Pitchfork

Photos by Kathryn Yu; text by Ryan Dombal

If the true worth of an artist is directly related to the amount of goose bumps they induce-- as artistic authority Jennifer Lopez suggested on "American Idol" a couple weeks back--then Björk is without a doubt the greatest singer performing today. (Speaking of which, could somebody start a web petition to get Björk on "Idol" as a mentor? Potential advice: "When you sing, think of an acorn being bashed into a million pieces and then being put back together by a pack of bears who walk on their hands. Be that acorn.")

Bright flags decorated with fish and frogs hung high above Björk's motley touring crew, giving last night's Radio City Music Hall show the feeling of a particularly eccentric national convention. A convention, that is, featuring Antony, thumb pianos courtesy of openers Konono No. 1, a 10-piece female Icelandic brass ensemble wearing glow-in-the-dark dresses, electronic wizards Mark Bell and Damien Taylor, drummer Chris Corsano, pipa guru Min Xiao-Fen, and keyboardist Jónas Sen.

Though most of the six songs played from perplexing new album Volta sounded more at home on the live stage than on record, show opener "Earth Intruders" still isn't the floor-shaking call-to-arms Björk wants it to be. But the veteran iconoclast quickly won the crowd over with its follow-up, a hushed take on "Venus as a Boy" refashioned as a sparse keyboard piece. Several other songs were revamped to accommodate this tour's unique personnel: Medulla favorite "Oceania" turned into a winning marching-band-meets-lounge pop hybrid and Homogenic's "Joga" proved to be the night's highlight, its swooping strings replaced with beautifully arranged brass. Originally an all-vocal heavy metal freakshow, "Where Is the Line?" didn't fare as well when translated through real instruments but, relatively speaking, it was still considerably wicked.

Björk concert perk No. 237: Not even the biggest asshole even attempts to sing along for more than a few lines, because it's just not possible. Simply, her voice remains astounding. And when Antony joined her for a mesmerizing take on their Volta duet "Dull Flame of Desire", it sounded like a missing hymn. As Björk swayed to and fro while Antony started to jump up and down, it looked like the two most awkward weirdos in high school finally getting their due at the annual talent show. Björk may be 41, but she bobbed, weaved and head-banged like a hyperactive tween the entire night.

The set ended with a rumbling take on the new Thomas Jefferson-approved rave-up "Declare Independence", which sounded like an apropos national anthem for the strangely inviting Land of Björk, where voices carry and goose bumps are aplenty.

Setlist:

"Earth Intruders"
"Venus As A Boy"
"Aurora"
"I See Who You Are"
"Oceania"
"Dull Flame of Desire"
"All Is Full of Love"
"Pleasure Is All Mine"
"Pagan Poetry"
"Joga"
"Where Is the Line?"
"Army of Me"
"Innocence"
"Wanderlust"
"Pluto"
"Anchor Song"
"Declare Independence"

Björk's tour continues with two more New York City shows this coming Sunday and Tuesday. Dates and more photos below.













Björk dates:

05-05 New York, NY - United Palace Theater *
05-08 New York, NY - Apollo Theater ^
05-12 Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre
05-15 Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
05-19 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre #
05-23 Vancouver, British Columbia - Deer Lake Park
05-26 George, WA - Gorge Amphitheatre (Sasquatch!)
06-22 Glastonbury, England - Glastonbury Festival
06-28 Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter
07-01 Gdynia, Poland - Open'er Festival
07-05 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-08 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Cultuurpark
07-13 Bilbao, Spain - Guggenheim Esplanade
07-15 Segovia, Spain - Palacio Real de la Granja
07-18 Madrid, Spain - Plaza de Toros Las Ventas
07-25 Nyon, Switzerland - Paleo Festival
08-23 Nimes, France - Arénes de Nimes
08-26 Paris, France - Rock en Seine Festival
08-31 Stradbally, Ireland - Stradbally Estate (Electric Picnic)
09-02 Argyll, Scotland - Connect Festival
09-08 Toronto, Ontario - Virgin Festival

* with Konono N°1
^ with Spank Rock
# with Joanna Newsom