“Declare Independence” is undoubtedly one of the best tracks from Volta. Unfortunately, the technically complex Michel Gondry video fails to tap the track’s emotional power, but when Björk performs the anthem live and does something as seemingly simple as give a shout out to actual States or prospective States fighting for self-governing, the goosebumps start popping. As you’ve likely heard, she’s taken some shit for dedicating the song to Kosovo, Tibet, etc. Here she is in action.
(Via Daily Swarm)
Yup, as might be expected, all sorts of feathers were ruffled — Björk’s opted not to play the Serbian EXIT festival, for example — so she decided to issue a statement.
Via Björk’s website:
i have been asked by many for a statement after dedicating my song “declare independence” to both kosovo and tibet (amongst others) on different occasions.i would like to put importance on that i am not a politician, i am first and last a musician and as such i feel my duty to try to express the whole range of human emotions. the urge for declaring independence is just one of them but an important one that we all feel at some times in our lives. this song was written more with the personal in mind but the fact that it has translated to its broadest meaning, the struggle of a suppressed nation, gives me much pleasure. i would like to wish all individuals and nations good luck in their battle for independence.
justice!
warmth, björk.
In less politically charged news, we also have some stills from the forthcoming video for “Wanderlust.” Come to think of it, Volta‘s fairly political to its core. Something else critics who’ve dismissed it missed in their bitching about the production. Anyhow, let your eyes wander over these “Wanderlust” stills.
Seem familiar? The video was directed by Isaiah Saxon and Sean Hellfritsch of Encyclopedia Pictura, the folks behind Grizzly Bear’s “Knife” video. We want them to take our next staff photo.
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WOW!! Those video stills are fantastic!!
Can’t wait to see the final product!
oh… and I hope she comes back to Toronto/Montreal in the future!
I hope she goes back to the studio and makes a decent album for once since 2001.
She may be the most overrated musician around.
I was there for the outstanding show in Shanghai. Click on the name to read a full review aside from just the Tibet part.
Those stills do look quite intriguing – I just hope there’s a way I’ll be able to see the video from here.
And I’m reminded of something I read somewhere (maybe in Spin?) – to paraphrase: “Overrated means you used to like it but decided you were wrong; underrated means you used to dislike it but decided you were wrong.”
To “ex bjork fan”:
How the hell is she the most overrated musician around? She’s the only modern artist to really give a damn about.
Oh, who do you like? Jack White? The band that Pitchfork is hyping about?
Honestly, if you like music as much as I do, you’d understand how important Bjork really is as a pop artist(especially considering the twenty first century).
“Bridging serious music with public music.” Not since Miles Davis has an artist been doing this so successfully.
So the next time you think about calling Bjork overrated, think again.
Bjork is overrated bitches !
And this sketches and the anticipation you all have about them shows that the only thing that she mastered at during the last years is how to milk her devoted fans by multiplying special editions of regurgitated stuff ( 5.1 albums, box set etc…) , lame remixes ( ratatat, herbert…) and my biggest disappointment from 2007 “Volta”.
Bjork fans are no longer music fans, they are fetichists living artificially in the memory of her brilliant past.
Who appointed you Culture Kaiser? Humorous that now you no longer hold her in regard, the rest of us have been reduced to “fetishists.” Does the term “narcissitic personality disorder” ring any bells?