I’ve been listening to a lot of Björk today. Some people think her music is a bit odd so I was trying to remember why I like it and I honestly can’t put my finger on why. I did, however, recall how.
When I was about 12 (I think) my uncle gave me several tapes for Christmas that he’d made from his vast music collection. I remember them being very nice tapes (physically) and they were all labeled up with black pen in my uncle’s handwriting which I’ve always liked. I’m fond also of my Grandpa’s handwriting. That’s beside the point.
One of these tapes was Björk’s Debut album. I remember being initially uncertain of it, but thinking that it must be good since my uncle liked it. Needless to say it grew on me and I find myself 15 years on still enjoying her sound.
Also in that collection was the Surfing on Sine Waves album by Polygon Window. This one I got into a lot quicker. It was like nothing I’d ever heard. My own interest in music had not developed and my parents never listened to anything even vaguely approaching this. It had lots of electronic noises, percussion thick with reverb and simple but catchy melodies. Looking back, this was most certainly my way into an enjoyment of electronic music. In my teens I liked more conventional dance music but in my university years rediscovered a taste for a more raw electronic sound. Inevitably I discovered Aphex Twin, only to discover that Polygon Window had been one of his pseudonyms. The circle completes.
