Sugarcubes - The DVD
"I won't stop till I'm fully satisfied," Björk declared in 1988's "Cold Sweat." She could have been describing the brilliant career yet to come. From this spirited Icelandic sextet to her stunning solo recordings to her infrequent, if unforgettable film performances (likeDancer in the Dark), Björk is one of the most creatively insatiable artists to emerge from the 1980s. And like Madonna, her on- and off-screen visual image has always been just as important as the music. Upon striking off on her own in the early-1990s, she would go on to work with such big time directors as Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and Chris Cunningham. As a member of the Sugarcubes, she and her Reykjavik-based compatriots collaborated mostly with local talent, includingCold Fever's Fridrik Thór Fridriksson (the Icelandic version of "Birthday") and Óskar Jónasson (five videos, including "Deus" and "Motorcrash"). Like the effervescent, off-kilter sound of the band itself, these promos may seem crude in comparison--blurry images, shaky camera work, simple makeup effects, etc.--but even taking into account Brit helmer Pedro Romhanyi's more polished "Hit" and "Walkabout" clips, all are suffused with the group's irrepressible energy and dark humor. Divided into nine regular and three bonus selections, these 12 videos are drawn from the collective's trio of studio albums plus the sprightly Johnny Triumph and the Sugarcubes B-side "Luftgitar" (AKA "airguitar"). Most importantly--the collection is a surefire cure for a grumpy mood.--Kathleen C. Fennessy