Vespertine - Björk
User Score
9.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 110 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 108 out of 110
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 110
  3. Negative: 0 out of 110

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  1. LuizCC
    Jul 26, 2012
    8
    As a continuation to the inspired "Homogenic"- as she said- "Vespertine" sounds like the shy face of a two-headed double-disc. Despite the metaphors, it's an agreement that her songwriting improved a lot at this album, but her melodies experimentation sounds a little boring. The atmosphere is too calm and dull based on Bjork's previous (and next) work. But at the same time it sounds like a statement to nature, to her subconscious. Ambiguous, yet good.… Expand
  2. gagaforever
    Sep 22, 2010
    10
    LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!!! Best Bjork album! "Unison" was the best song on the album...All other tracks equally great. If you havn't already check it out!!!
  3. CalR
    Feb 20, 2012
    9
    Arguably her best album, Vespertine show cases such intimacy through sexual verses and enchanting instrument arrangements that create imagery and concept that artists will find difficult to match. 'Undo' and 'Unison' are easily among the best of her music.
  4. lovemusic
    May 12, 2011
    8
    i liked it but i thought homogenic was way better than this one. but i still liked this album. .............................................................................................................................................................................
  5. federicobenny
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    This Bjork's best album. It leads into a magic-winter atmosphere and, while listening to it, you won't return to reality until it ends! Best tracks: "Aurora", "Sun In My Mouth", "Pagan Poetry", "An Echo, A Stain", "Harm of Will" and "Unison".
  6. JovanP
    Jan 13, 2013
    10
    Vespertine is an amazing mixture of electronic music and art.
  7. Reeeth
    Nov 21, 2011
    10
    sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba sumba
  8. babaganush96
    Oct 8, 2010
    10
    After dabbling with 90's pop, jazz and experimental punk, it seems Bjork has finally found her Icelandic feet with Vespertine. The delicate beats and swooping vocals are almost chilling at times, Vespertine is a brilliant album. There was only one song (Sun in my Mouth) that I didn't really care for. The rest are as beautiful as one another- so emotional they make you feel as though you just want to scream. Pagan poetry and Aurora are my favourites, but only just, as this album is one that I recommend anyone to hear.… Expand
  9. breadley
    Oct 8, 2011
    10
    One of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard. Björk's voice sounds heavenly. It's an emotional battle, her overwhelming voice vs the beautifully arranged insturmental and minimal beats. Indeed, one of the best albums ever.
  10. Equiknocks
    Dec 3, 2011
    10
    CLASSIC. This album is a nonstop ride through heavenly clouds. The album opens with the Erie but rhythmically unique sample of hidden place. It almost seems to awaken your poor bored soul from hibernation to enjoy one of the best albums produced in human history. The album proceeds to serenade with Bjork one of a kind sweet vocal and soft electronic beats. This album for Bjork is like the wild beast being tamed into the most proficient cold assassin. This is her best.… Expand
  11. dollface
    Nov 28, 2012
    10
    Bjork's most intimate album ever. The shy twin of the outspoken" Homogenic" must be acclaimed about its sublime poetry.Other highlights are Bjork's unique voice and sound combinations which give a taste of heaven...
  12. MichaelR
    Jan 9, 2004
    10
    A lot of depth and introversian on this album. Good stuff.
  13. frenghyv
    Jan 27, 2005
    10
    Absolutely Gorgeous!!!! Pagan poetry is my favourite track of ever!!!
  14. BorghiA
    Mar 1, 2005
    10
    So delicate so beautiful
  15. izata
    Jun 3, 2006
    10
    Pagan Poetry! Pagan Poetry! This is ultimately her best album, yet!!! It's 1000000x times better than the next one, Medulla....
  16. DarylD.
    Feb 19, 2002
    10
    Bjork is simply divine, there are no words to describe her music... just enjoy!!!
  17. BenjaminBunny
    Aug 12, 2003
    6
    Pretty, pretty, pretty! I like pretty, and "Vespertine" is the damn prettiest record I've heard since Enya at her peak. I also like Krispy Kreme donuts--yummm all that sugar. Sugar, sugar, sugar! I wish I could eat them all the time, just like I wish I could listen to this album all the time. But too much pretty, like too much sugar icing, ends up making one feel a bit blanched and ill. Sometimes you need your vegetables too.… Expand
  18. BryanS
    May 7, 2005
    9
    Frankly, a very few artists are capable of even touching the base of the metaphorical Everest Bjork has scaled with the release of Vespertine. 55.5 minutes of, incontestably, some of the most beautiful and stunning music to have been released in the last decade. Layer after layer...after layer of flawless immaculacy. And then you have Bjorks lyrics, --heaven help us-- the lyrics! Given Bjorks fetal grasp of the English Language, these lyrics are literally an expressive testament to her unbounded talent. An Essential own from one of the most incredible and versatile musicians alive on the planet today.… Expand
  19. BrunoD.
    Oct 25, 2001
    10
    It's... perfect. It's magic. It's wonderful. One of the best records *ever* released.
