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List Price: $13.98 | | Label: One Little Indian Us
Salesrank: 13980
Released: September 2, 2003 |
| Our Price: $8.63 |
| Used Price: $4.50 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Gling-Gló Track Listing:
1. Gling Gl�
2. Luktar-Gwendur
3. Kata Rokkar
4. Pabbi Minn
5. Brestir Og Brak
6. Astart�frar
7. Bella S�mam�r
8. Litli T�nlistarma�urinn
9. �Ad S�st Ekki S�tari Mey
10. B�lav�sur
11. Tondeleyo
12. Eg Veit Ei Hva� Skal Segja
13. � Dansi Me� ��r
14. B�rnin Vi� Tj�rnina
15. Ruby Baby
16. I Can't Help Loving That Man
Gling-Gló Reviews:
Clinging glowing 
2009-10-02 - 2 1/2
Although it would be three more years until her real Debut, this little known release shows Bjork in all of her jazz-lounge vocal glory, highlighting the fairly formal session playing with an already blossoming off-kilter warmth. It is a collaboration that, when not working, really doesn't work, an admirable stumbling block though it may be.
Hola Iceland! : Land of Eskimos, Sea Lions, and now... JAZZ! 
2008-01-30 - "Gling Glo" remains Bjorks' only big-band Icelandic album. Its also the only Icelandic jazz album I own. However, the genre intrigued me so much, that Amazon searches for variations on the same theme led me to some interesting artists - I'm especially glad I found Irelands' Altan, and Finlands' Varrtina based on the recommendations this album threw up.
As you perhaps know already, "Gling Glo" is unusual even in Bjorks' own catalog because of the strange marriage between jazz and Icelandic. The combination does not always work very well, I'm afraid. Indeed, from track 4 onward, every song seemed to melt into the other as they sounded virtually indistinguishable. Granted, I don't speak the language, but how many people visiting this page do? Bjork herself would later say that this entire album was a fun, one-off experiment, and in that context it might work for people who can sit through the entire thing.
For its part, its cute. The title track is the best one. Reading the English translation of the lyrics, its evident that its about a young woman who's waiting for her man. The `Gling Glo' refers to the ticking of a clock as she waits for him. Its an especially happy song, because the young man ends up proposing, and she says Yes. Its this sort of happy sentiment that permeates the entire recording - this is a happy, exuberant album that has its' heart in the right place, and very little can be said against it.
There are two English language songs here (preceded by 14 Icelandic tracks). Bjorks' covers of "Ruby Baby" and "I Can't Help loving that Man" are curious little pieces, but definitely a welcome addition. I guess they added these on to make the album more `internationally appealing', but I'm not complaining. To me, Bjork's greatest album is her debut album from the 1970s (no official release yet), but Gling Glo was a nice little side project that hasn't aged at all - the melodies, the production - they all seem fresh and novel even after all this time.
Four Stars. An exciting, adventurous album.
Love Gling Glo! 
2007-07-19 - I'm not sure I understand the assessments made by negative viewers that this album is lacking soul and that only Bjork fans can understand/appreciate it. I'd have to highly disagree on that end. This is such a great and rich album and I've known many people to enjoy it. Maybe I'm "jazz blind" but I don't care if it means I get to thoroughly enjoy this fun, simply wonderful Bjork gem with no pretentions attached.
It is what it is... 
2006-09-18 - In response to the review by Laura Laureate, check the date this album was recorded...1990! You can hardly say success had gone to Bjork's head...she was still in the Sugarcubes and relatively unknown back then. She tried something different and then moved on. That being said, it is only essential for true Bjork fans.
My favorite Bjork album
2006-07-03 - I especially love Luktar-Gvendur, Kata Rokkar and I Dansi. I think Kata Rokkar may be the best song Bjork has ever recorded (that's in my humble opinion of course).
It's jazz... Upbeat at times, slow and smooth at others. Except it has Bjork's voice on it. She's not the jazziest of vocalists, but she still adds 150% to the beauty of the music. It's soo much different from the rest of her other work, which may mean that even if you don't like her solo-electronica stuff you may like this. However, if you're reading this you probably already like Bjork, thus I'm wasting all of this useful space. I'll stop now.
