New Bjork, New Bjork

Bjork has been tagged as an offbeat diva-from-another-planet, a dubious distinction that trivializes the seriousness of her innovations. The Icelander has managed to meld the dual universes of alternative pop and dance with aplomb, recognizing early on that the airwaves might someday tick with the moody trip-hop machinations of artists such as Tricky.

On “Telegram,� Bjork covers herself, so to speak, putting new vocal tracks on the songs from her 1995 mainstream dance-pop album “Post� and doling out the album’s tunes to be revamped and remixed by deejays, composers, string quartets and denizens of Manchester, England’s dance underground. Her unlikely co-conspirators include the Brodsky Quartet, techno wizard Graham Massey, arranger-producer Deodato and Mo’Wax recording artist Howie Bernstein (a.k.a. Howie B).

Rustic bells serve as the sole instrument on the one new selection, “My Spine.� A full-blown string orchestra becomes the core of Deodato’s remake of “Isobel.� “I Miss You (Dobie Rub Part One--Sunshine Mix)� is slower and more seductive, with a hip-hop bent.

As a companion to “Post,� “Telegram� is a brilliant collusion between woman and machine that pits epic instrumentals against mechanical blurtings both UFO-like and deeply, darkly primordial at the same time. A thrilling collage.

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