Reviews (page 4 of 7)
This is an album I could appreciate, but I didn’t really enjoy it. It was nice to hear something more experimental on this list, but it did just end up feeling like vocal exercises. I feel like it was more of a me issue being unable to appreciate it rather than a real critique of the record.
As you would expect from bjork, something unique and different
I appreciate the mastery behind this album but I did not find it enjoyable at times, sometimes even quite unpleasant unfortunately. I wanted to like this but it's not how it always turns out.
Best Song: Who Is It. I really liked the layered production, the echoing vocals, and the lyrical content. Worst Song: Ancestors. The animalistic growling/barking didn't do it for me. Overall: This felt like an album full of hits and misses for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the a capella tracks, but some of the more "produced" ones really felt unique and interesting. Definitely an album that feels more "artistic" than strictly "musical", but it still works well at instilling a particular vibe.
The conceit, an artsy electronic album almost completely composed of human voices, could be a gimmick in another artist's hands, but Bjork mostly makes it work. Still just kinda not my thing.
Weird but listenable. All vocals, no instruments. Pitchfork: 7.2 Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs Who Is It (Carry My Joy On The Left, Carry My Pain On The Right)
Trust Björk to make an album made up of mostly vocals and it sound so otherworldly. This is an album I respect and appreciate more than love, however the highlights give goosebumps like the very best of Björk’s work.
Love her, amazing person who has genuinely made music better by her innovation and all round weirdness but saying that I really can’t get on with her music
Surreal, kinda demonic accapella
2.6/5 Stars Top Song: Who is it
As far as gimmick albums go, this isn't too bad.
The vibe of this is cool but I wanted to like it more than I did
Wild experience, not my fav album but dove into more bjork and liked it
Bjork can really wail. Sometimes, the wailing makes me uncomfortable. Other times, it RULES. 3.5 rounded down just because I probably won't revisit this in its entirety.
Kinda weird, but kinda good
You have to respect a polished album of . . . art songs, right? But does there have to be a whiff of the medicinal? I wonder.
Uncertain effect on my medulla -- not vomiting, but perhaps some light coughing.
Was that an Icelandic ritual?
Wow it was something. Lots of beatboxing
As is the case with any groundbreaking or experimental artist, they always have their fair share of misses. And for Björk, this isn't quite one of those but she definitely has far better. I like a lot of the ideas she has on this album, but I just don't think it's really all that well put together and ends up feeling like it's just missing something. I say all of this like I think this album is bad, all things considered it's still pretty good, it's just that I know she's capable of so much more, and so this one feels very underwhelming in comparison.
I struggle with her voice sometimes but there were enough good songs on here to makeit worthwhile
Björk, you are one wacky son of a gun. Can I realistically say that I "liked" this? I don't know. But this is an extraordinarily bold and inventive album, and it's hard to challenge her musical prowess after a couple listens. Fave tracks: - Where Is the Line - Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right) - Desired Constellation - Oceania - Triumph of a Heart
Just slightly too experimental for our taste, though we do like Bjork's other work.
ilk defa Björk dinledim albüm coverları çok güzel ve hastalıklı şarkılar müthiş
A bit random at times but still fun
Meer Björk, hoezo dat dan? Deze IJslandse piepstem met haar creatieve invallen hadden we al gehoord. En dat was ook niet zo erg, maar vier keer (!) is wel wat veel. Op dit album overheerst de chaos, er is weinig luistergenot en veel verwarring. Een beetje zoals het zou klinken als buitenaardse wezens ook eens zouden proberen om muziek te maken, net als de aardbewoners. Het is muziek, het is eens wat anders, maar ook klopt er iets niet.
1. mine - 2 2. zhouu - 2 3. line - 1.5 4. Bokuro - 2 5. Vittan -1.5 6. Who - 1.5 7. Submarine - 1.5 8. Desired - 2.5 9. Oceania - 2 10. Sonnets - 1.5 11. Ancestors - 1.5 12. Cradle - 1.5 13. Mid - 1.5 14. Heart - 2
It’s more like a painting or sculpture than an album - designed to get a reaction without telling you what it should be. A lot of interesting sounds and textures.
Heard of her but never checked out her stuff. Not what I'd usually listen to but I really liked this!
Didn't hate it but it wasn't enjoyable
I confess to liking the Sugarcubes Bjork 100 times more than the Bjork alone Bjork. Its not like I totally dislike this Bjork, I'm just not that very much into it. I do like the adventurousness, the exploratory edge, the high quality of the studio presence. I can take it or leave it, though.
I still don’t like Bjork, but I got to listen to this album while in Iceland, which elevated it for me….a little bit.
I like to think I've got a pretty wide range of musical tastes, but I keep butting up against genres and styles that I just can't relate to. I've listened to a good amount of Bjork's music and have never been able to simply enjoy it. I do appreciate and recognize the artistry, she's legit, but I don't like the music. I'm working so hard to find even footing with this and it's an uncomfortable listening experience.
Stunning throat singing, belting, real hootin and hollerin in the most Bjork fashion. I also tend to be a huge fan of repetitive and looping vocals soooo yeah loved this listening experience. Favorite song: Where Is the Line
I think every time I get a Bjork album my comment is something about how I’m at peace with really only liking Post. So I guess I’m saying I’m glad Bjork exists for the sake of those who love her, but I really only like Post and am okay with that.
Clearly good, but not my cup of tea: too experimental for me. Saved "Who Is It".
J'aime bien Bjork a la base mais là c'est un peu hermétique ! 2.5/5
this was genuinely very exhausting to listen to, and not something i’m particularly eager to return to on my own—that’s not to say i disliked it, or thought it was bad. i thought it was very complex and lush like pretty much all of björk’s music, and an impressive display of skill re: musical composition, but the experimental a cappella aspect made it a difficult listen. fav tracks: desired constellation; oceania
Interesting but not particularly great. It was worth a listen and I liked a few songs but not sure this is completely for me.
Feels designed to trigger misophonia but I enjoyed it nontheless
First 2 or 3 songs were 1 star for me but I actually kind of liked how weird and mystical the later songs were? Lots of interesting harmonies, and I'm a sucker for good vocals. Her voice is super weird but not as grating as I expected it to be.
interessante
Wild shit
It should be clear that I hate accapela music. This album is almost without instrumentation. That means "Medulla" is occasionally unbearable. However, there are some good songs on it. For example, "Desired Constellations". 3 stars for "Medulla".
Gosh - - I tried really did! She is a marvelous and genius, but could not relate.
Constantly rode the line between being a fun experiment and just annoying. Her weird little accent feels kind of forced, but other than that I didn't hate it
I listened to it twice; the first time was too strange, it was difficult to listen to! And, as has been customary in my approach to this project, I was at my workplace. So it wasn't an easy listen. Then, later that night, I listened to it again at home, with proper headphones, and the experience was totally different. What I'm trying to say is that it's a good album, a very good album, but it's not an album for all moments, you know? I'm giving it a 3 for the whole experience, Bjork has many better albums and songs, IMHO, and I'm only not giving this one a higher rating because of its “strangeness.” Anyway, you'll be amazed by Bjork's unique and fantastic vocals, she is undeniably a great singer, a great artist, and a great performer - a 10/10 kind of artist <3
This was the Bjork album where I rather lost interest. It's an album of her usual explorations, experiments, whimsy and inventions. However, there needed to be some controlling hand. What we get is an album devoted to what Bjork enjoys, with no real interest in relating it to other folks. OK, there are many who buy into her interests, but me (and others I know) zoned out. Sad, but c'est la vie.
