Medúlla

If a hangover was an album...

IL GELO, LA NOTTE E LA SOLITUDINE ISLANDESE HA CREATO QUESTO ALBUM. MI SONO SDRAIATO IN POSIZIONE FETALE E HO ASCOLTATO. MEGLIO DEL PREVISTO. 3/5

Not keen on the using voices as instruments but Byork certainly has talent

I think it's hard to underestimate the genius involved in the use of the backing/"music" vocals here. A virtuso display of ideas. Could possibly be done in a more "pop" way, but where's the fun in that?

Pleased people experiment and make albums like this. Will never listen to it again.

Weird shit

Of the what feels like hundreds of Björk albums on the 1001 this one can be cut. I respect the avant garde nature of it, especially in songs like Oceana, with the odd vocal inclusions, a strange instrumentation, but this one doesn’t quite seem as well structured or formulated as some of her other work. I did really enjoy the song Who Is It, as it felt consistent and very meditative. Somehow, that song fit in the album, but still sat out away from it. I actually really enjoyed Björk, but I also recognize not every album she does is a gold winner.

Bjork at her Bjork-I-est

Medulla is an album that shows just how badly one aspect can ruin an entire album. In this case, the mouth sounds, primarily Bjork's rough breathing. I can commend Bjork for trying something new with this album but the issue is it was not executed well at all. It's too bad too because if a lot of these sounds were removed, The album would have been fine. The ambient sounds were nice to listen to and Bjork's voice (when she wasn't doing her mouth sounds) was as good as ever. It honestly hurts to tank an album so much because of just one bad aspect but in this case, the bad aspect seriously drowns out all the good aspects and makes this album really unenjoyable to listen to. Best Song: Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right) Worst Song: Ancestors

Truly completely awful...

Damn 😵‍💫 Als experiment kann ich das voll wertschätzen und es showcased natürlich mal wieder Björks krasse stimme, jedoch hat das für mich überhaupt kein Replay-value. Aber es ist irgendwie trotzdem verdammt cool wie eine so weltbekannte und geliebte Musikerin wie Björk so ein Risiko eingehen kann und auf einmal ein reines Acapella Album rausbringen kann, einfach weil sie es will.

This is the second Bjork album I've listened to on this list, and my God I'm becoming obsessed. She's just fantastic

Bjork is one of those artists that are so singular that they got massively popular despite always doing their own thing. I wonder if that can even happen anymore in the age of the algorithm. Anyway, this is not the Bjork record I would ever reach for, but I also can't deny that this is compelling stuff with true vision. Bjork makes music that all but forces you to pay attention. We need more of that.

not for me i didnt like it

Quirky, fearless but heartfelt

An interesting album. I have listened to plenty of other Bjork music, but never this whole album before. I will have to give it another listen in the future when reviewing others of hers.

Björk rules. This isn't necessarily one of her best and there is no need for her to have 4 albums on this list.

What the everliving fuck is this. Reminds me of letting a 5 year old loose on a keyboard on DJ mode.

Four Björk albums, Dimery? FOUR? That's insane.

Mind blowing

Do I like Bjork? Honestly still don't know after all these years, Do I like this album? Not particularly. No shade to Bjork, this album is just not my cup.

6.5/10 - Probably my least favorite of the Biork albums I have listened to, but she sets a really high bar. I didn’t like how electronic this one was, but I rate the fact that she did something adventurous and creative. It was interesting, but stylistically not my favorite.

Some absolute bangers on here, but it's a bit inconsistent with a couple of duds. 7/10

4/10

I just don't get the hype around Björk. I know people love her but it isn't for me!

If Bjork was in Pitch Perfect, her team would win the competition. I'm giving this a high 3. Definitely my least favorite of hers so far, but it's still decent.

If we're being honest, it's a 3. But I have to be complicated. If we take a look at what it represents, as an artist making art. here we see Bjork (the Human) using the most human instrument, the voice. She had a vision and executed that, and did so well. I give it an extra star for creativity, uniqueness and the human sounds of this human album.

Creative and original and I didn't hate it, but it also never really connected for me. I was also probably not in the best headspace to appreciate this. 2.5

If I settle in, I can really enjoy. Is it performative? Ab-so-lutely! But, is there some wild, cool joints? Fo Sho!

I’m done with bjork. Tried too many times with the same result so approaching the definition of insanity. Had to cut it off specifically after Ancestors since it seems designed to induce a panic attack.

why bjork why

Weird for the sake of being weird

Very interesting album. Can never deny Bjork makes some very interesting stuff

I will absolutely give Bjork her due, she is unique, iconic and certainly never boring. When the opening track began, my immediate thought was that the stripped back vocal-led sound was an interesting approach. Unfortunately, an entire album of it proved tough-going. I don’t hate it like some have, but I can’t imagine going back to it.

