Medúlla is the fifth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 30 August 2004 in the United Kingdom by One Little Indian Records and in the United States by Elektra Entertainment. After the release of her electronic–influenced previous album Vespertine (2001), Björk intended to make an album almost entirely a cappella constructed with human vocals. For the project, she collaborated with vocal artists such as Mike Patton of rock band Faith No More, beatboxers Rahzel and Dokaka, as well as Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq. The album's title derives from the Latin word for "marrow". Medúlla received critical acclaim from music critics, with many calling it "unique", although others deemed it "confusing". The album was also commercially successful, reaching number one in Belgium's Wallonia, France and Iceland, whilst also peaking within the top ten in the United Kingdom. Medúlla is estimated to have sold more than a million copies worldwide, and received two nominations at the 47th Grammy Awards. Two singles were released from Medúlla: "Who Is It" and "Triumph of a Heart", with both charting inside the top 40 in the United Kingdom and the top 10 in Spain. Björk further promoted the album by performing the song "Oceania" at the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and other television and radio shows. Other than these few performances, no concerts or tours were arranged to promote Medúlla, as Björk thought it would be too difficult to play the songs live. In 2015, the album was adapted into an opera at the Brussels opera house La Monnaie by Sjaron Minailo and Anat Spiegel.
Quite an achievement. Very brave and adventurous but still pretty listenable for the most part. Brought together an incredible crew of voices here. Makes sense that a singer would want to more fully explore the possibilities of the human voice.
I've laughed a lot at all the one star reviews.
What the f*** is this album? I can normally struggle through most any album, and listen to every last minute. Not this one. Wandering, boring, confusing, unnecessarily disjointed. I find nothing redeeming here. Solid F
Well, this is definitely a Bjork album. Like every other Bjork album I've ever heard, I enjoyed it. However, there's not a lot that I can say about this album that I wouldn't say about any other Bjork album. It's challenging at times, experimental in a way that often hits home, carried by her voice despite the fact that her voice isn't particularly incredible (it's good, just not super notable). The layering of different voices in this album works really well and is the biggest strength of Medulla. 4/5
This played in a loop would destroy the soul and crush the mind. It should be used to get confessions.
This is Björk's second album on this list. Björk found a way to make another shitty album but this time with no instruments. Please for the love of God skip this one.
Basal greatness
India’s Shubham Choudhary first said ‘Good things come in small packages.’ In the case of the diminutive Icelandic singer, Bjork, on 'Medulla,' things become great. I’m not entirely sure in one review how to even begin do justice to the sheer majesty of Bjork, so in its place I think I’ll simply bow in honorable recognition, and pledge my faithful service. This is music that is best experienced before understanding. So, I’ll keep this one uncharacteristically brief. Are there (m)any other artists beside Bjork who can create the cornucopia of musical sounds so aptly describing moods and emotions, while utilizing almost exclusively vocals? What does a palm full of diamond stars being cast like dice on a table sound like? ‘Desired Constellation.’ How about the glub-glub sound wine makes as its being decanted? ‘Mouth’s Cradle’ recreates that, and to the further accompaniment of a chorus of dark, mournful angels. What do you think greed sounds like? ‘Where Is the Line,’ that’s what. Or the inner sounds of a working human body? ‘Triumph of a Heart.’ Bjork’s creativity astonishes throughout this entire LP. And the strength, passion, range, and elegance of her vocals on ‘Oil Birtan,’i.e. or ‘Desired Constellation’ (possibly the best song off an LP chocked full of wonders) rivals one of 20th century America’s greatest singers, Barbara Streisand. Add to the mix Icelandic and British choirs evoking medieval monastic cathedral tones, background vocals from Faith No More’s Mike Patton and founding Soft Machine member, Robert Wyatt, the incredible Inuit throat singing styles of Tagaq, a team of talented beatboxers, all recorded and mixed by an army of programmers and engineers manifesting Bjork’s visionary arrangements, and the end result for the listener is like unwrapping fourteen sparkling, magical songs presents under the tree on Christmas morning. And great things, incredible things, come in each of those little packages, one after another. Bjork’s compositions and performance on 'Medulla' is nothing short of spellbinding. An extraordinary work of art.