  20. ihtyandr
    Dec 12, 2002
    9
    for the loneny & happy lonely people. privat album. with Spiritualized & The White Stripes one of the best sound
  21. IvanA
    Oct 24, 2002
    4
    She gave her best in the past ('Debut', 'Post', 'Homogenic'), but its best turned out for the same pattern her voice reigns so passionately and in the case of 'Vespertine' so irritatingly boring. Just as long as it kicks ass in favour of modern technology...
  22. HenryH.
    May 25, 2002
    10
    Full of magic of laptop music and harp and choir and the strangest symphony and Bjork's sensational vocal. The most heavenly perfectly of the decade.
  23. Kristian
    Aug 10, 2003
    10
    The best yet from Bjork. Every song is wonderfully precious. Cocooc and Pagan Poetry are plain superb.
  24. morocco
    Aug 25, 2003
    10
    Perfect! Makes all other Bjork albums seem so insignificant.
  25. LockneO
    Mar 13, 2005
    10
    "Vespertine" shows the more mellow side of Bjork. This album is pure genius! I believe "Heirloom" and "Aurora" are her most deepest tracks. Her albums get better as we go along. "Debut", "Post", "Homogenic", and "Medulla" are also reccommendations of mine. Even "Selmasongs" is worth listening.
  26. OlegV.
    Nov 8, 2001
    10
    i like this album sooooooo much, this is her surrealism at its best
  27. HarryH.
    Aug 23, 2001
    10
    The small pixie girl just sounds devine and you would wouln't you.
  28. MelodyM.
    Aug 27, 2001
    10
    I am the HUGEST Bjork fan...I love everything she does. She's unique! Perfectly. And it always shows in her works.
  29. MattM.
    Aug 28, 2001
    10
    Bjork is perfect. "Vespertine" is perfect. It's easily the best album of her career, as well as the best album of 2001. Highly recommended. Beautiful! Lush! Haunting! Imaginative! Erotic! Powerful! Moving! Inspirational! A vision! A revelation! A MASTERPIECE! Okay, I'm done. Just buy "Vespertine" A.S.A.P.!
  30. SethB.
    Sep 17, 2001
    9
    Fantastic!! Easily her best stuff. She's the most incredible and strangely beautiful singer that there is. I gave her a 9 only so she'll have room to grow.
  31. DavidP
    Nov 19, 2002
    9
    Startling at first, Vespertine's genius lies at the powerful peaks on all of the emotional, intelligent tracks. Easily, Bjork's best album to date, Vespertine draws the listener in like a beckon, (not a dare, as was the case on most of her other works,) blurring the boundaries of rock and electronica, and creating pure emotion out of mechanical, emotionless sounds. Bjork's style will undoubtably hold a place in any true music appreciator's heart... unless, of course, that person doesn't have one. … Expand
  32. Charly
    Jul 24, 2002
    10
    Absolutely wonderfull, it's really a masterpiece that everybody that appreciate good music should have. Bjork again shows that she is very creative.
  33. ivanl
    Dec 17, 2003
    4
    i love "Post", i just dont get this one
  34. A.R.C.
    Jun 16, 2003
    8
    This is one of those rare intimate albums that wraps you up in soft sounds. Perfect for when you're holed up in your room during a blizzard.
  35. [Anonymous]
    Jul 12, 2003
    10
    superb
  36. JoseJ
    Nov 16, 2005
    10
    About as beautiful album of music i know, like the shards of sublime noise rotating, suspended in the air, knocking into each other and reverberating with warmth and humanity. Quite simply the album of our time.
  37. TonyS
    Nov 17, 2005
    10
    that i live in such a time when music like this is made will always be a source of real and lasting personal satisfaction
  38. PedroT
    Jan 28, 2006
    10
    AMAZING...this is probably her most beautiful work to date. This is the album that made her a legend.
  39. Danikun
    Oct 13, 2011
    10
    This is easily my favorite album of all time, it has a trascendental beauty that is hard to describe with words and just has to be felt. A masterpiece.
  40. Modlive
    Dec 22, 2012
    10
    Vespertine is an unique album, probably her best until date. Songs like "Hidden Place" and "Pagan Poetry" are simply divine, and "Unison" is her best song.
  41. Nanga
    Nov 14, 2012
    10
    Vespertine is her best work to date, as being the most carefully prepared in refined in sound matters, also her voice couldn't be better with highlights as "Undo" "Hidden Place" "Unison" and "Pagan Poetry".