Bjork is so opaque that a single listen makes it very difficult to appreciate her brilliance.

madly disappointing. Sounds like yoko ono

Overall: 8/10 Definitely shouldn't work as well as it does considering acapella music is generally not my thing, but Björk is such a singular and unique talent that she manages to make it beautiful and less annoying than usual. I'd even say this is one of her best albums, I really dig what she's got going on here. Fav Song: Where is the Line

Just like any other Bjork album one needs to be in an altered state of mind on a different astral plane to be enjoyed.

Before listening to this album, I only knew Björk’s Debut and Post albums, with Post being one I have listened to a lot. Medúlla is quite a departure musically from those albums except for “Who Is It” which ended up being the track I am most likely to go back to. I love a capella and found Björk’s voice stripped down in that format was really fascinating. She had some cool collabs on this record and her lyrics stood out to me more without her usual electronica-style distracting me. “Where Is the Line?” and “Desired Constellation” really struck me, but other songs like “Ancestors” and “Miðvinudags” were a little too out there for me, even if I could appreciate their artistry. I want to give this album a 4 for technique and experimentalism and musical creativity, but I don’t know that I’d listen to it in total again, so I am giving it a 3.

5.9/10. Björk is weird dude. That is by far the strangest album I've ever heard, and it wasn't good or terrible. I don't know how to describe it other than that it had far more beatboxing than I would have liked, so yeah. I honestly have no idea if I'd listen to it again, but her vocals are solid when intelligible, and the underlying beats still make something interesting. Not her best work, I think, but it could be far worse if it didn't have the master vision of Björk behind it.

I went through a pretty big Bjork phase for a while there. I consider 'Vespertine' to be basically perfect. I remember being cautiously optimistic about this one when I heard about the 'mostly vocals' concept, but I always felt like this album is more interesting in theory than it is listenable.

I don't mind Bjork. Debut was good. Post is fantastic and I look forward to the day it comes up on this list. But this... Just not for me. Very Radiohead B-Side soundscape music. Her vocal eccentricity would suit it one would think, but it is jarring and knocks loose the little coherence the music had. I'd rather hear FKA Twigs sing these songs.

Feel lucky not that I started with Debut. If this is the first Björk album the generator gives you then it gets better. Some interestin/challenging stuff here. 3/5.

All of these one star reviews in a nutshell, “Why does art have to be challenging? Why can’t all art be accessible to everyone?” Some musical artists just want to make art, some artists just want to make money, and some can find that balance between the two. Björk has found a sweet spot where she can make challenging art and be extremely successful. She stays true to her art and she’ll always get five stars from me.

Meh

Doesn't do anything for me.

My Singing Monsters vibes

4/10 Muy raro, no me gusto

This is #day777 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to my only second Björk album so far. The first one, ironically Debut, popped up all the way back on #day17. Crazy how long ago it was. This is my first time hearing this particular record, and all I can say is it's fucking weird, even by Björk standards. I prefer more "conventional" numbers, like, say, "Oceania," though. What I can't comprehend is the selection of her albums on this list. How on earth are Post and Homogenic not here? Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day778.

Medulla is an album I appreciate, but rarely find myself returning to in Björk's discography. Really enjoyed this revisit, which encouraged me to reconsider my feelings on it, though I still don't think it's among her top tier - more like a 3.5 for me

Alors, je ne suis pas tout à faire sûr de ce que je viens d'écouter Björk, c'est très spécial et en plus, elle change du tout au tout d'un album à l'autre, si j'ai bien compris. Cet album était très bizarre, dans le bon sens du terme. Il s'est écoulé une bonne heure depuis que j'ai fini mon écoute et ça me laisse un impression très floue et bizarre. Il y avait plusieurs personnes au chant, des effets électroniques bizarres, du beatboxing et Björk qui chante parfois en anglais, parfois en islandais et heu... plein d'autres trucs, franchement, il me faudrait deux trois écoutes supplémentaires pour faire le tri. L'album est presque entièrement composé de pistes vocales avec une instrumentation très réduite et je dois quand même dire que la démarche est poussé jusqu'au bout, elle crée des textures sonores complexes et riches avec les nombreux invités. C'est quand même très fort ! Alors c'est pas que j'ai adoré, mais l'approche était super originale et créative, j'ai trouvé que c'était un très bon album.

*2004. *Björk is very slightly growing on me, in the sense that I know what to expect. *Still a 2 star experience. RATING - 5.5/1-

Raar

Na herbeluisteren ben ik toch mee

Definitely interesting, and an album worth hearing. Part of what's interesting to me, though, is the curiousity and experimentation and inventiveness in making this 100% human-instrument album doesn't necessarily feel more inventive and interesting than another Bjork album. 3.5/5 Not sure I'd keep in on the list.