Hoots and boops, moans and growls, mewling and heavy breathing. Unlike anything else. Björk!
She really commands a unique space of her own, I admire and respect that.
Avant-garde is certainly accurate for this album. I don't dislike it but I have a hard time enjoying the vocals throughout all of it. If this was a instrumental album or even a limited vocal performance album I would enjoy it more. I'm confused as to how to rate this album. At times I get it and love the artistry and at other times I just feel like I'm about to be possessed.
I'll be frank: I didn't expect Nordic Beatboxing tonight, but it is a welcome sound.
Music of the Feywild. This was one of the coolest, most unique projects on the list, and I can't get enough of it.
Finally I can dust off my hipster beret and say I completely loved this challenging, beautiful album and played it through three times today. What gorgeous, inventive use of vocal layering, and the songs underneath it all are so great! Maybe a new favorite.
fun fact: beyonce was supposed to be on this album but scheduling problems got in the way and it never ended up happening. i really wish that happened but this is an amazing album. listening to all the different voices used is so interesting and it's so cool to hear how bjork combines all of them. you would think that an album like this would feel gimmicky but it is far from that. i'm very glad i got a bjork album on here because she's one of my favorite artists and i have been meaning to listen to this for a while. excellent album.
The more experimental-side of Björk. I'm glad to listen to more of her different albums since I have never really heard them. A few songs on here I would listen to again but I don't love them all, still all respectable. Vokuro is like a lovely Gregorian chant and I'm a sucker for that. Who Is It starts off with a minimal choral vocal arrangement then goes into some crazy synth/beatbox drums with more uptempo vibes, kinda like it. A lot of the various octave vocals are unsettling and I'm not a huge fan of their implementation, but it's bold. The whole album feels like a progression and is essentially a narrative/play to me. I could see a whole interpretive dance performance to this. I love the bitcrushed/snappy percussion start in Desired Constellation and when the vocals amp up and the whispers come in left and right. Oceana has some really impressive instrumental flourishes that come in and out. Ancestors is kind of disturbing actually, not a huge fan. Pretty crazy for 2004, the production is beautiful as well.
This is a highly experimental album - nearly every single instrument is the human voice. This is an interesting concept, but Björk manages to pull it off and still sound like ... Björk. This is a small hiccup for me. I have massive respect for Björk, but could never really get into her music. There is only a handful of Björk songs that I like. Luckily, one of these is Oceania from this album, in which Björk summons an incredibly amount of energy, which I find is lacking in many other of her songs. All in all, I'm a bit torn, but I'll give this album 3.5/5.
Fascinating album using mainly voices, Björk’s experimentation is often tricky to listen to but ultimately absorbing. Her singing ability is on a level with the greatest opera singers. Mesmeric.
I can’t tell if I like this for my principled appreciation of weird, experimental shit or if I actually enjoyed it. Either way bjork and sault are like the only two artists I’ve gotten that have made me seek out more of their music. Side note: her music is eclectic asf. Submarine was my fav and sounded like a demonic barbershop quartet
Not the easiest Björk listening experience, I’m more partial to her more accessible stuff from Post. But it’s beautiful nonetheless. Oceania and triumph of a heart are my favorite. 3.5/5
After listening to the 1st couple of songs I feared this was one of those "accomplishment" albums that made it on to the list it was acapella (with Bjork's voice, a scary thought). Then I hit the third song "Where is the Line" and liked it. The next track "Vokuro" was great too but very different. "Triumph of the Heart" is adventurous. Some of the others are enjoyable but often followed by something annoying.
Indulgent and slightly irritating. Not entirely convinced that this list needs more than one Bjork album.