  42. JuliaA
    Sep 19, 2006
    9
    Bjork sung with both love and secrets to its core in this record.very feminine,gentle,but also dark and hidden.an album that tells about being a woman in lots of perspective.
  43. MikeH
    May 2, 2008
    10
    My personal favorite album of any musician I have ever come across. It can not be beaten (in my opinion) in craft, compositional complexity and perfection, pure hearted, genuine, soulful, painful, euphoric expression, and down right love. This album inspects the inner workings of our bodies, the introspection that comes with being human -- our minds, hearts, and even subtle physiological phenomena in a single micro beat. Everything is included in an infinite, yet minute space, crafted by sound in an arrangement to beat all arrangements. This album feels, breathes, loves, and lives. The closest music comes to mirroring primal human life.… Expand
  44. RG
    Sep 13, 2006
    10
    this is one of the best records i have heard in recent memory. hidden place sets the track for the record and cocoon portrays one of the sexiest songs. its not up to you is a glorious and revealing pop song and undo works in the same manner. i cant talk about every track but they all complement each other and feed of each other. sun in my mouth repeats hemingway with sparse music. Unisom is one of the best closers of the new mellenium. bjork keeps stretching herself and her music with refreshing themes and sounds. not many artists can do that and this a great age we live in where an artist of her calibour can be soo popular around the world… Expand
  45. RobbieC
    Oct 20, 2007
    10
    A phenomenon.
  46. Bruno
    Jan 29, 2007
    10
    One of the best ones ever done!
  47. DavidO
    Apr 4, 2007
    10
    Like Kid A with a soul.
  48. EnzoP
    Oct 31, 2008
    10
    The best album I've ever heard so far. Amazing, perfect, emotional... words cannot describe it. Good job, B!
  49. NeezaamR
    May 9, 2007
    10
    My personal favourite Bjork album,transports you to a very beautiful sensual place.
  50. EstebanV
    Jul 18, 2007
    9
    This album is beautiful. The best track is Unison, with her voice at its peak and the interlude Frosti sounds magical. Although a few tracks sound similar if you understand music you can find each tracks uniqueness beyond the lyrical context.
  51. Clif
    Jun 12, 2008
    10
    I really don't give easily a 10 for an album (it's extremly rare), but this one even deserves a 11! It surpasses everything we had heard. For the first time until 2001 (maybe we can consider "Selmasongs" as the tourning point) Björk delivers us minimalist (in a good way), spiritual and introspective parts of her soul. Even if I've always admired what she's done previous to this album (the excellence and lava-ish "Homogenic", the breathtaking "Post", and so and so), she has reached the culminate point of her career with "Vespertine". Maybe because of the facts of 1997 (for example, when she smashed a journalist in Bangkok; one retarded fan who wanted to kill her; ...), paradoxally she gained a certain tranquility (and the best is that she accepted to get that), something she had never explored in her previous albums. Since then, we can consider that she has done (almost) everything in her music career. ... Facts are... Even if she's too modest to accept that, she has released, I think, the greatest album ever, by any artist. Music blessed and embarrassed her!… Expand
  52. djonim
    Sep 8, 2010
    10
    This is just one of the best albums of the first decade. It's delightful, beautiful, harmonious... just a classic. Sometimes I wonder why there's so much people listening to Justin Bieber, having such great non-commercial music right here. :/
  53. Sammoniac
    May 10, 2011
    10
    I won't attempt to describe this work too much with words, as it is impossible. Let's use ideas instead. Some artists are able to create music that is simply more than just music. The way they blend sounds, melodies, moods, energy and words together become catalysts for the human psych, enabling our mind, body and soul to reach states that are unattainable otherwise. Björk is one of them. Vespertine is not just a collection of good songs that usually make an album an "album". Its a voyage into ourselves, through herself. As much as I totally love Homogenic, I feel that Vespertine feels more complete. Despite being less varied in style than its predecessor, it explores a unique genre all the way to its core. Lay on your bed in the dark with a good pair of headphones and listen to this before going to sleep. If you truly love music, you'll wish the experience never ends.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. CDNow
    90
    With Vespertine, Bjork has constructed a whispering wall of wonders, and instead of forcing everyone out, has invited the world to look through the cracks.
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  2. Sonicnet
    80
    1997's Homogenic, also a mixture of heavy beats and strings, was not as varied or complete as this album, and while Selmasongs, last year's soundtrack to "Dancer in the Dark" (in which Björk starred), was lovely in its own sweeping, cinematic way, Björk has surpassed herself with this new work.
    Read full review
  3. Neumu.net
    80
    Björk continues to mine the fine line of minimalist lushness that her last album gave birth to; with tiny, crackling, skittery beats weaving open-toned ambient beds in which her breathy, pushed-forward vocals lithely lay, the closeness and drama of her every syllable commanding attention.
    Read full review
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