"Army of Me"

Bjork - "Army of Me" (1995)

A song that has been chopped, remixed, appropriated for soundtracks, and dissected by too many people to count.



Short history, Bjork was the lead singer for the Sugarcubes, which we've already discussed earlier on this blog. After the band broke up, she wrote and recorded a debut album, and this was one of the first tracks she did, but she ultimately decided that its dark and aggressive tone were not right for the album. So even though she recorded it in 1992, it didn't actually see the light of day until April 21st 1995 as the first single for her sophomore album Post.

The song is not a call to arms by the singer, as many presume. It is actually a "get over yourself" or "get off your self imposed downward spiral" to the listener. In particular it was written for her brother, but the message is universal. Stand up, stop feeling sorry for yourself, your self destructive behavior is hurting yourself and others, so quit it.

The song is just as aggressive, using heavily distorted bass prominent synthesizer tracks for the majority of the songs melody. There are also recordings of actual explosions used in the mix. The drum track is said to be a loop of the first part of the drum track to Led Zeppelin's "When the Levy Breaks". The original single release contained 4 different remixes of the song. A charity album was released in 2006 with twenty tracks, each one a remix or cover of the song. In addition, Alternative Metal band Helmet recoded a cover of the song for a different charity album. All of the various covers and remixes that I have heard add layers of electronic noise or harsh electronic guitar chords in an attempt to make the song harder and edgier. As far as I'm concerned, the almost sparse by comparison original is chilling enough.

"State of Independence"

Donna Summer - "State of Independence" (1982)

Donna Summer was the first artist signed to Geffen records when it was founded in 1980.



Between Donna Summer's Disco Queen era, with hits like "Love to Love You Baby" and "Last Dance"; and her 80s New Wave/Dance hit "She Works Hard for the Money", there were a few albums that could almost be called experimental. 1982s Donna Summer was produced by Quincey Jones, and had elements of soul, traditional R&B, and world music."State of Independence" was a cover of a song by progressive electronica act Jon and Vangelis. Quincy Jones picked the song to be on the album, and recruited a choir of friends in the industry to sing back up. Michael Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder were among the vocal talent on the track.

The song has got a funky bass track, odd keyboard sounds, vocoder-style electronically processed vocals, chanting, a flute sound, Summer doing a weird Caribbean/African accent, and the star choir already mentioned. How does this all come together? Well, I will tell you that listening it, you will feel like you are watching the end credits of an 80s movie. Something uplifting like Iron Eagle but not as action oriented. Maybe the story of a African man who came to America, started working in the copy room, learned English, taught everyone around him how to lead a better life and take it a little easier. He would also help two young White people realize that they are in love and that they should get married despite her parents dislike of the young man. Along the way, a wacky hi-jinks situation would occur, possibly involving the young white man, his girlfriend's father, and the hero at a dance club and women that want to sleep with them all, but none of them do. At the end of the movie, our African hero would decide to go home and take the money he earned to go make his country a better place. That sounds just like an 80s movie to me. And this is the song that would play at the end of the credits.

"Out of Space"

The Prodigy - Out of Space (1992)

Early stuff by The Prodigy. Who knew? British dance/rave fans, that's who.



Stretching the limits of what I find to be good music, this five minute long mix of a few samples, a few beats, and a few really annoying sounds is the just about the crystal center of what the British rave scene was all about in 1992. At this point in their career, The Prodigy was basically one guy doing production, and two guys dancing on stage. It wasn't until later that the dancers began singing and playing instruments, so this is all sampled vocals, created drum loops, and found sounds all done up by Liam Howlett.

The first minute actually sounds spacey. Orchestral synth chords are paired with a sound that I think may be a circus organ setting. Then the beats drop in and we've got a very forgettable, but danceable track. Then the song drastically shifts and we get the second section. A Reggae song loop, different drum beats and a really annoying spring "boing" sound. Then, just when you think nothing could be more annoying the first section starts again, this time with vocals sampled in from a Kool Keith song and a squeaking sound that grates on your ears worse than the "boing" though that sound continues as well. The song continues, but really, you've heard it all by this point. There are more sounds added, and the drum loops are actually fairly cool, but the two annoying sounds absolutely kill any enjoyment of this track outside of it's intended time and audience.