Bjork has a unique and wonderful voice, but this isn’t for me.
Just droned on, really not my thing
Struggled to get this one to two stars.
Maybe this is Mike Patton's only appearance in this list, but I can't. Technically, probably an amazing album. Plus one for the cover, Patton, and Rahzel. I haaaaaaaaated it. It probably ruined my day. It ruined my mood, left me depressed and irritable and haunted.
Þetta er bara ein besta plata sem ég hef hlustað á. Hljóð-heimurinn er úr annarri veröld. Einnig ekki hægt að gefa íslending hér annað en fimm stjörnur. Við kunnum þetta
ok
really good I liked Vespertine more but this was still really fun and experimental I think there were a lot more vocally oriented tracks, a cappella and whatnot but the instrumentals were crazy too it was awesome hearing just how heavy some of those songs hit amazing experience- 10/10
I had mixed feelings when I saw that the album today is from Björk. At the same time, that is not my favorite music style (far from it), but it's impossible to say that she does not bring a great personality and a natural artistic feeling to this list. Given that this album is an excellent way to spend 50 minutes. More experimentalism than I like, but in the end, it's good music. This is the third Björk album that I got here, and I hope this is the last, but if not, I'm sure I'll enjoy the next strange musical trip waiting for me there. It's necessary to rate it with five stars because some music is far from my preference, but it's a piece of art.
Seriously impressive. It is not going to be to averyone's taste, but the vocal control and technical competence is just at a different level to nearly anything else I have ever heard. The phrasing patterns are distinctly Bjork, whether this is her or an effect of having icelandic as her first language I don't know, but it certainly is distinctive. Well constructed harmonies, with minimal instrumentation make this a vocal tour-de-force. There are moments that don't quite work for me - Ancestors is too discordant and chaotic for me, for example
Absolutely love this as an idea. And as it turns out, also in its execution. The first Bjork album I didn't pay attention to when it came out, I think after 4 absolutely fantastic albums, I felt I had enough to be going on with and checked out other stuff. Came back to this recently ahead of going to see her at Bluedot. Triumph of a Heart is spectacular (watch the video), Who is It, Oceania also excellent. This has gone from the book but Vulnicura remains, which I find harder to like and find less noteworthy really because of the unique (lack of) instrumentation here. I want to argue with people who think Bjork only makes mental music, get to the point where they're willing to listen to examples to back up the argument, then play Ancestors to them and run away.
Truly beautiful
love
This was my third listen of this album. I’ve heard all of Björk’s solo albums (besides the jazz one, Selmasongs, and the one she did as a child) and I think this is my favorite, although it wasn’t initially and it might change in the future. Despite that, I’m surprised that this (+ Debut and Vulnicura) is even on this list when Post and Homogenic aren’t. I don’t know if I have much to say about the album itself because I don’t have anything insightful to say about it. It’s just good. Favorite songs: “Oceania”, “Pleasure Is All Mine”, “Mouths Cradle”. (Also, by the way: would like to change my ratings for Debut to a 5, Abbey Road to a 4, and Tracy Chapman’s self-titled album to a 3 because my rating system has already changed.)
What even can I say about this album? I feel unqualified to really put a proper review to it. Highly experimental, sometimes haunting, chaotic at times and borderline unlistenable at others. It includes some things you don't hear much in recorded popular music - throat singing, beatboxing - overall it relies a lot on human sounds, and that brings out a raw and mysterious property. It really felt like some found album of a fantasy or alien civilisation. Honestly I think it's kind of beautiful in its total uniqueness. Surely there are few albums quite as unique as this one. A willingness to be this experimental realy makes me see why Björk is such a revered artist.
This is the most interesting album from this list yet. I'm so into this. 5 Stars. The end of Ancestors guttural retching was so hard to listen to I nearly docked a star, but not quite.
