Typically, when an artist releases a record with half the style and innovation as Bjork's sophomore release, Post, they can pretty much hang it up. The critics know it, the fans know it, the world knows it. Only is a truly outstanding artist expected to produce another work of the same magnitude and caliber, and only a true genius is capable of creating a follow-up that shatters the public's expectations, taking music to the next level.

So, does it really come as any surprise that Homogenic is absolutely brilliant? Not in this writer's opinion. Bjork is one of two prodigies in '90s music that are not only redefining what music sounds like, but what music is. (Take a guess who the other is -- that's right, it's Beck, but you knew that.) Musically, she's one of the best things to have ever happened to rock and, without a doubt, the single most valuable asset to shaping the way electronic music is perceived and kept fresh. Her melodies may at first seem jagged and borderline disharmonic, but upon further inspection, they are simply inventive. Bjork realizes that, contrary to popular belief, not every chord progression and segue has been used, and that with the incredible technology she has access to, it's possible to invent original production techniques and also discover sounds unheard by human ears.

Strangely, even with a fetal grasp of the English language, Bjork is able to convert the most bizarre imagery and story concepts into pop music lyrics. From the beautiful, wounded- angel visuals of "All Neon Like," ("I'll heal you / With a razorblade / I'll cut a slit open / And the luminous beam feeds you") to the realization that "I'm no fucking Buddhist / But this is enlightenment" in "Alarm Call" to the sparseness of "Pluto" ("I just have to / Explode this body off me"), Bjork is the epitome of lyrical and musical genius. She understands that humans have evolved since rock music's conception over fifty years ago. The extremely dark and lush soundscape of Homogenic is her way of showing people how much more we're capable of.

-Ryan Schreiber