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4. Bell - "It's Oh So Quiet"
Bell On "It's Oh So Quiet"
"Oddly enough, I can't remember the first time I heard 'It's Oh So Quiet' -- the song has just always felt familiar. Like most of Björk's music, it's been going around and around in various formats, players and parts of my brain since, well, probably since fifth or sixth grade, when everything suddenly became very superlative, urgent and emotional. (With great difficulty I resist punning here about blowing fuses and pubescent devils cutting loose.)
Both Betty Hutton's original 'Blow a Fuse' and Björk's version of the song are held together (or not, or barely...) by these crazy pinball shifts, the screaming and the shhhhing, the twinkling and the slamming. I wanted to keep that same energy in my version, so a soft/intimate/acoustic take was out of the question. Luckily I don't have a big band at my beckon call, so the arrangement was free to be completely and incongruously bonkers...
I told [my collaborator] Jason Nazary [drummer/beatmaker] that the choruses would be filled with alarms and crazy sawing synths, while I had this funny Steve Reich vs. Mozart piano idea for the verses. We
spent a few days tinkering around with our laptops, an evening assembling our respective beat/synth/birdie tinkerings, and about a day and a half in a proper studio with my engineer friend Albert, mixing and recording vocals and minimoogs. Happily, nobody blew a fuse."
- Olga Bell
This is such a great version of the song -- it is true to Bjork's, but also takes it in a refreshing new direction. Good work, Olga!
Posted by: Rick The Roller at March 31, 2008 11:36 AM | ReplyScore = 0
Bell rocks and did a great version of this song
Posted by: Julian at March 31, 2008 7:45 PM | ReplyScore = 0
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS VERSION!!
even better is when she says 'This guy is George and I got hit" (intentional?)
either way - so awesome. and hearing dude from No Age sing 'this guy is gorge and i got hit' is pretty hot, actually
THANK YOU SO MUCH STEREOGUM.
Posted by: mattP at April 1, 2008 9:40 AM | ReplyScore = 0
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS VERSION!!
even better is when she says 'This guy is George and I got hit" (intentional?)
either way - so awesome. and hearing dude from No Age sing 'this guy is gorge and i got hit' is pretty hot, actually
THANK YOU SO MUCH STEREOGUM.
Posted by: mattP at April 1, 2008 9:41 AM | ReplyScore = 0
undeniably one of the greatest rendition of Bjork's immortal songs..
kudos to the artist behind this version.. Bjork would be greatly impressed!
salute!
Posted by: iconoclast101 at April 5, 2008 12:29 PM | ReplyScore = 0
undeniably one of the best rendition of Bjork's immortal songs.
Kudos to the artists behind this version.
Bjork will surely be impressed.
salute!
Posted by: iconoclast101 at April 5, 2008 12:39 PM | ReplyScore = 1
i completely fell for this version, the fact that i'd hardly heard the original made little difference, its got its own personality and its own essence.
Bell, consider me a fan
ps. by god you are quite gorgeous as well :D:D
Posted by: Keaton34 at April 5, 2008 3:44 PM | ReplyScore = 1
WHOAH WHOAH WHOAH!
I love it! Amazing, simply and amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Posted by: Dan at April 5, 2008 4:07 PM | ReplyScore = 1