Ya sé que es Bjork y decir que su disco está rarísimo es casi una necedad, pero qué pedo, su disco está rarísimo. No podría decir que lo disfruté especialmente, pero sí me tuvo muy intrigado. Y qué pedo con la canción de Ancestors, me mató del miedo. No recomiendo escucharla caminando de noche por las calles vacías de la ciudad, sí lo pone a uno muy inquietito.
Fun but it’s given “but dad I want to go to fashion school”
Good but not my jam
First keyword associated with this album is “interesting” and that is the long and short of it. Not bad but definitely polarizing for the listener, 2.75/5, I didn’t love it but respect the vision that Björk was going for
It’s Björk. It’s weird but pleasant at times, just like you’d expect. I did really enjoy the last track.
As with the other Björk albums, it's not bad, it's just that I can't quite figure out if it's good or more self-indulgent madness... "Björkness" I guess!
No offense to Björk, but do we really need multiple Björk albums on here? All her stuff kind of sounds the same.
I’m a huge Bjork fan who has admired her creative and uncompromising approach from her time with the Sugarcubes through her solo career. I consider albums such as “Post” to be absolute classics. I had never heard this album before, and it only takes a few tracks before you becomes aware of the central conceit - this album is composed almost exclusively of vocals. And while a brave and interesting artistic choice, in practice it doesn’t hold together very well for an entire album. There are certainly great songs here - “Pleasure Is All Mine”, “Oceania”, and “Where Is the Line” are examples - but they work best as standalone songs rather than as part of a vocal-only statement. So while I applaud Bjork’s singular vision here, I don’t really jive with the end result.
I love Bjork, I think she’s so unique and creative and smart, but this album, I wouldn’t call it pleasurable listening for me. It’s more like curiosity listening. I’m interested in the ideas, but I need to be in the right sort of mood to listen through the whole thing.
Very unique album, enjoyed the mix of beats and fun feel to each song. I will say it kind of stressed me out alittle bit, but only because I was trying to do other things and listen to the album.
I like Björk a lot, Post, Debut, Homogenic, Vespertine are all great albums. Medúlla however, is so sparse, that it ends up being something I admired more than something I enjoyed. Triumph of the Heart is good fun, but I don't think there's anything else I'd want to listen to again.
It’s very interesting. Reminds me of choir music
I appreciate this for being interesting, avant-garde and very different from other albums on this list. I don’t know if I like it, but I can acknowledge her artistry
one of bjork's most artistically challenging and potentially alienating works, her ambition is enormous and the production here is far ahead of the curve but the icy, sort of jagged world she produces with it all is not entirely to my taste, even if i respect and understand what she is attempting.
It made me feel uncomfortable at times. I am confused. I don't know whether I liked it or not. It was very intriguing.
Like I'd expect from Björk: weird that sticks, weird that doesn't stick and a bit more normal inbetween. This was the first time I heard the original Who Is It. I used to hear the Kurt Elling cover on a soul & jazz radio station, which I like. I definitely want to listen again. I didn't like it as much, but hope it'll grow on me. Triumph Of A Heart is weirder than I remember. It's also a banger.
You always get weirdness with Bjork, initially sounded like a pagan dark souls soundtrack but then went into some unexpected beatboxing and teenage girl crying. I will always be bemused by Bjork, nevertheless am I glad I listened to it? Yes. Would I listen to it again? Nahhhhh
2.64
Ничего не понял, какой-то авангардный арт-поп. Местами напомнил группу Magma.
Misère à accrocher! Ça m’écorche un peu.
Quite enjoyed Zombie, but not the other songs so much.
It was kind of what I was expecting from a Bjork album. Lost me at times but do appreciate what she’s doing
It's not bad by any means, but it is shocking that it became relatively mainstream
While she's consistently great, not every Björk record is going to grab you by your cochleae and immediately pull you into whatever world she's constructed. Medúlla proves that; it is more something you drift through, occasionally noting a constellation of effect or gently bobbing around a blip and slow curl of current. Not my favorite of hers, but I appreciate an entry in her catalogue that's more confounding than common.
I did not check if this was an earlier album, but I feel I can hear the basis developing for the known hits. However, being very familiar with many of the more popular songs this album just didn't do as much for me as I'd expected.
def an interesting listen, gotta give it at least a 3 for that, not something i would return to often but i can appreciate it
I really love Bjork's sound and I wish I would have listened more when I was younger and writing a ton of music. I know it would have been really great for my developing sound & voice. This one has some of her typical inventive songwriting, with a few standout tracks like "Oceania", "Who Is It (Carry My Joy On The Left, Carry My Pain On The Right)", and my favorite from the album: "Where Is The Line". That final one is really intriguing; I love the vocal bass line that runs throughout, and her vocals contrast them and move around so impressively on top of it. This one is a strong 3/5, but it's just a bit short of a 4 for memorability reasons. I'm walking away only holding a single tune in my head. I'm sure this would change with more listens though.
I feel like I should like Bjork. I was young in the 90's, I love Radiohead and the indie electronic music that came up in the late 90's and 2000's, but there's just something that doesn't hit for me.
Je sais vraiment pas trop quoi en penser, c'est tellement bizarre. Des fois ça marche et j'aime bien et elle met en avant des choses intéressantes mais des fois c'est très lourd à écouter, je comprends pas trop la proposition. Par contre les canons qu'elle fait dans plusieurs morceaux sont magnifiques, le beatbox je suis un peu plus sceptique. Dans la globalité c'est sympa il y a peut-être 2-3 morceaux que je réécouterai mais pas l'album en lui-même.
Écoute trop distraite pour construire un avis
Je souligne la technique mais ça m’a pas vraiment touchée plus que ça
Half of this album is great. The other half is meh.
I don't hate it, like I thought I would. Does this represent growth?
Icelandic Sufjan! Incredible talent with niche artistic flair. A fun album to listen to, but not fun enough to put in rotation.
Quite a departure from her previous albums, focusing largely on arranging voices in to songs rather than traditional instrumentation. Some cracking songs, Pleasure Is All Mine, Where Is the Line, Who Is It, Oceania, Mouths Cradle. But the intermissions and Ancestors do bring it down a bit for me and ruin the flow of the album. Would be a 7.
molto molto particolare.....
To say that Björk has forged her own lane is an understatement. To start, she has more than one, as this voice-centric record parades, so different from her previous releases. She also doesn't really seem to be interested in forging anything: her singularity flows too naturally, too inevitably. This particular album tho, I have to admit, is difficult to get into. I managed to get thru the whole thing, and while there are standout moments of real beauty, I found myself thinking too much, feeling too little, ultimately falling in line with Björk's own truth: 'I want to be flexible / I want to go out / Of my way for you / But enough is enough.' I think it's the Gregorian religiosity that doesn't do it for me, not exactly sham, but not a reliable tonic either.
