Having had my last posting in 'General' roundly ignored, I've decided to crawl back to my 'Howard's World Views' cage. I do understand though. I must have seemed like the person at the New Years Eve party who suddenly announces "Let's play Charades!" When everyone in the room is engrossed in meaningful and/or amusing conversations or thinking about far more important things. Anyway, let's move on.
Did I spray a mouthful of Corn Flakes across the kitchen table when I heard the news that a major international pop star had got a Radio 3 World Music nomination for Boundary Crossing.? Well, no. Having laid out my carefully considered but fairly rigid principles of what I feel is and isn't, or should and shouldn't be, World Music, elsewhere on CG's site I confess I find myself having to back down somewhat in this instance.
On principle, and because of the way I see the World Music label working, I don't think Bjork should be there - she's got plenty of other spotlights pointing at her and she primarily performs in the English language, so that's two crosses against her name.
And this has nothing to do with what I think of her music. I loved the first couple of albums and I haven't heard anything since which I felt was substandard. But lately I've felt the need to move on. In the words of the relationship break-up cop-out. "It's not you Bjork, it's me." I just got bored. Bjork's voice was beginning to sound mannered to me, even if it was as heartfelt and haunting as it ever was, I'd had enough.
So my opinion that she should be included is fairly objective in that I'm not going to hold my fickle musical ear against the eccentric Icelander.
Bjork is still making exciting innovative music. I have only heard one track from 'Medulla', her latest album, which was 'Oceania'- as performed at the Olympics and played by Jerry Lyseight on Saturday night. Like the rest of the album, it was entirely created from vocals and treated vocals. From that track alone it's clear she's still more cutting edge than any other mainstream artist.
So, bottom line.
The important factor is that World shakes off it's reputation for snootiness and middle class tastefulness and that it entices more listeners to dip into it's many scents and flavours. Bjork is still experimenting, which means she has more in common with the best World has to offer, than she does with Rock, Dance or whatever other box she's been put in, in the past. She's also, for want of a better adjective, cool. And let's face it - World Music - as far as the general public goes, isn't.
Even today the broadsheets will still rake up the old 'pan pipes' description. The only difference is it will often be to say an artist or album isn't 'the usual pan pipes. Etc etc...' The effect is the same though. It still reinforces a stereotype which should have been buried a decade ago and shows astonishing ignorance on the part of the critic.
By inviting Bjork to the table the message being sent out is that with her fearless sonic adventurousness and haunting otherworldliness, she will feel right at home in the company of Lhasa, Lila Downs, Tinawiwen, Gotan Project, Clotaire K, and so on. And so, by proxy, will her fans.
By including her, Radio Three are effectively using her as a big sign post which reads - GREAT MUSIC THIS WAY. NO PAN PIPES GUARANTEED.