These days, Bjork Guthmundsdottir is Iceland's downright alien answer to the pop diva. She's a wonderfully weird architect of sound who makes arguably the most accessible avant garde art in the world. Back in the 80's she popped around to different collaborative projects, the longest lasting and most famous of which was The Sugarcubes. This band occupied the "punk" end of the post-punk spectrum, making music that was arty, occasionally abrasive and frequently goofy. They released their first album in 1988 and called it quits around 1992, recording and touring effectively the entire time. I can't really say The Sugarcubes were an important part of the pop landscape, but they are unique.

• Birthday

I decided to start out with the Icelandic version of one of the better songs from The Sugarcubes' debut album Life's Too Good. Honestly, "Birthday" is more proto-Bjork than Sugarcubes, but that doesn't mean it still isn't one of the band's most interesting tracks.

• Deus

At least half of the band's vocals were provided by Einar Orn Benediktsson. In "Deus" he's more subdued than usual, which I count as a good thing. His style is a more grating kind of weird, the very punky variety of intentionally not-pretty singing.

• Traitor
• I Want
• F***ing in Rhythm and Sorrow
• Cold Sweat

The Sugarcubes had two sides, essentially. One was a goofy, almost ska-like bent and the other was a heavier, partially goth style. Life's Too Good has the best balance of the two and remains the band's best all-around album.

• Cat
• Blue Eyed Pop
• Motorcrash
• Water
• Pump

The Sugarcubes' second album, Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week! is a much more murky, postmodern affair. Given the right mood, it's my favorite of their three studio albums. It's a bit experimental and emotionally resonant, so "Pump" is like the whole disc in microcosm.

• Plant
• Dream TV

But for all their weirdness and dabbling, The Sugarcubes were always a pop rock band deep down. They relied on driving beats, sharp riffs and a verse-chorus-bridge song structure.

• Dear Plastic
• Gold
• Hetero Scum

By 1992, The Sugarcubes were mostly out of ideas. Rather than fade into decidedly American pop trends, the band split amicably and Bjork proceeded to insinuate herself into the international music world via catchy dance tunes and deep atmosphere pieces. The Sugarcubes' swan song, Stick Around For Joy, is the catchiest of their albums. By the same token, it's the least Sugarcubes-like album of the three.

• Hit
• Leash Called Love
• Walkabout

At the end of their run, The Sugarcubes showed more foresight and responsibility than most young bands manage. They all went into different artistic directions and maintained much of the control of their label, Bad Taste Records. Now Bjork's a superstar and the rest of the Cubes have weaved in and out of Icelandic pop for the better part of two decades.

Pop music is full of very well-known artists who started out as a part of something else. The question is whether or not we should take those earlier projects in the context of the stars they produced. Ultimately, The Sugarcubes wouldn't have been anything without Bjork, but I fairly certain that Bjork would have become a star regardless of The Sugarcubes. The same can't be said for other 80's notables like Morrissey or Siouxsie Sioux.