Started thinking it's a bit too weird. Beatbox? Weird rythm of her quite whiny song. Mixed on top of itself. A lot of sounds and noises. Pop? Indie? I think I ended up more on the potitive side than the negative though.
That was something
Très chouette au début puis les dernières chansons me déroutent trop.
This is definitely a Bjork album. I didn’t hate it, but not fully my thing. She’s quite a genius, though.
418/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
liked songs: Pleasure Is All Mine, Where Is the Line, Sonnets / Unrealities XI This was interesting. Some of it was way too out there for me, but I really liked the execution of electronic-y, weird a capella on Pleasure Is All Mine and Where Is the Line. 3.5
Umm, ok. This one might get a ton of 5's and a ton of 1's, dunno. Depends on if you 'get it' or not, and I'm not sure I totally got it. Bjork is great, but this concept left me a little cold. That might be the point, maybe? I did like the tracks with the beatboxers, and Who Is It is great! But as a whole, I wasn't sure what to take away from this album. And it seemed like a longish 45 minutes. Decent album, just not for me. Still 3 stars.
Excited to see some bjork on here
Interesting as a concept album, but nothing I will listen to again.
I liked the other Björk albums far better. 3/5
pani bjork nie przestaje nawiedzac listy, drugie objawienie w ciagu tygodnia, tym razem z najbardziej eksperymentalnym brzmieniem jakie do tej pory wylosowala, zarowno zbrzmienie jak i okladka uswiadamia mnie w fakcie, ze byla to lady gaga wczesnych lat 2000, a co jest takiego dziwnego w medulli, a jest to fakt, ze to prawie album acappella, gdzie uzycie instrumentow jest praktycznie nie istniejace z wyjatkiem kilku trakow, natomiast wiekszosc utworow to spiew, jak zwykle artystycznie niewiadomo jaki w wykonaniu pani bjork i dzwieki przerozne chrokow, beatboxerow, plujaczy, jakaczy, zawodzaczy, szczekaczy, wyjcow i wszelakich ludzkich brzmien wydobywanych z przepony, dziwny koncept jak na mainstreamowa artystke popowa, ale jak dla mnie to najlepsze co od niej slyszalem, moze nadal lirycznie nie moje klimaty, ale muzycznie jest tak dziwnie, w niektorych momentach zabawnie, a w innych spooki mudi, ze jestem dzisiaj pozytywnie zaskoczony tak przyjemnymi 45 minutami z pania bjork i jej medulla, nie jest to muzyka puszcza sie na traki, a jedynie jako caly krazek, ale na plejke dodam mouths cradle, bo chyba najlepiej podkresla ten motyw albumu opartego jedynie na ludzkim glosie, ktory w ciekawy sposob laczy tradycje z nowoczesnoscia, bo nie slyszalem wczesniej beatboxowania razem z gardlo spiewem, nie mongolskim, bo od inuitow, no i nie tylko ciekawy koncept, ale tak wyprodukowac taki pomysl to czapki z glow poteznej liscie producencko inzynierskiej ktorzy nad tym siedzieli
What a start !!! I only knew Björk by name, and this is definitely not my type of music (i don’t think I’ll ever listen tl this again…). Now, this is amazing! Although the entire album is made by human voice, every song is unique and explores the concept in a new way. The most experimental ones stop me from giving a higher note, as they make the listening experience a bit tough at times… Favorites: - Where is the line (one of the craziest songs I’ve heard) - Vokuro (the Icelandic language is beatiful here and sublimed by Björk’s voice) - Desired constellation (very hypnotic, and Björk really has a beautiful voice. The introduction of an instrumentation makes the song feel like a break in the album) - Oceania (not the one that touched me the most, but the most impressive one: everything that is feasible with a human voice is done here)
This is the first Bjork album that I didn’t actively dislike. I’m ok with her stuff in The Sugarcubes, but her solo stuff is just a little too erratic and ethereal for me. This was grounding and really voice based and rhythmic, which was fun.
Very odd, never heard anything like it, but I enjoyed it weirdly. It's the same weird pleasure you get from watching car crashes reels on Instagram
I've always thought Bjork was a cool and unique person, but I've never been able to make it through an entire album.
This is interesting but not necessarily stuff I'd want to listen to regularly.
Quite the album, I've never heard anything like it before and I mean that in a mostly good way. I've heard of Bjork but never listened to her. She has a great voice, and the almost completely instrument-less album shows it off. This album has a haunting experimental feel. It kept me engaged mostly, though this wouldn't be an album I'd revisit, or necessarily enjoy as repeat listening. Though we support this queen's experimentation, even if it didn't always hit hard for me. Standouts: Pleasure is All Mine, Where Is the Line, Ancestors (not a fun listen but it get's your attention. Are the ancestors having sex?) Rating: 3/5
Weird
Some absolute bangers on here, but it's one of her more inconsistent albums. 7/10
Way more interesting and listenable than I expected. Still not likely to come back for more
I really like the idea of Bjork
I appreciate Björk more than I actually enjoy listening to her music.
Some really interesting choices here and cool to listen to something different. I admire the artistry but I'm not sure I actually enjoyed listening to it! Haha
Very interesting concept, to make a an entire album mostly comprised of vocal sounds. I commend the artistry, while at the same time, admitting that I didn't really enjoy this. I like some Bjork albums, but this one was probably too out there.
I am a huge Björk fan (one of the five best concerts I’ve ever attended) but this is her least approachable album. I feel like it’s an album meant for musicians because the brilliance is lost on the casual listener. While I find the production brilliant, it’s not a destination album for me. I will never pluck it off the shelf specifically to listen to it. I would pull all of her other albums first.
An incredibly brave move with fair but somewhat inconsistent results. Not my favourite of Bjork's albums but it's pretty enjoyable.
I think I could have listened to just one Bjork album before I died. I didn’t need 3.
I will give it credit for ambition, but Todd Rundgren has an album where he did the exact same thing back in 1985.
I like bjork but the a cappella and beatboxing was too much
I applaud this for uniqueness of concept, making heavy use of a capella. And I do think for what it is, it succeeds on many fronts. However, for me this isn't what I'm going in for. The high points are really high -- Where is the Line, Who Is It, Mouths Cradle. But much of this falls into some weird artsy space that, while not necessarily "bad," isn't something I particularly enjoy. Also some of the a capella experimentation is unnerving as shit (e.g., the weird ass grunting on Ancestors). And even when the a capella works, I can't help but feel like its some weird early 2010s Justin Timberlake. Low 3 for me.
Where is the Line? is an insano song. Desired Constellation is a great one. Instrumentals remind me of Radiohead. This is a crazy unique album so far. Not the biggest fan of her groans but sometimes it really does work for the song with the layerings of it. Unfortunately it doesn't work for me on other songs like Ancestors. Bjork is weird af but certainly different.
Some very interesting vocal experiments on here, but it's not something I'd listen to often. It's also not one I'd recommend to someone who doesn't already like Bjork. Not sure why this was picked over Vespertine and Homogenic. But I guess it does get some extra points for being unique.
Der er et eller andet dragende ved Björks vokal. Den er ikke klassisk smuk, og hendes udtale bærer tydeligt præg af at engelsk ikke er hendes modersmål. Men på en eller anden måde gør det bare den mere spændende. Det er ikke de mest fængende sange hun har komponeret, men som et aktivt lyt kan det noget. Som baggrundsmusik bliver det ligegyldigt.
ancestors scared me to death... I have to admit it's interesting, but what an effort — I guess it's not something you can listen to in the car.
