Domesticity: Björk’s “Debut”

Björk has said on occasion that her album Vespertine is about being domestic, and going inwards towards oneself. Vespertine, which was originally titled Domestika, was “all about trying to create a paradise in your own home, a very introverted euphoria, a quiet ecstatic state, in that you’re self-sufficient with your heaven. You don’t need stimuli from the outside world. All you need is imagination and human spirit, and faith to want to get there.” Although, when I think of Vespertine, sex comes to mine, not particularly domesticity. When I need feelings of homeliness and familiarity, Debut comes to mind.

Debut reminds me of being one’s own friend, leaving the rural life for an urban existence. It reminds me of drinking straight from the bottle of life, being solely in the present. Notwithstanding the sepia feel of the album cover, I always imagine the colors of the songs to be of a strong, prismic variety (like the base colors for Adobe Suite icons). Debut reminds us to be silly and grounded in ourselves, pleasantly selfish!

When I did “Debut” I thought, ‘OK, I’ve pleased enough people, I’m gonna get really selfish.’ And I never sold as many records as with “Debut”. So, I don’t know, it seems the more selfish I am, the more generous I am. I m not going to pretend I know the formula. I can only please myself.

It’s very hard to say just what it’s about. I’d like it to be a statement of individuality. But I’ve still got a long way to go, so I’m a bit confused, because I just know I can do so much better than this record… 

If you went out somewhere and had a really good time, you don’t wake up the next morning and try to figure out why you did. It’s not because of anything. It’s just the atmosphere, the people, the chemistry of friends, your mood, what happened before, what will happen after. And you can’t explain it, and I don’t understand why you should. And it’s the same with songs. 

“The Origin of An Aries: The Study of Damon Albarn,” Journal of Compact Fuku. University of California Press; Berkeley, California, USA. 23 March, 2012. Print.

Disclaimer: Following in the footsteps of the previous blahg post, I shall examine the origins of snarkiness, typical traits of my astrological sign, Aries. Interestingly enough, the ultimate Aries has a birthday today. This post shall fancy him.

Bestial signs are those traditionally symbolized by four-footed animals. Also called quadrupedian (four-footed), these signs can lack in social graces and are reputed to display an animalistic reaction to their emotions, sometimes indicating courseness and a poor appreciation of polite manners. They can also be a little inarticulate.

STUDY OF AN ARIES: DAMON ALBARN
March 23, 1968 Whitechapel, London, UK

Aries personalities are independent. Being the first of the zodiac signs, they venture out and are go-getters, often leading the way. Their upbeat and magnetic personality often entices others to follow their lead because Aries personalities bring excitement into others lives.

“I have discipline,” he counters. “When I say I’m going to do something I’ll do it, for good or for bad. If you don’t have that inner strength about stuff you’re fucked, but I just generally believe I can get better, and I need to believe that, that I can keep going forward so I push myself and those around me to get the best we possibly can. That’s what motivates me, this belief in going forward.“The world is not full of cunts; we have a collective responsibility not to slag people off and instead try to understand them.

“There is this kind of perverse satisfaction of not being understood. It’s a reason to get up in the morning and to try even harder. I think it’s a quite good thing that people don’t get what I’m really trying to say.”

 Aries are good friends, they always look out for their friends with caring and generosity and will protect them should the need arise and encourage them with their natural optimism. If confronted, Aries can turn to be quite childish, they will fight back with their aggressive nature and are known to have temper tantrums should they not get their way. 

“I only had one mate ten years ago, and that was Graham. And he’s still my only mate.”

“It’s annoying that Graham is re-writing history. He’s talking quite a lot of bullshit about this. All I’ve got to say is that I love him, whatever he says. I cannot believe we won’t record with him again. I just can’t. He grew up as part of my family from the age of 12, for fuck’s sake. Maybe I’m wrong but I see it as a sabbatical.”

