Perhaps the greatest gift an artist can give to an admiring public is a body of work that is so deep, so complex and contradictory, it can continue to unfold over an untold number of listens. That's certainly the case with Björk, the Icelandic artist who first captured our attention in the early '90s with quirky, dance-tinged pop and carried us along as she ventured into vast new realms of creativity, right up until today. Over the course of eight studio albums (and several albums of remixes and other ancillary material that aren't included here), Björk ventured purposely from sound to sound while exploring what it means to exist in a gigantic world. Her career arc stretches from early experiments with dance music; to a groundbreaking stylistic omnivorousness; to stark, emotionally rich landscapes and on into the unknown.

The experience of listening to all of Björk's albums from start to finish is (we can now attest) one of bewilderment, fascination, and, finally, emotional exhaustion; it's one that leaves you with more curiosity than satisfaction. And while none of her work lacks her unique psychological and musical wisdom, her very best albums manage to be complex and adventurous while staying conceptually sturdy — a tall order for an artist with such far-reaching ambitions. We took at stab at ranking those albums in order of awesomeness; check out our list below.

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