Overall a decent album. The vocals and production around them sounded ethereal. No one track really stood out and would be in my daily rotation but I could listen to this album and enjoy it every now and then.
Really cool, interesting, wouldn’t hurry to listen again to every song. Reminded me of Radiohead, but with better stories? But the songs weren’t as gripping. Very unique
Very weird.
Definitely unique, that's for sure. Impressive creativity, a good experience hearing something so different than the mainstream, though a challenge due to its oddity. This is also my first exposure to Bjork, I think have more instruments. Sounded like almost every sound on this on was vocals.
Da muemer innere spezielle Stimmig sii, zum das lose. Kreativität und Einzigartigkeit top.
ok bin ja mal gspannt hahaha ja es ischo seehr speziell, na komischer als s andere album HAHAHAHA de beatboxer😭 geg de schluss wo sies immer wiederholt findi het na öppis? damn mehreri nr. 1 spots, scho crazy okay, de beatboxer isch chli weniger uffällig desired constellation findi seehr krass das hyperventiliere im hindergrund findi scho seeehr speziell aber iwie na cool? mouths cradle hani jz doch sehr ahstrengend gfunde hahaha HAHAHAHAHA TRIUMPH OF A HEART ISCH JA MEGA COOL jaaa als excperience cool. wird ichs nomal welle lose? weniger
Bjork doing her thing … I liked it 👍
I respect it, but wouldn't listen again
Bjork really isn’t for me, but I actually quite enjoyed this… until it got towards the end. The last half of the album reminds me of everything I dislike about Bjork, but the first half had some really lovely songs. Really stuck on what to rate this because a 2 seems kind of harsh for the first half of the album but a little generous for the latter. A 2.5 would be perfect, but I think I have to round up this time. Even the parts I didn’t like I still preferred to other Bjork albums.
Second Bjork album to appear on this list if memory serves me…Iceland should be very proud.
Love her voice, but prefer earlier releases, they have much more music on then. This one is mostly acapella-beatboxing, which is beautiful, still not relistenable at all.
A wild, discordant, and innovative a cappella prance. It’s remarkable where they take it and what they’re not afraid to do. She definitely is a singular artist. There aren’t two Bjorks around.
I dug this album and the vibes of Björk! Overall, I enjoyed this listen but I feel like I would need to give it a few more listens for it to grow on me. I would recommend this to others if you are looking to spice up your range of music that you listen to.
I did not really like it. But I must admit it is very creative. Therefore a 3.
Experimental, difficult, minimalist, raw... Bjork is definitely not for everyone, I like her other albums more.
I really tried hard to like this one because I love Bjork. But it was just too scattered for me.
It's not bad. I don't find it particularly challenging like others have. It's really well put together for what it is. But it's also not THAT exciting. Bjork's output, if nothing else, always remains interesting.
Obscure but cool
Björk is super talented. I like her music okay.
Typical Bjork weirdness, included some interesting a-capella-type stuff
Very artsy Dont love the strained voice it's a lot even if i like the style and artsiness but yea cant help it ig
Hier geht es mir ähnlich wie mit Nick Cave. Hatte schon Mal versucht mich in Björks Musik reinzufinden und bin gescheitert. Die erste Hälfte dieses Albums hat mir extrem gut gefallen. Ich weiß nicht ob es eventuell besser als EP funktioniert hätte aber mittlerweile bin ich den A Cappella Sounds Müde
An interesting but not my type of album. I enjoyed the listen though.
Always interesting
I'm not feeling this one as much as other Bjork releases I've listened to. Not bad, but not compelling.
Pretty good! I like her music. Can't say I'd listen to it often.
Super cool album. Lots to like here, the weak points were pretty low for me. I’d listen to this again, but doesn’t feel essential to me. Bjork has won me over though, between this and “Debut”
Got to be good
Really interesting, ambitious, and impressive; it's just that I don't necessarily want to listen to all of it in one swoop. I find 'Who Is It?' particularly spine-tingling. Ultimately, acapella won't be for everyone even if it can be admired more than enjoyed.
Better than I expected going into it. Some all-time bjork tracks with some rubbish/uninteresting tracks mixed in there. The highlights would be better if she just used a drum machine instead of the a cappella/beatbox stuff going on here.
Now, a 3-star rating looks pretty boring. And usually, the albums I end up giving this rating to are boring indeed. Easy and decently pleasant to listen to, but ultimately rather uneventful and forgettable. This one however is the exact opposite of that, so I feel obliged to add some further context. For the longest time I'd have claimed that I despised a capella music. This genre that refused to make use of the vast variety of beautiful instruments at our disposal, to instead vocalize a caricature of what could have been a plethora of more melodious, more beautiful sounds. I still didn't really like it here, and most of these songs would be more enjoyable if they had richer instrumentals. But it certainly was one of the most interesting and memorable albums I've encountered on this list so far, and it expanded my understanding of what can be done with basically just vocals alone. That being said, most of these songs were fairly egregious to listen to, and I won't revisit those again; however, some of them were actually really nice. I can't rate this much higher because I probably wouldn't want to listen to this album again, but I won't rate it any lower because I sure am glad that I listened to it once.
I will say this was an interesting experiment: try to make the entire album of vocals. I will also say that some of the beatboxing was a little too much to the foreground, which made me frustrated. I wanted to hear the vocals, but the beatboxing felt like it drowned it out. One of the things to make an album 5 stars is its "re-listenability," would you listen to this over and over again? And I can safely say I would not. I didn't think it was terrible, it was an interesting experiment, and I think Björk pulled it off. It's just not something I would come back to. Top tracks: "Pleasure Is All Mine," "Where Is The Line," "Trimuph Of A Heart"
Björk is weird, and this one is weird for Björk, but it did reward closer listen. I'd call it a 3.5, but the "too weird" penalty is going to bring it down to a 3. Favorite tracks: Where Is The Line (cool dark sound), Vökuró, Who Is It, Desired Constellation, Sonnets / Unrealities XI (really for the lyrics - a powerful poem by e.e. cummings - but the music suits the lyrics). Really didn't like Ancestors and the jury's out on Oceania. Finally, Submarine is weird and includes Robert Wyatt. But I repeat myself?
This was better than other bjork stuff I’ve heard so far but still wouldn’t listen to again
I’m confused. I can make myself like it, but should I? Well the album encouraged me to think hard, 3 star.
I did like this album than the previous one. I wouldn’t say I understood Björk any better, but this one had a few more tracks that I could jam out to and enjoyed. I listened to this on a 45 minute car ride and it was actually a decent setting for that. That being said, I did laugh out loud Triumph of a Heart came on, because it sounded so out of place from the rest of the album. That was fun
I like the a capella / pop style in general. Some of the stuff was too weird for me but Triumph of a Heart is an absolute banger.