I feel like when I listen to this album it puts me in a trance. Bjorks singing is just so weird I can’t help to hyper focus on it and it’s awesome how instrumentals are either alcapella or non existent. With all the shit I listen to I’m happy when I can find an album that’s this distinct from the rest
Além de sua técnica vocal impressionante, a maneira como Björk transmite emoção e sentimento em suas músicas é envolvente a valer. O disco carrega um clima de tranquilidade ativa. Consegue prender a atenção e satisfaz a alma na quietude.
first Bjork album I've ever listened to and wow I'm obsessed
a triumph. impressive in every way, really really really experimental but in a way i love. not particularly listenable but definitely entrancing
I can’t think of another album that has made me feel so humbly human. This serves as such a great testament to the breadth of beauty possible with the human voice. Björk has a great ear for the way that vocal dissonance can electrify every fiber of a listener’s being. Björk presents some very challenging sonic palettes, but the structure of the album does a remarkable job of holding the listener’s hand. An étude and a symphony. One of a kind.
Such a good album
Best thing about this challenge is being reminded to go back to albums I used to love.
That was a goddamned brilliant study of vocal technique and virtuosity. Blown away, I am. I love Björk even more.
Queen
Beautiful, mesmerising album. There's always something new to discover in it.
Это что-то с чем-то.
My least favorite Bjork album but still a stunning achievement
fully textured, but quite hard work for an easy listen
Rarita como diario
intense and weird like all bijork almost religiously pretty. 4. maybe a 3 if im having a shit day tomorrow.
Would I play this at a party? No. (That's a lie, but most people probably wouldn't.) This is not decorative. But it's interesting. Beatboxing and throat singing in the same work? Wow. Experimentations with the human voice as instrument. I don't know how to rate this. Some of it was intriguing. Some of it made me laugh out loud. Some was really challenging to keep listening to. Sometimes, listening on my headphones made me feel like I was possessed and had voices in my head. Björk didn't just stick to what worked before, did she? So, I'm going to celebrate her artistic audacity here.
Like stepping through a contemporary art exhibit. Her sound is more polished and atmospheric. Bjork takes on a more experimental approach here. Unlike her previous albums, not every song is intended to be pop-structured. Instead, we have these heavy glitch pop hits interlaced with simple a capella. It's insane when the channels are isolated and you realize it's nearly entirely a capella, even the heavy noises are beatboxing. This is meant for focused listening. The tracks are ethereal and frankly somewhat surreal that it will be found boring and distracting to listen in other means. It feels like a guide to a capella with how astonishing the producer can make a capella so recognizable yet versatile in utility. Some songs feel like a precursor to chillwave. Many of the simpler songs remind me of a late medieval choir. In terms of complaints, there's not much relistening to with so many experimental tracks. It helps that they're shorter, but you have songs like "Ancestors" which would help being half its length, but I could see how that could lose artistic effect. The album picks up and peaks in the middle, losing its momentum after "Oceania." The simple tracks don't engage me like the earlier ones. "Mouths Cradle" doesn't evolve much and ends anticlimatically, but its grand sound reminds me of the Norfair theme in Metroid. "Triumph of a Heart" is a lighthearted humorous finish. Please watch the music videos to this album.
4.0 - I fell off the Björk fan-wagon with "Vespertine", just feeling burnt out on the weight of that album and her cringe-y "Dancer in the Dark" project. This album reminded me of what I love about her as an artist: the cocksure experimentation, the strange mysticism and the haunting melodies. Despite all the weirdness, the record feels light and human. Maybe it's the a cappella aspect, which is both boundary-pushing without being gimmicky.
Le concept est original, l'album est court, la voix est superbe, tout l'inverse des Smashing Pumpkins.
This is doing such cool harmonic things
A very ambitious and fascinating album that many artists wouldn't be able to pull off, let alone make the end result sound so unsettling in some places and beautiful in others
This made me feel like I was a cool witch when I am a little nerd playing animal crossing on a Thursday.
