke of radiohead fame.
  4. JuliaA
    Nov 21, 2006
    7
    The soundtrack that can stand on its own without being too attached to the movie. who would ever thought the sound of train on railways (I've Seen It All), a broken-alike musicbox scape (Scatterheart), even just shouting numbers of footsteps(107 Steps) would sound so amazing? the reason I don't give this album 9 or 10 would be the amount of songs (the song at the scene where The soundtrack that can stand on its own without being too attached to the movie. who would ever thought the sound of train on railways (I've Seen It All), a broken-alike musicbox scape (Scatterheart), even just shouting numbers of footsteps(107 Steps) would sound so amazing? the reason I don't give this album 9 or 10 would be the amount of songs (the song at the scene where Selma got hanged and few more songs would be nice).… Expand
  5. CalR
    Feb 20, 2012
    8
    A prime example of an Artist embodying the essence of the movie and in pop music. Selma Songs is one of Bjork's best efforts, only hindered by having to engage with the film, which appears to have deduced her lyrical capacity.
  6. perUmbram
    Oct 29, 2013
    9
    The quintessential bridge between the large beats and emotional outbursts of Homogenic and the internal nebula of Vespertine, Björk portrays a secretive character here who fabricates an astonishing musical in her head. Backed by a full orchestra and beats drawn from samples, Björk as Selma Jezkova soars. the lyrics might be more naturalistic and straightforward than in her other work butThe quintessential bridge between the large beats and emotional outbursts of Homogenic and the internal nebula of Vespertine, Björk portrays a secretive character here who fabricates an astonishing musical in her head. Backed by a full orchestra and beats drawn from samples, Björk as Selma Jezkova soars. the lyrics might be more naturalistic and straightforward than in her other work but very much in-character. Standout tracks: "Overture", "Scatterheart", "New World"… Expand
  7. marcmyworks
    Oct 5, 2016
    8
    The perfect soundtrack to probably the saddest film I have ever seen. The songs inspire hope and beauty while the movie is very much the opposite spectrum, the hardships of a poor life. Ironically the song nominated for an Oscar, "I've Seen it All" (duet with Radiohead's Tom Yorke) is my least favourite track. Download: Cvalda, 107 Steps, Overture.
  8. thaleslucas
    Jul 1, 2014
    10
    It's the best soundtrack that I heard in my life!! The way how Bjork's walking behind the drama and the glory, but staying on the best time of her life while she's hurting herself. I really loved this!
  9. triangles19
    Jul 24, 2017
    7
    Selmasongs contains rework songs from the Lars Von Trier movie Dancer In The Dark. And some of the CD versions are weaker than the movie versions. For example I can't explain this version of Scatterheart, the movie version was way more touching. But it's still a great piece. Overature is a masterpiece and 107 Steps, one of the most creative song in Björk's discography.
  10. All_ButTrU4
    May 1, 2022
    6
    Pretty good soundtrack. Can't really fault it beyond i just couldn't connect with it much maybe it's because I haven't seen the movie it scores but even so the music doesn't grip or even satisfy in the way soundtracks do .
  11. potasioxd
    Sep 2, 2020
    9
    el soundtrack es perfecto, la orquesta al comienzo y la canción al final hace este álbum disfrutable, aún así no hayas visto la película. las canciones pueden parecer simples, pero son realmente ingeniosas al escuchar la letra y sentir la melodía. la implementación de sonidos industriales y la voz de björk hace que al BSO lo que es. mis canciones favoritas son scatterheart, i've seen itel soundtrack es perfecto, la orquesta al comienzo y la canción al final hace este álbum disfrutable, aún así no hayas visto la película. las canciones pueden parecer simples, pero son realmente ingeniosas al escuchar la letra y sentir la melodía. la implementación de sonidos industriales y la voz de björk hace que al BSO lo que es. mis canciones favoritas son scatterheart, i've seen it all y cvalda… Expand
  12. vitoborgona
    Jan 13, 2023
    9
    Extremely consistent soundtrack that marks its place among her discography. At no point is it boring, overbearing, or too much. The short runtime makes it an enjoyable listen. The sample usage and microbeat experiments give a tease of what's to come.
    Highlights: Scatterheart, In The Musicals, New World

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Best Album of 2000
36
#36 Most Discussed Album of 2000

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Pitchfork
    74
    Selmasongs breaks no new ground whatsoever for the Icelandic composer, instead dwelling in more comfortable regions already mapped by Homogenic.... the record definitely has its great moments. The problem is, there are only two of them.
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  2. MTV.com
    90
    Björk's airy and exalted vocals are wonderfully familiar. She may be singing as Selma, but Björk herself isn't too far beneath the surface.
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  3. Almost Cool
    80
    An excellent release, albeit a bit short.
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