2.5 stars
Wow there's a lot of Bjork on this list. While I do enjoy her vocals and massively appreciate her unconventional approach to music and songcraft, this album is tougher - I don't necessarily dislike it, but it's virtually *all* vocals and vocal effects, etc. and.... it feels like once a week I say I don't pay much attention to vocals which is true but even with one of the few vocalists that I enjoy listening to it's just a lot to take in. I'd bet this could be some Bjork fans' favourite just because it feels "meta-Bjork" but it's maybe an acquired taste. Major credit for the creativity and unique style (as always) but I'm going for her other albums first. 5/10 3 stars.
Bjork being Bjork. This album is great. Seems like not her best, but it's really good.
"The Pleasure Is Not Mine" The number of voices that Björk has brought together is certainly impressive, but for me the entire work, the album, is a waste of time. For me the album has something "old" about it. In German there is the expression "Old Music", but I think of music from antiquity, perhaps up to the Renaissance. But maybe that's just me. I can definitely get something out of this music. I absolutely love lute music, flutes and voices. But something is missing here, I think it's structure and cohesion. But what really bothers me is the "beatboxing", it's just awful. Anyway, "Medulla" is a great album title and I like the artwork too. For me the music doesn't reach the core and the depth, it bounces off somewhere. Interesting attempt, I'm very torn. With a lot of goodwill, 3 stars.
Bjork is always an interesting listen. Maybe not the most groundbreaking artist, but she definitely knows how to command your attention.
a fascinating album from the enigmatic Bjork. Dense, layered vocals featuring Bjork's unique style, beautiful choral effects and little other instrumentation besides electronic percussion. The vocal layering and Bjork's unique phrasing makes for a statement that completes ignores commerciality to explore this unique artist's vision. Not an easy listen but ultimately I am coming to appreciate its artistry. More listening required 3.5 stars
Technically, impressive and worth listening to, but at least on first listening I was not actually moved.
This is a truly impressive work of art but not necessarily enjoyable to listen to. I'll take Army of Me any day, but I'm kind of lowbrow.
Fine but not my bag
Ok
I wanted to give this a 1 for most of its runtime but by the end I kinda figured out what it was going for
Björk is good in small doses. A whole album can be a bit much but I made it through.
Raw I think is the word? Weird, uncomfortable, and haunting at times. More of an experience than a traditional listening.
A quarter of it is a like an ominous oratorio, evoking murders in dark medieval cathedrals. Could only be constructed by a genius. The rest sounds like Yoko Ono taking a shit.
Bjork is one of the most amazing vocalists and it's on display here. This is not the right starting point for listening to her though. Any of her prior albums is more musical and a more pleasurable listen. This is more conceptual, stunning at times, but takes effort to enjoy
For my first full-length Bjork, this was a challenging one. Not super accessible, it’s a collection of arty and left field “voice music.” Lots of interesting elements and undeniable creativity, but I found getting a toehold difficult.
Bjork is never dull. When this album was released in 2004, I was enthralled by her hyper creativity. Who else makes a popular album where most of the instrumentation is created using only a human voice? Still pretty interesting. The songs are fine enough, but in retrospect I find this be a mid album for her, and it definitely drags in parts. If I had to pick one Bjork album to keep for all eternity, this isn’t it. Highlights include Desired Constellation and Oceania, which if memory serves me correct, was the official song of the 2004 Olympics.
Ich liebe Björk. Sie ist fantastisch, überhaupt nicht Mainstream, kreativ und sooo anders. Das mag ich an ihr. Trotzdem schaffe ich mit diesem Album keinen Zugang. Es ist sehr abwechslungsreich, keine Frage, toll produziert. Aber mein Ohr sagt nein. Für Björk kein Problem. Verstanden.
Björk was 100% herself in this album. I would definitely need to be in a certain mood to listen to this again.
Definitely a few songs I could get into but mostly were too experimental for me
Joa
Ok so definitely a mixed bag for me Really interesting to hear basically an a cappella project from an artist so celebrated for her fusion of electronica/experimental dance music + pop music. But it still feels very singularly Björk Can’t help but miss some of the electronic elements of her prev body of work. The highlights of the album (to me) are songs that meld electronic instrumentals with the layered choral vocals - wish there was more of that Sorry to say it was lowkey giving pentatonix to me at some points
I love Bjork. I do not love this album. For the first time, I think I see what her detractors often complain about. Normally, I love all the clicks, and beeps, and hisses, and strange background noises that are so inherently Bjork. I feel like it gives her music this lush, complex, and full sound that keeps my attention and seasons the experience. In this album, however, they feel like they're just there for the sake of being there instead of improving the overall experience. I was excited when I saw this album pop up, so this isn't a situation where I'm just not in a Bjork mood, this album just doesn't connect with me. At all. I'm loathe to give Bjork lower than a 3 star review, but I don't really ever want to listen to this album again, which means it merits 2 stars. It felt like the second half of the album was getting better, but there are so many songs with weird heavy breathing and grunting and...I'm sorry, Bjork, I love you, but this ain't it.
Finally. A woman. Great album artistically but for some reason I got nausea during it and the vocals did Not help. Her voice is beautiful and I will listen to her other stuff
Weird. Cool.
Sadly, my first reaction to this album was "wait, *another* Bjork album???" I actually enjoy listening to Bjork, in smaller doses I'll admit, so it's kind of disappointing that this collection has created a bit of a Pavlovian reaction to hearing her voice. I'm honestly not sure why we get five Bjork albums (including the Sugarcubes album), but only two Cocteau Twins albums, as they're not all that dissimilar (and frankly one of each would have been enough for this collection). I now realize I've already ranted along the same lines about my Bjork overload with the previous album ("Vespertine" I think), so I should stop now. Although I still can't really understand her lyrics (and frankly I'm pretty sure several of the songs aren't in English), this album *does* seem to differ from her earlier albums in the collection, mainly with fewer pop-oriented beats and the occasional Metroid-Prime-Trilogy-sounding tracks (like "Where is the line"). I don't know Bjork's music well enough to know if the medieval-sounding tracks like "Vokuro" or the nearly a capella "Oll Birtan" became a new direction for her, but it was an interesting change of pace. I also enjoyed finding out that she worked with an Inuit throat singer on some of the tracks, and also worked with both Robert Wyatt (whose album in this collection was a great disappointment for me once I realized he wasn't John Martyn) and Faith No More/Mr. Bungle's Mike Patton. And while I was a bit disappointed the videos for this album weren't nearly as mesmerizing as previous albums (although "Triumph of a heart" is pretty bizarre), the vocal focus certainly demonstrates what an impressive range she has.
She is unique, for sure. Don't know that I would listen to this again but appreciated the creativity. At least its not 80s britpop. 3/5
Interesting voice with a great range, dont like her songs tho lol
Well that was certainly an experience.
Bjorky
Decent. A fascinating concept for an album. Although my reaction is mild.
Was it intersting? Yes. Will I listen to it again? No.
This gets three stars because one, it’s Bjork; two, she’s trying something genuinely different and unexpected; and three, there are bits of it that I like and it’s overall inoffensive. That being said, this really isn’t my cup of tea. The incessant beatboxing also makes it sound very “early 2000’s” and not in a good way.
Fell asleep listening to this. Enjoy Björks voice, she is creative with it, this album has an ASMR quality to it. It’s jarring in some places but generally enjoyable.