I just told someone "If there is such a thing as a 'mostly the singles' fan or Bjork I am it" but this was interesting and clubby in a way that was accessible for me
Love Bjork but somehow had never heard this. Flashes of Low and Hounds of Love. Sweet.
This is the most Björk album ever. A horrible start for anyone new to the singer and the perfect album to test wether or not you really like Iceland’s most adventurous musician. Claustrophobic, haunting, devastating but still stunningly beautiful. A unique album to be sure; but what a thrill. This is THE Björk album I would love to hear performed live.
captivating, addictive although I still dislike Bjork's singing manners
Weird Bjork always a fan, go Iceland!
I thought 'Oh no not another Bjork album' but I like this. I've always thought I should like her- all the ingredients are there but never clicked. I like the capella slant though. Very well produced and executed.
I kind Bjork, but too many of the songs sounds the same
I really need to listen to some more trip-hop, it is aesthetically pleasing to my ears
I really enjoyed this Bjork album and especially the appearances of two artists that I like a lot, Tanya Tagaq and Robert Wyatt. 2 unique voices to join Bjork's string of eccentricities, it's perfect.
Many will say that this is where Björks music started to collapse under the weight of her concepts/character and I can see why, but I think this one still has a lot to offer, both musically and emotionally. The album was made to explore the possibilities of the human voice and as such, I think it succeeds to demonstrate how strong, fragile and diverse our voice can get. It's also less catchy than anything she'd done before, but I think this one is supposed to talk to the heart instead of the feet.
She is an absolutely fascinating and original artist in so many ways. This album reflects that. Wow. Such interesting use of melody and harmony, amazing compositions, and stellar performances.
Ehkä alan vähitellen lämmetä Björkillekin. Voimakkaiden tunteiden paikasta tämä(kin) tulee ja sitä on pakko arvostaa. 4/5
Björkin kokeellisimpia levyjä, mutta silti mielettömän kaunista. Ihmeellistä, miten voi samaa aikaa testailla äänimaailmojen rajoja ja välittää uskottavia tunteita näin suvereenisti.
Todella kaunis levy! 4/5
Focus more on mantras than verses or conventional song structures with the vocal beats switching up in the background to keep it interesting. This is bold and avant-garde, the beat-boxed beats are enjoyable in the way human voices are, emotionally evocative in how they strain, soar, rasp, bark etc. I enjoyed this album more when I first heard it years ago, the problem being that while I enjoy this when it’s on the songs don’t stick in my mind and beckon me back when it’s over. But to reiterate I do enjoy the shit out of this when it’s on and I respect it just as much as ever.
Wasn't looking forward to this - I always felt this album was the beginning of inaccessible and unenjoyable bjork. But actually, despite it's experimentation, it still sets wonderful scenes that get me through my office day. Also, Rahzel is great. Once saw a gig of his where he brought along roses and gave one to each woman in the audience. Really casts a wide net.
I love Bjork, but it has to be the right day to listen to her experimental bent towards music. Luckily today was the right day. I don't think I've ever heard his album, but one thing stuck out immediately. While listening to "Ancestors" I heard the familiar (yes, familiar) sounds of Inuit throat singing. And I had a hunch that this song was a collaboration between Bjork and Inuit recording artist Tanya Tagaq. And it was. It was a nice surprise to hear two artists I appreciate getting together to make some music.
The vocals on this album are incredible. I don't know what kind of training it takes to sing like this, but it's gotta take a lot of work for both Björk & her backup vocalists. Ethereal, surreal, soothing, and beautifully foreign. A nice rounded 4.
Bjork's a trip, man. Can't say I'd listen to this on the regular, but it's hard not to respect her steadfast refusal to adhere to the norms of the recording industry. Bjork's gonna Bjork, and I dig it.
2004. Not in my edition of the book! 4 stars Icelandic Kate Bush, all the weirdness without the tunes. Oddly appealing to listen to, and she has got a good voice. Not for everyone, but well worth a listen.
