Compared to the towering ambition of later albums like Homogenic, Debut seems to be dominated by annoyingly conventional trip-hop/house/dance. Similar drum machine tracks make "Crying", "There's More To Life Than This", "Big Time Sensuality", and "Violently Happy" superficially at least sound exactly the same, though an exuberant vocal makes "Crying" quintessential Bjork, as the nearly monotone gives "Violently Happy" the tension it needs. Big single "Venus As A Boy" slows down the formula and adds playful percussion to become standard 90's romantic background music, while "Come To Me" has mellower Portishead feel. Torch song "Like Someone In Love", loungy "Aeroplane", and "The Anchor Song"****, where a brass ensemble plays off each vocal line, explore a sampling of jazz. Of course, big MTV hit "Human Behavior"**** still steals the show, where dark social theme and haunting timpani bass line meet drum machine.
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