Good Headphones.

Head phones can do an odd thing.

Besides being able to hear all the little mundane details of a song that you wouldn't normally hear when played over speakers (unless it's a nice surround sound set up), they also generate an illusion the music is coming from inside your head.

Since your ears are made to hear which direction sound comes from, and headphones are right up on your ears, then when sound comes from both phones with equal volume, it seems the sound comes from within your skull; Right in the middle. Hence when the volume on one ear becomes louder, or if a sound comes from only one ear then it sound like its coming from the right side of your head and so forth. It is this phenomena that makes me believe certain artists take headphones (or nice surround sound speakers) into account when making their music.

Bjork for instance, has this way of putting many little layers and details into a song until it is one big sound. Each of these little melodies and beats when heard alone wouldn't be much more then ambiance, but when put together along with her undeniably powerful voice make for a loud dynamic song.

The thing is, though, that when listened to on headphones, these songs become three dimensional. The sounds might come from only one ear, or they might slide back and forth. But she also manages to find some way to make them go in circles and loops, slush around in the bottom of your head like water, or explode like fireworks above your ears.

Imagine hearing a song, but with each individual beat, melody, or rhythm finding its own little niche inside your head. Or maybe they travel, they search, find their own little homes, then go hunting again to bring back the goods. (yes that was a song reference) All of this happening within the confines between your two ears. So much happening that if you tried to hear it all you would miss the entirety of the song.

It's like having a band play inside your head, and being able to tell where each player sits. Unless of course they seem to be running around the stage.

There are few artists that pull this effect off with such grace and complexity as Bjork does. I know there are some but the names escape me at the moment. Just about any good song does this, to an extent, when listened to on headphones, but not with near as much detail.

It is all of this that leads me to believe that Bjork designs her music for headphones. (or really nice surround sound speakers)

Listening to this kind of artistic display last night while trying to sleep sent shivers down my spine, and caused my extremities to shake.

I love music.