Back in 1991, a quarter of a century ago as I'm getting tired of typing/saying, Bjork made the transition from singer of oddball Icelandic indie band to dance music based solo artist look as simple as could be and this song was all part of it. 808 State's Ex:el album was pretty groundbreaking at a time when dance acts were exploring and expanding the possibilities of the album format. Ooops is an utter delight, weird and otherworldly but still clearly rooted in 808 State's Mancunian house. From the ascending chords in the intro to her vocal, which seems to come in and tickle your ears. 'Ooops alright, I'll come over and pour myself over you, jars of fun, exciting stories, I'll make you forget' she sings. Yup. Graham Massey's woodwind joins in, the drums rattle away, that piano riff comes back and Bjork carries on, gurgling sweet nothings. Strange and accessible, ambient-techno, both moody and upbeat. I think we took it for granted at the time how good this sort of thing was.
Ooops
The video's worth a look too.
2 comments:
Blimey - I haven't heard this in nearly, erm, 25 years. Sounds good though.
"I think we took it for granted at the time how good this sort of thing was." the key sentence here.
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