Björk is cool because she takes risks and the nature of taking risks is that sometimes they don't land. I think this is probably my least favourite of hers we have done - there were some tracks that didn't land. Still not bad though and the overall atmosphere is cool and still very Björk-ey.
pleasure is all mine- hm. 5 show me forgiveness- 5 where is the line- what if the joker could beatbox. 4 vokuro- 5 oll birtan- 4 who is it- 3 submarine- 3 desired constellation- 3 oceania- 5 im sorry bjork i dont get it
3/5
I hated this when I first heard it a while back. It grew on me in parts, I think the first time you hear Desired Constellation it's hard not to be moved. After 20 minutes if purely vocals to have the softest, gentlest bit underneath some very emotional singing, wow. I wish the album had more moments like that. There are some really weak points though. The grunting in Ancestors really brings the album down. I think this probably should be a 2* at best, but still it's inclusion on the list makes sense. An album were almost every instrument is someone's mouth. Needs to be heard to be believed. One extra star for that reason.
эхь
The point at which bjork veered to far into interesting and away from listenable It’s not boring but I can’t imagine wanting to listen to it much again
Not very consistent and too experimental without much things really grounding it. Has some amazing tracks, but not much else is too good on here besides that. B
Half this album was a 5, the other half is a little on the self indulgent. I liked it on a whole though, just not sure how often I’d return to it. Post is still Bjork’s best, and probably the only one I ever return to (so far). 3.5
Weird, as all Björk is, but not bad. Probably won’t revisit, but I’m glad to have heard it.
Not my favorite from her but still very interesting
Very intriguing acapella album with some cool vocal effects and harmonising. Not sure I'd listen to this repeatedly so will give 3* but it definitely belongs on the list
This is a super interesting idea that for the most part absolutely works. Also, listening to this with headphones is crazy for the sections with the beatboxing. Not sure what was going on during Ancestors. Favorite songs were Where Is The Line, Who Is It, Oceania, and Triumph Of A Heart.
It’s unfortunate I’ve only had one opportunity to talk about Björk so far. The choices out of her albums that made the list are also strange. Vespertine and the debut are totally justifiable, but no Post or Homogenic should be criminal. Medúlla would probably be one of the last picks for many fans. Simply because it is so drastically different from her previous works. Following up a record as monumental as Vespertine would be a challenge for any artist, let alone someone as talented as Björk. But it doesn’t seem like she let any potential expectations get to her. She claimed she wanted to move away from the realms of traditional instrumentation and make something based on vocals. It was an idea she knew she would one day put together since she was 18. And create a vocal based album she did. Maybe to the furthest extent that I’ve ever heard such a mainstream artist go. This really does abandon what most would consider the typical conventions of music and just focuses solely on the singing aspect. Even for her standards, this is still an unconventional piece of music. You’d be hard pressed to find another record on the list that uses beatboxing in even remotely the same way, if at all. Now, A cappella is by no means my wheelhouse. But I can’t deny that some of her strongest vocal performances she’s ever recorded are found here. It reminded me that the voice is just as much an instrument as anything else. But I’ll also be honest and say that this is one of the least memorable releases of her career. As a full album from front to back, it might work better. But on an individual track to track basis, it doesn’t work so well. And this is coming from someone who adores this woman. Even I can see the artistry at display here, but I can also see why this is often not included with the rest of the heavy hitters. It’s a really interesting case study into how the human brain works and evolves in such a way that allows someone to create art like this. I wish I had more positive things to say, but I’m not going to pretend this is some masterpiece, because it just simply isn’t. Rating: 6/10
Its ok, but doesn't work that well.
Y'know, it's not that I dislike a cappella music. That one album by The Bobs I heard, that arrangement of Richard Cheese's "Gimme That Nutt" cover, the CRASH TWINSANITY soundtrack, that version of Lil Nas X's "MONTERO"... Those are all goofy, quirky examples, yeah — maybe not the best frame to go into a serious, artsy Björk album with — but still: I can and do tolerate mouth music. So, if I have any problem with this album; if there's any reason I kept hesitating between putting on the next side, it's not its concept, experiment and/or gimmick, but more the fact that I largely think the music's pretty boring, actually. There's exceptions, naturally; I rather dug the dancier tracks, like "Where Is The Line", "Who Is It", "Triumph Of A Heart"... Y'know, the ones with the beatbox behind them. But the rest... Ehh, it might all just be a bit too serious and artsy for my taste. I'm really not much one for solemnly considering music, and that's probably why all of my previous a cappella experiences are so quirky. Like, goodness, at least VULNICURA had those gorgeous, transcendental strings to pull me through. I do think the human voice can be very pretty, but moments of that for me are few and far between here. "Sonnets / Unrealities XI", maybe "Ancestors"... Those are really the only two I can think of. Like, I don't wanna be too hard on this thing and call the experiment a complete failure. There's a small handful of tunes here I can say I dug, which automatically disqualifies it from a 2 or lower. But on the whole, I just wish my group could've gotten something more engaging for our 300th album generated. Well, I can always hope for #400.
Hi points for originality and innovation, but the album sort plays the way high art looks or the way fine dinning seems at times. It wasn't the most digestible album for me.
is this music to drive to? no. to study to? no. to dance to? no. but it IS music to give birth in a cemetery while tripping on ketamine to. i suspect this will be our lowest rated album yet, but björk was never for the boys. very impressive for 2004. fave song: triumph of a heart
Harking back to the forgotten epoch of the Sugarcubes I became intrigued by Björk's manic pixie personality and her uncharacteristic vocal style. Björk's solo records captivated my imagination (also thanks to her video collaborations with Michel Gondry) and hooked me as a devoted fan, especially culminating for me in Vespertine. With Medúlla, released 20 years ago now, her artistic progression outpaced what I was ready to handle. It was only within the last few years that I got around to listening to Medúlla and many of her subsequent records, when I was ready to try catching up. Of course she has only continued to progress, and she is entirely unrecognizable, non-figuratively, since she's obsessed with flamboyantly embellished mask-art. The concept of a thoroughly a capella 'electronic' album is astonishing, with incessant "I can't believe my ears" epiphanies. Yes, this record is genius. No, I can't rate it highly (yet) because my capacity to enjoy it is underdeveloped.
I mean, it sounds like Bjork. I do find this album interesting but it's not something I'd ever go out of my way to hear again. Once is good.
Mjög skrítið en á köflum dálítið einhæft. Of undarlegt til að fá ekki annan séns. 3,5.
Nothing spoke to me. Not bad. Not good.
wanted to like it so bad
Not one of my favorite Bjork albums. Much more into Debut and Post. I dismissed it on release, but on re-listen I did find some interest in the a cappella of the album.
I had never heard this album until now. It started to grow on me but I think I need more time to sit with it and really absorb it. So it’s a 3 right now but am assuming it will click at some point as most of her other albums have.
Nice
It's a challenging one for sure. I'm sure Bjork has been described as 'haunting', 'ethereal' and other such adjectives and both are true of this album.
I’d describe my listening experience as an anxiety attack
I respect Björk for being ambitious and daring. This album while it doesn’t always click is definitely ambitious and daring. For that, it gets a passing grade but I do have to be in the right mindset to listen to it.
Enjoyable
Arty and intriguing. Also arty and tedious. And last song very nearly ruins the arty vibe, the mix of vespers with human beatboxing being too weird to work well.