The only enjoyable part of this album was listening to it with my boys and laughing at all their exclamations about how terrible it was.

Finally, after all the respect I've grown for Björk throughout the years and through this albums generator journey, with this album we're witnessing the marriage of admiration and pleasure. Conceptually intriguing, the essence, the marrow of an organ, and stripping the use of instruments by 99%. The idea is one thing, beautiful on paper, but she actually lands the execution here. It kind of feels like a great soundtrack, but it provides its own context. This is definitely an album for the vinyl collection, but I think it's currently only available for CD and cassette. I'm looking forward to the reissue on 180 grams sometime after the AI overlords take over. I was able to highly appreciate the only music video for this album. I think that music video explains itself to the listener, to try the scent of the project. The weird cat husband angle, the odd sounds, the fact that the odd sounds are talented vocal musicians being exemplified and translated into a party setting. If the video doesn't catch your attention, I don't think this album will be for you. It's kinda like Bobby McFerrin meets Hanz Zimmer... and Björk. 4.2

What the actual fuck is Medúlla? Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Oceania - Triumph of a Heart

At times I listened to this and I was questioning what was happening can’t hate the swing tho

I love Bjork but this is a challenging album. After a few listens, I like two tracks ("Pleasure is all Mine" and "Oceania") and kind of like two others ("Who Is It" and "Mouths Cradle"). The rest of the album is experimental/meh and one track that is hard to get through ("Ancestors"). As a former a cappella nerd, I appreciate what she's doing with voice here, kind of like what Jacob Collier does, but a lot of it is more interesting than good.

Waffled between a 3 and 4 on this. I much prefer Bjorks earlier offering like Debut and Post to her later more ambient/electronic fare. But, I do like the couple of songs that incorporate a more human beatbox element and appreciate the conceit of album, even if it’s not always successful.

An interesting concept does not make for a great listen. Some gems here but not enough to justify the inclusion of THIS album over Homogenic, Post or even Vespertine. This fucking list.

I admire Bjork’s work more than I enjoy it. I do really like a handful of her songs, but I don’t really like the majority of this album. 2.5 for the artistry.

287. Ok

Interesting concept, was generally a pleasant listen but I'm not sure how much of this I could put up with if it weren't Bjork. "Ancestors" was strange, even for Bjork. I liked "Triumph of a Heart."

Really interesting use of voices. Some beautiful bits but quite a strange whole album.

O fato de eu ter escutado esse álbum inúmeras vezes é que sempre ficava com uma impressão diferente. No início, veio a revolta e a sensação de que as músicas tinham sido gravadas num banheiro. Até o inglês da Björk eu achava horrível, e eu nem falo inglês! Depois tive a ideia de intercalar as audições com bandas que faziam uso mais tradicional de instrumentos e, aos poucos, fui assimilando melhor a proposta do álbum. Mais para frente, enfim, consegui "entendê-lo" e confesso que toda essa insistência valeu a pena. A faixa Where Is the Line foi a primeira a me convencer de que valia a pena continuar. Depois disso, percebi que o problema nunca foi o álbum. Era eu tentando escutá-lo como se fosse um disco convencional. Quando finalmente aceitei a proposta da Björk, tudo começou a fazer sentido. O que antes parecia apenas estranho passou a soar criativo, ousado e até fascinante. Medúlla definitivamente não é um álbum que tenta agradar logo na primeira audição, mas recompensa quem aceita entrar no seu universo.

Album : 25/1089 Songs known going in 0/14 Favourite song : vökuró Rating 4/5

Good album because of the nature of what she did. Just better ones out there

Great! I love Björk. It’s really interesting that she was trying to make an album just using vocals. I like that it has her, a throat singer, beat boxers, a choir, and Mike Patton on it somewhere. I’d be interested in seeing a “making of” video. Surely some of the electronic synth and drum sounds can’t be vocals… can they? I’d like to give it a five but it’s probably more interesting than classic? 4.5 stars!

Unique. Brave. Fearless. Great!

Det her album rammer en genre, som er totalt det modsatte af, hvad jeg kan lide at lytte til. Jeg forstår virkelig ikke appellen

Medulla is technically an A Cappella album but follows a very different approach to the genre, by making everything with vocals in a very Bjork style. It can be intense like on Where Is the Line? and it can be calm on Vökuró. Will this album work for everyone? Absolutely not, this project will be very hit or miss for a lot of people even myself. I am completely impressed by the music even if I do not connect with it as well as other people. I think this album struggles the most in replayability because of just how hit or miss each track is, and for me I think I won't pick this up again for a while. Towards the back half of the album a lot of the A Cappella had become a bit uninteresting except for the gross noises made on Ancestors. I think this may grow but I don't really have any idea how I'd change it because it's just so complex. Bjork's voice may be a turnoff for new listeners but a lot of voices mixed with Bjork's voice was a turnoff for me.

