You see kids, before there was the Bjork that you know and love, there was the Bjork that your mom and dad knew and loved. This particular Bjork* was a contributing vocalist to one of the first Icelandic bands to branch across the ocean, in all of its deep and wide majesty, taking the late 80's North American continent by storm. And by "storm", I mean a 20% chance of light rain showers.
Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE(D) the Sugarcubes. Between the chaotic stage presence of male vocalist (and multi-instrumentalist), Einar Orn, and his quiet, reserved female counterpart, Bjork, this band captivated all that was exciting and interesting in the burgeoning modern music scene.
Believe you me... I saw The Sugarcubes live in 1989, when they opened for Public Image Ltd. and New Order. They captivated the crowd...if only some of us... and made us their collective bitch. I still say that the biggest mistake New Order made that tour was having two of the most charismatic bands of the day opening up for one of the most... shall we say, awkward live bands I have ever seen. But, I offer them my deepest thanks for giving me that opportunity to see The Sugarcubes, because as short lived as their career as a band was (1988-1992?), they (to my knowledge) never made it back to the City of Salt.
So, here you go... the video of The Sugarcubes' first American hit (and when I say "hit", I mean it was played on MTV's "120 Minutes" and cooler "modern music" stations across the country), for the song "Birthday".
*the author of this post would like to acknowledge HIS knowledge of the fact that the original Bjork he referred to is, in fact, the same Bjork that went on to a very successful solo career.
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