“We’ve fallen out so many times before, this isn’t anything new, y’know ? It used to be weeks and weeks we’d go without talking to each other and now it’s just been a year. But all I can say is it was very nice at [Alex’s] wedding and confirmed the feeling we all have deep down that we’re lifelong friends. It probably isn’t the right record for Graham to work on but it certainly doesn’t mean that once we’re in the right space again, all of us, we won’t be able to make another record together. I don’t expect anything but I look forward to it.”

“Ecstasy embarrassed me because I was far too nice to everyone and I don’t believe in being nice for no reason.”

“Before Blur pack up interviews for the day, Albarn refuses to choose his favourite video clips for the German satellite station Viva. “We don’t do that on our fifth album,” he says. Coxon is happy to choose Ash and Prodigy. He likes their youth and exuberance. “You fancy them,” says Albarn, draped over a piano like Marlene Dietrich. I was young and exuberant once. You used to fancy me.”

Twenty minutes later, they’re still at it. “You just hate me,” Damon complains. “You hate me and you hate what I do.”
“That’s right, mate,” says Street with a grin.
“I bet you weren’t like this with Morrissey. I bet you had a bit more fucking respect.”

Aries are activists. If a business idea comes their way, they tend to plunge right in. Aries are more then willing to take a gamble and follow their dreams and goals. However, if success is not immediate, they tend to lose interest and give up easily. Aries are notorious for not finishing what they have begun. This is due to the low tolerance for boredom and lack of patience. If the excitement is gone from their business idea, they go off and search for it elsewhere. 

“Each individual has their own opinions about whether war is an answer to any problems.” He explained to Sky News, “Personally I think it’s a waste of time, but I think more importantly, that it’s is an issue that we haven’t had any say in. That’s why I feel so strongly about it.
“I don’t feel like we’ve really been given any choice in this matter. I think if you had a referendum tomorrow, Tony Blair would have no choice but to call off the war.”

Independence is key to Aries astrology, they do not like to take orders from others and enjoy getting their way. They can get childish or moody should they be given orders that they do not like. Aries easily take offense to comments made. Aries are self-involved and can be self-centered, if they do not pay attention to the feelings of others, Aries can easily become spoiled and resented by others. In order to get their way, Aries will tell a lie if it seems advantageous to do so. They are however, not very good liars and other people can usually see through them.

 

Underneath the strong, independent surface may lie insecurity. This is due to the intense drive to succeed and Aries put too much pressure on themselves, thus resulting in self-doubt however, the natural optimism and enthusiasm overtakes this and the underlying insecurity may never be known to others.

“Damon is a nervous chap a lot of the time, by no means strong. I know he’s much more aggressive than the rest of us, wanting to prove himself in certain ways.”

“I don’t think he likes being disliked. But that’s a funny charm of his; if you don’t know him he can be quite offensive. He can seem a bit weird in that sometimes he seems to try too hard. And people take that as an opportunity to knock him down.

You have to be very careful when you write very personal records. I’ve seen a lot of people just decide to be totally open and I think what they’re left with is a real confusion about who they are. Because they’ve got nothing to preserve for themselves. It can really fuck you up.

Aries is the first of the zodiac signs. Aries is the sign of the self, people born under this sign strongly project their personalities onto others and can be very self-oriented. Aries tend to venture out into the world and leave impressions on others that they are exciting, vibrant and talkative. Aries tend to live adventurous lives and like to be the center of attention, but rightly so since they are natural, confident leaders. Aries are enthusiastic about their goals and enjoy the thrill of the hunt, “wanting is always better then getting” is a good way to sum it up. Aries are very impulsive and usually do not think before they act – or speak. Too often Aries will say whatever pops into their head and usually end up regretting it later. 

Introducing: A Sound Wednesday

Every Wednesday, I will play DJ and present an eight-track mix with a particular theme. This week, I am rolling with finding comfort in drifting to sleep. The track listing includes:
♬ Scott Walker – The Seventh Seal
♬ White Shoes & the Couples Company – Senandung  Mauf
♬ Soli – Miravi
♬ 1990s – Local Science
♬ 신화 – Missing U
♬ Nathan Haines featuring Damon Albarn – FM
♬ Moloko – Dominoid
♬ Eddie Okwedy – Happy Survival
Enjoy.