It's not my favourite Bjork album, but enjoyed revisiting this

New to me, had no idea she had so many albums to be honest. This was good though. ‘Desired Constellation’ a particular highlight. 2.5

Probably need to give this a re-listen in a dark room, or spend a morning with all the Bjork albums off this list. One of the more technically impressive records I've listened to this far.

Love Björk, not her worst album by any means but not one of her best either. Two stars, “Triumph of The Heart” is my favourite song. Tom.

Too weird for my taste.

Not sure how to feel on this album, some songs are good and memorable, and others seem to be random assortments of nonsense. Perhaps I havent watched enough rick and morty to awaken to an IQ of greater than 100, but its about 30% good to 70% random mouth noises you hear from scary people on the bus late at night. 2/5

Deserves to be on this list for its Avant Gardeness and creativity. Not every song is pleasing to the ear and some compete with Yoko Ono. Others are remarkably beautiful.

Only Björk could pull off such an ambitious project. The fact that she experiments with her sound and artistry and image with every album makes it even more exciting to see what a new Björk era entails. It’s experimental and avant garde as it could be so it’s only natural that the album or even Björk herself is not going to be everybody’s cup of tea. For me, I like Björk’s eccentric style and this album, too.

I respect her originality, but I don’t really enjoy listening to her.

Bjork wins the award for most interesting music that I only want to hear once. Curious about the people who seek this out on a regular basis.

I don’t think this is for me but I can appreciate the sentiment behind the album’s structure in an artistic world where people seem to be trying to crowd human creativity out of the room.

She has a great voice, i'll say that much. I could get into Who Is It a little bit. While there's a couple songs on here I was good with, as a whole album it's not really my thing at all. Maybe a bit too artsy or avant-garde with the heavy breathing.

Not my thing. I feel like I’m rounding up…

woman makes strange noises

Any danger of a tune?

Not much variation - experimental - 2/5

Suitable for interrogations, but not much else

Absolutely brutal to try to get through

Alright, sure, I'll take "Björk does a weird a cappella album" as an opportunity to have a break from the ordinary. It's pretty enjoyable! A good kind of strange. I'd pick "Where Is the Line" and "Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)" as highlights. I believe it's coincidental, but our group happened to get this album - which Björk says was a reaction against the "stupid American racism and patriotism" that came in response to 9/11 - on the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

It's bjork, so I got into it expecting weird, and then it wasn't as bad as I expected? That's not saying much, but I've heard way worse on this list.

Never heard of or listened to bjork before so not sure what to expect. I really don’t like this. Some cool moments but most the album is unlistenable.

Björk, isländische Sängerin und notorische Grenzgängerin, hat für Medúlla fast alle Instrumente rausgeworfen. Fast alles hier ist Stimme. Aufgenommen wurde das quer über den Globus verteilt – im Greenhouse Studio in Reykjavík, im Olympic in London, im Real World in Wiltshire, dazu in New York (The Magic Shop, Looking Glass). Erschienen ist das Album über ihr Label One Little Indian, in den USA über Elektra. Was mich am meisten überrascht: wie unterschiedlich die Stimmen hier eingesetzt werden. Rahzel beatboxt sich durch die Tracks, Tanya Tagaq bringt ihren Inuit-Kehlkopfgesang mit, Dokaka verzerrt seine Stimme bis zur Unkenntlichkeit, Mike Patton steuert seinen gewohnten Wahnsinn bei. Ein isländischer Chor sorgt für die Gegenpole dazu. „Oceania" bleibt dabei fast zärtlich, „Who Is It" wirkt dagegen kantig und unruhig. Leicht macht es einem dieses Album nicht. Manche Passagen fand ich beim ersten Hören eher anstrengend als schön – erst nach mehreren Durchgängen setzte sich die Konsequenz durch, mit der Björk hier ein Konzept bis zum Ende durchzieht. Wie viel Popmusik übrig bleibt, wenn man ihr fast alles außer der Stimme wegnimmt – genau das fragt dieses Album, ohne eine Antwort vorzugeben.

Alltså... Jag vill verkligen älska Björks musik. Hon går alltid sin egen väg, testar nytt och är så otroligt cool men.... Musiken är så otroligt jobbig att lyssna på. För mycket ljud, för konstigt ibland tyvärr. Vissa delar är fantastiska men på det stora hela skitjobbigt faktiskt.

Beautiful and baffling. So very Bjork

3/5, fusion folk music kinda. Not bad Icelandic album.

Ok

This was fine. Not my favorite Bjork album, but good