мне крикливо чем другая Бьорк, но повторять не будем)
A beautiful album.
I respect Bjork for making unique creative experimental music which I always like but Ive never loved. A few have been amazing but just not my thing. Albums is good and she is an artist more than anything else full complete artist.
Bien que j'aime Björk et les trucs plus expérimentaux parfois, je suis moins fan de celui-ci que bien d'autres de ses albums. Je le trouve trop étranges par moments et c'est surtout les chants vraiment étranges de Björk qui me dérangent sur cet album. 5/10
weird but in a good way. Not an album I would listen to over and over again, but I’m definitely glad I listen to it at least once.
Extraña experiencia.
Unique
Avant-garde, mental, weirdly compelling. I mean there are tunes here and she just does her mad thing. It’s worth listening to. Really.
This was not my kind of weird, but I like the concept and can appreciate the artistry in the execution; wouldn’t listen again though
I love Bjork but this is the fifth time she's popping up on this list. I'll undoubtedly enjoy this to some extent but we need to broaden our horizons. And not with another drum n bass album. Also - that Lithonia video. The choice that's made here. Because it's already a song that feels like it is reaching outside of Gambino's usually wheelhouse. And it sounds great doing it! Like a vaporwave emo song? And so then to go where they go with it. Pretty strong.
The same auld blarney from Björk, this time with an emphasis on the human voice. Fine, except I don't like the sounds that emanate from Björk's food hole. Too often, she brings to mind a precocious but annoying child. Still, I applaud the concept, and some of the production sparkles. If you want a truly madcap a capella album - made under far more trying circumstances - then give Todd Rundgren's 'A Capella' a go; an album where every single noise originates from Rundgren's mouth.
Exposure to Björk, which is something. Always here her brought up as a pivotal figure in music, but never really heard much of her stuff. Can't say I feel like I've missed out until now. It was ok. Very well produced and technical, but it never really captivated me.
Thats Björk, great voice but sometimes strange for me
Cool concept but maybe better on paper than in practice. The singles work well but a lot of the album was too weird for me.
I really wanted to like this like I do her other albums, but she's stronger with instruments. The vocal intervals she keeps repeating are tough on the brain. Still, I appreciate the claustrophobic, liminal humanity she was going for. Love the artwork, too.
A capella, instrumental, elektronica Mix. Okay to listen once.
Björks always a tough one. Definitely avant garde, so it won’t be everyone’s (or anyone’s) cup of tea. That said, I enjoy her music. Or experiments. You never really know what. 3/5 for how out there and creative this album is. Would I listen to it again? Yeah at some point.
Alluring. Enchanting. Is Bjork a siren?
I really wasn't looking forward to listening to a mostly acapella Björk album. The beatboxing elements on Where Is The Line & Triumph Of A Heart worked really well, so 3 stars just for those
This was so weird but I listened to it when I was emotional and honestly I loved it. I feel like I understood what she was singing about. But I don’t think I’d like this regularly.
Even more Björky than usual!
Weird, I kind of like some song, others not so much
Listened Before? N What an interesting piece of work. Yes, I know, it's Bjork so it's going to be interesting. This one is extra unique though. I actually really enjoyed it but it was a bit of a challenge to listen to the whole thing in one sitting. I took a few breaks and continued on later. There's a lot of layers and complexity here and honestly she's probably a genius. Bonus ports for Mike Patton having a background role here. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Oceana
Funny, I'd never listened to a Bjork album until 4 days ago. Now the all mighty generator gives me another one today. This isn't my cup of tea but you have to tip your hat to the creativity and talent it takes to write an entire album of numbers like this. Triumph of a Heart is particularly enjoyable. Pixie disco land.
Weird, but not really bad
weird
Damn. That's something. Really hard to listen to all at once. I'm going to give her a shot on different albums.
I don't understand her style but I can't say it's bad.
I thought I would hate this and I didn’t. The throat singing wasn’t for me, but the rest was fine to good. Favorite track was Who Is It.
I’m sure I listened to this when it came out and may have revisited it once since then, but mostly I stick to earlier Bjork. In relisten, I still thought it was just okay.
Some of the sounds she gets from pure vocals are impressive! I had a few moments where I had to remind myself there's no instruments. That being said, is this a great album that is drawing me back for repeat listens? I don't think so. Bjork has done more memorable work, and acapella songs have never really worked for me personally.
A surprising amount of beatboxing used as Base beats. What I enjoyed most however, was the native language saw with no beats and only vocals.
3.75
Absolute dog poop
Incredibly ambitions, fairly avant-garde in parts. Listenable, but not my favorite by her.
I get Bjork is cool and innovative, but it seems too cerebral.
Sgu en kooky plade! Hate her or love her men hun kan nogen vilde ting med sin stemme. Måske lidt all over the place men dybt imponerende.
Strange and ethereal. Probably won’t listen again but it was worth the listen.
This is a dense album and very unique but it has some gems if you are willing to give it a chance. Not exactly something I'd seek out to listen to but I can see why people would like it.
She’s creepy and she’s kooky, Mysterious and spooky, She’s all together Bjooky.
much oblongata, I'm sure
This is somewhat difficult to listen to, but it's brilliant. Bjork has several musical phrases she repeats that work but get old to me. But the arrangement and the choice of vocal accompanyment is really interesting. I don't really love her voice, but it is effective. Ancestors is choral mastery. I had to hear it twice. Here's the thing though, I won't come back to hear this again. Three stars for the masterful effort though.
Hard to opine on this. Parts of it are brilliant, but weird as shit too. I imagine this is what a well orchestrated orgy sounds like.
Much better than expected. Last album by Bjork on this lost was one of my lowest point, thoughts of quitting this challenge were as tempting as ever. And I was afraid this album might be the last nail in the coffin. But surprisingly, even though this record is still very much experimental and 'artsy', it's also much more user friendly, and actually pretty entertaining at times. I like the use of the choir, Bjork's vocal is very nicely complimented by it, and the very laconic music suits it pretty well. Still, I wouldn't want to listen to it more often than necessary, but overall it was an average experience (which is a big compliment, when looked at my history with Icelandic singer).
What a strange album that had me thinking a bit about how much I enjoyed it. Some parts are cool (best in show here is Triumph of a Heart, followed by Where is the Line? and Oceania), and it only hit me maybe 20 mins in that this is an a cappella. There were other parts leaving me scratching my head and ready to move on. Of the two Bjork albums I've had so far, I much preferred Debut. This had it's moments, however, and was worth the listen.
Viel zu komplex. Braucht man vier Ohren und zwei Hirne für.