I love Desired Connections and the two singles, "Who Is It" and "Triumph of a Heart". Amazing album cant imagine the production of this mostly accapella masterpiece.
wild album, mostly voice-based but sounds like electronica. 4 stars. weird.
I've gotten into Björk because of this list and love the other two albums. This was an adventure. I totally understand why people hate this album. It's weird but very unique and it just works for me. I normally hate avant-garde yet Björk just makes it listenable to me. Not that I would put this on all that often but it's weird in a way that I like.
This was interesting. Never listened to any Björk beyond the odd hit I might have come across on the radio, but I enjoyed the oddness of this and it's mix of music. I wouldn't say it's made me a huge fan, but it's clearly interesting and an obvious sort of thing for inclusion on this list - some of the 1 star reviews are laughable and sound like frat boy/Wayne's World style reactions. It's way better than that. Would I listen to it again? Maybe. But it's still at least 4 stars,
Bjork is one of a few artists that I consider a true musical genius. This is a bit of a challenging listen, and sometimes I get irritated with albums that I would consider "challenging", but in this case I really enjoyed it and have already re-listened once. I've always loved Bjork's voice, so having an album that is mostly her voice is really nice. But what makes it great is the blend of voices and sounds. It's layered and complex, and ultimately incredibly beautiful and unique. 4 stars.
Wtf?
Ethereal.
Björk’s beautiful, bewildering response to the age-old question: “What that mouth do?”
Iceland's finest exports in order of importance: 1. Aluminum 2. Björk 3. Fish Björk has always been an artist who, on the surface, is very easy to dismiss. Never the most accessible, her music requires the listener to be active. But if you do that, it's beyond rewarding. This album contains some of the most complex, insane, but rewarding vocals I've ever heard. If you have the luxury, please listen to this album with a good pair of headphones and block out everything else from your daily routine. I promise it'll be like a religious experience. Or maybe you’ll go insane (looking at you, Ancestors).
I dig Bjørk. And listening to her while driving through the Icelandic countryside added a whole new dimension to her music. While I think Post and Debut are stronger albums, there’s nothing like hearing her sing Ancestors while in the shadows of the mountains that inspired her song.
This a perfectly disorienting album. Björk wanted to make an album completely made of human voices and the result (while not completely made of human voices) is a powerful and primal statement. As always Björk's voice is so dynamic that she can move from a growl to a shout to a whisper seamlessly. Her control of tone and timbre is phenomenal making the listener hang on every syllable. Simply put, this is a stunning and arresting album. My only complaint is that it felt a bit tedious on the back half.
Björk is life
On paper this album shouldn’t be as good as it is, but it comes together so well
Started out really hate-listening to this, but by the end I was glad it was on the list. Finally, something really different that I would never have heard otherwise! I haven't had an album like that in a while. An album focusing only on vocals (and electronics), it wasn't my favourite but I like that someone tried it. Hearing beat boxers and throat singers on the album were both highlights for me. The problem is I don't like Bjork's voice or style. She's a warbler and I am not. Still giving this 4 stars for the worthwhile experience. Where is the Line is where I draw the line though. That song annoyed me a lot haha.
This album would absolutely send your head to the moon if you were stoned
Some incredible production but the odd song not for me
Very interesting and, in the right mood and circumstances, beautifully haunting and pretty engaging overall. Highly original and frequently quite strange.
Love this a lot Shows how you don’t just need to be skilled with instruments to make great music Favourite tracks: Pleasure is All Mine, Vokuro, Who is It, Submarine, Oceania
Great album, I'm a massive fan of her first four albums and it's good to hear the next one is good also. Accidently heard it on shuffle which probably killed it but rest assured I’llbe back
exquisitely crazy. Acoustic beatbox.
I'm not big into Björk, but this is one of my favorite projects from her and "Where Is The Line" has to be my favorite song in her whole discography. Unique little island of an album!