I once tried to learn to beatbox. The only thing I learned was how to pronounce a sound in my language that I was pronouncing wrong. Unique and confusing. It's very interesting, although sometimes the layered voices don't sound like they work together, but more like one vocal track tries to outscream another. Great concept that didn't do much for me. Tagaq could voice hollows in Made in Abyss
it's strange even for björk too much acapella
I agree with one reviewer further down here, the album is very hard to review. It’s kind of cool in its weirdness, but I can’t see myself playing the album nor any of the tracks ever again. Vokuro reminds me of Myrkur, and is one of the highlights. Where is the Line is all over the place and I kind of like it in all its weirdness. Who is it is the closest we get to a «normal» pop song and hits fine. On the other hand we’ve got Oll Birtan, Ancestors and Submarine, which make no sense and have nothing remotely close to a hook. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it, rated 3
Thoughts before listening: I've never really listened to Bjork. I mean I know her bigger 90s alt rock songs, but I've never actually listened to a full album. It always seemed like it would be over my head or something. I know Debut and Post get most of the love (and contain the songs I'd recognize) so it'll be interesting see what this one is all about. Review: Oh yeah...the fully acapella Bjork album. This was probably the point when I decided Bjork just wasn't going to be for me. On a listen through this morning I was probably right. I mean it's objectively good with Bjork having an amazing unique voice, but this just isn't the type of music I'm ever going to sit around listening to. That being said, this made for a solid album to mow the lawn to this morning. 3-stars.
Easy listening this ain't. Profoundly discordant and disturbing, the album requires a combination of forced curiosity and willpower to get through. There is, however, no doubting the astonishing creativity on show here but I'm not convinced that 45 minutes couldn't be better spent. At the same time.....when it IS a little more accessible ("Who Is It"), it can be excellent.
Do yourself a favor and listen to this with some good headphones. I had some reservations upon getting this album, and I imagine the reviews will be VERY mixed prior to looking, but I enjoyed this slightly more than I expected to. This album is almost entirely all a cappella, with help from plenty of other voice talent throughout. Yes it's weird (this is Björk after all), and I'll admit I felt uncomfortable at times with some of the lyrics and strange...breathing/sounds heard throughout (oh God what the fuck was 'Ancestors' even?). At the end of the day, my experience listening could be described as somehow both ethereal and confusing. Guess I'll go right down the middle then.
Gear: Moondrop Variations Mix: Björk muss ein richtiger Headphones-Nerd sein. Der Mix ist kein glücklicher Zufall. Musik: verwirrende, fast vollständige mit A capella und Beatbxoing gebaute Song-Labyrinthe - ohne volle Konzentration findet man da weder raus noch rein Wertung: 🦄🦄🦄(🦄)/5
We have gotten too much Bjork in too short a time. That's what I was thinking to myself as I listened to this. That is...until the last song which had a really fun beat to it. I have to keep reminding myself that she is the witch in Northman so I need to respect her.
The kind of artistic stunt that I'm not surprised Bjork was actually able to pull off. It's got some great moments as well as some that are difficult to listen through, but an all vocal album that still sounds artistic and not like Glee or Pentatonix is a success
Your sweat is salty, I am the reason
I didn't want to enjoy this. I've never got my head around Björk . But I loved the creativity as each track builds up. It's not exactly sing-a-long classics. Being challenged is never a bad thing. She's a one.
Очень динамичный альбом. Хотя альбом оказался в местном списке, есть ощущение, что его немного недооценивают на фоне Vespertine и всех предыдущих, отчего я, при всей любви к ней, до сих пор его не слушал. Здесь есть, конечно, странные моменты, вроде Ancestors, но в общем и целом такая Bjork мне сильно понятнее, чем ее пост-Vulnicura эра. Лучшая песня - Where Is The Line.
One of my three stars in my overall rating (I'm shocked I'm giving a Bjork album three stars) is due specifically to the melodic, haunting quality that Bjork and company's vocals create on Medulla. This is, as a Reddit user stated, very much a "headphones album." You need to wear some while listening to truly appreciate that. The throat singer Tagaq has some very impressive vocal (throat?) work throughout. The singles ("Who Is It," "Triumph of a Heart") as well as the song "Oceanic" (performed live during the 2004 Olympics opening ceremonies, I forgot about that) hold their own--and the layered vocals on basically every track are certainly interesting throughout. The lyrics are nothing I can consider anything but confusing. This was unsurprising, given Bjork is, well, Bjork. "Ancestors" is by far the most disarming song on this album and contains more musical panting and grunting than I was ever prepared for. Random observation: I swear the glitchy synth loop in Desired Constellation is wildly similar to the Nintendo Wii menu music! Does anyone else hear that too? Ultimately Medulla feels, to me, like auditory performance art more than an album of songs. It's anything but traditional, and I know Bjork wouldn't have it any other way. Interesting factoids from Wikipedia: *Björk intended to make an album almost entirely a cappella constructed with human vocals, in opposition to the previous album's intense process of composition and multiple layers of instrumentation. *The album's title derives from the Latin word for "marrow". *Whilst working on initial ideas for the album, an eight-months pregnant Björk began adding her own live drumming to arrangements that already had several instruments. She then started muting the instruments, and liked the result of it. *She was inspired by paganism, and the idea of returning to a universe that is entirely human, without tools or religion or nationalities. "I wanted the record to be like muscle, blood, flesh. We could be in a cave somewhere and one person would start singing, and another person would sing a beat and then the next person sing a melody, and you could just kind of be really happy in your cave. It's quite rootsy", she added. *American R&B singer Beyoncé was planned to be featured on the album as well, but she did not appear due to scheduling issues. When asked what she liked about Beyoncé, Björk stated that "[Medúlla] is an album about voices, and she's got the most amazing voice." Standouts: Who Is It (Carry My Joy On The Left, Carry My Pain On The Right), Desired Constellation, Oceania, Triumph Of A Heart
Oblongata
More quirky weirdness from Björk - an album consisting only of human vocals with no instruments whatsoever. However, it's still her usual haunting meolodies and vocals.
Good
I like Björk, it's not the best I've heard from her though.
This can only be described as a trip. Björk obviously has an amazing voice, but a lot of these songs didn't use it to her fullest. The weird mix of beat boxing and the obsession with trying to put the most random sounds into songs definitely brought this down. In saying that, The final track Triumph Of A Heart, somehow works really really well. It shouldn't, but it does.
Experimental, poppy, trance-like
Crazy
I love Bjork and I really respect what she did with this vocal-only album. But it doesn't fully work in its entirety, just individual songs ("Who is it" is my favorite)
Tbh didn’t feel super strongly about this which is kinda disappointing, I definitely do not appreciate the creative choices being made but doesn’t extemely hit or miss 5/10
kinda liked it but it was a little too weird for me at times, she has a really good voice though 6.5/10
Very innovative album. The layered singing and sounds are bizarre. I can see the appeal. Almost reminds me a bit of the singer of portishead. Not really sure this was my cup of tea but I can see how someone can find this groundbreaking. 3.33
Ethereal and strange. Made more sense when I read about what she was trying to do, but not very accessible on a first listen. I love her though.
High point: Who Is It Low point: Ancestors
Interesting album. Some of it works, some doesn't.
Less out there experimental than I remember. OK for Ms Gudmundsdottir.
File this in the basket marked 'challenging'
Björk has their fans. And I applaud that. I also applaud the musicianship and creativity on display here.
This is one to return to cause it’s interesting, but was just not ready for bjork in the morning
Had some really goods songs, like Who Is It? But it was just too slow and weird in general. Missed some more upbeat songs to break the monotony.
When it all comes together, Björk's music can really click and resonate with me. Often though, I find myself wishing for a bit more consistency of tracks. 3/5
I really do like Bjork but this album was just ok. I'm not sure why it's on the list. :(