Medúlla

Never got the whole Björk thing, so let’s see how we go. First couple of tracks are her (I assume) classic weird vocal stuff. Track 3 has a bit of a beat and sounds like a trance version of The Frog Chorus. Decent. Who Is It is also quite good - it’s the first track that resembles an actual song anyway. When her tunes have a beat and a modicum of structure, they aren’t bad and are interesting in a beard-scratchy way. But so many of her tracks sound like Kate Bush warbling over a shit Massive Attack B-side. I just don’t get it, but I respect it. I like weird shite, but her shite is just too weird. Her level of popularity seems completely out of whack with the mad music she makes. You do you babes, doesn't mean I have to like it. Highlights: Where is the line, Who is it, Triumph of the heart (Those highlights read like a night of overdoing bad chisel)

As a bit of a Bjork fan (mostly her 90s stuff) I was looking forward to revisiting this as haven't listened to it since it came out and I wasn't much of a fan at the time. It's very weird and idiosyncratic but not really an engaging listen. Its one of those albums that is impressive rather than enjoyable and feels more of an exercise in what can be done with the human voice rather than a collection of songs to be enjoyed. Highlights: Most of the songs with Rahzul beatboxing. Some great beats on those. Who Is It, Where is the Line, Mouths Cradle, Triumph of the Heart. Lowlights: A few of the songs are completely unlistenable. Ancestors was the main offender here. Hard to review as I think it's an impressive artistic achievement but I wouldn't want to listen to it all again bar the odd song. I can't give it a 1 because it's better than Travis and The xx

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

very compositionally interesting. not bjork’s best, but a very neat album.

Dick got wet

Say what you want… Experimental…Original…Ambitious…Imaginative…Creative… It may be all of that, but not in a good way. To me me it’s just plain weird and horrible. Not enjoyable at all.

I just love this. Bjork has such a stature in the music industry that she can say that she wants to make an entirely "acapella" album, and she's going to have queues of musicians crawling over themselves just to get the chance to work with her. Her creativity is unbounded, and her discernment in selecting good collaborators is incredible. Medúlla reminds me of one of my favorite music composition techniques/experimentation. Get four musicians in the room, each with their main instrument. Create sixteen bars of improvisational music. Each musician gets a turn to play four bars of long notes, four bars medium, and four bars staccato. The final set of four is for the musician to play a solo on any instrument that they do not play. Take turns, repeat as long as you care to. You get a group together with any chemistry at all, and this is unbridled fun. I listened to this album twice immediately. The layers, the execution, the pure Bjorkitude of it all creates a sublime listening experience. I understand that this sort of music isn't for everyone, but it absolutely is for me.

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.

Un viaje, muy flashero. Con suerte hay dos instrumentos en todo el disco, es raro, va.

эхь

Not good. Hard to listen to.

Björk Truly is something else

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

Listening to Bjork is like stumbling into a room full of people who are far smarter than you and listening in. You learn something, you feel like you are probably getting about 70% of whats going on and am ok with that and you hope in a few years it makes more sense when you've caught up. I love her independence, the absolute drive forward, the energy and production quality. At times it did sound like i was listening to a christmas album from a world filled with orcs and elves, but thats not necessarily a bad thing.

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

Nah.

Bjork es una figura fascinante en la música contemporánea. Por muchos motivos, sus obras abarcan estilos y corrientes variadas pero todas de enorme valor y calidad. Si bien sus tres pimeros discos son más accesibles y junto a Vespertine serían los más recomendables para iniciarse en su mundo (Sugarcubes al margen), este Medulla es otra obra de arte. Sucede a Volta, un disco que no estaba a la altura de la trilogía inicial, pero no deja de ser un buen álbum. Sin instrumentos, solo voces (y un gong), con la participación de colaborades tan dispares como Mike Patton (Pleasure is all Mine y Where is the Line) o Robert Wyatt (Submarine), lejos de ser un debe se integra en el concepto del álbum. Hay de todo: techno en Triumph of a Heart, Vokuro que es una vieja canción islandesa para piano con un coro de 20 voces, Oceania un tema que sirvió para las Olimpiadas de Atenas. Un gran disco. Otros discos de 2004: Heroes to Zeros de The Beta Band, Nick Cave- Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus, Arcade Fire- Funeral, Wilco – A Ghost Is Born, Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand, Tom Waits – Real gone, Morrissey - You are the quarry. También: Sonic Youth- Sonic Nurse, TV on the radio- Desperate, Youth, Blood, Green Day - American Idiot, Bart Davenport – Game Preserve, Interpol – Antics, Modest Mouse – Good news for people who love bad news, Brian Wilson – Smile, Lambchop – Aw c’mon / No you c’mon, The Dears – No cities left, The Divine Comedy – Absent friends, The Delgados – Universal audio, Kasabian-Kasabian, The Organ - The Organ, Adan Green - Friends of mine, Ye (Kanye West)- The College dropout, Keane- Hopes and feras, Pinback-Summer in Abaddon...

Björk gets five

wtf

Not for me. Just a bunch of badly arranged sounds in my opinion. Not enough quality to be able to hide behind the avant garde label

Not for me

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

This one felt terminally bjorky, the kid A of bjork. So stripped back that most of the time it was just her singing with a drum machine. Sometimes not even a drum machine. Definitely wasn't in the mood for this but even then I think it wasn't as good as previous albums, particularly the first quiet one. It was interesting sometimes, so 1.5 for that. Would not listen again.

One of the better of the far too many Bjork albums on this list. I quite enjoyed how almost un-listenable it is. The quieter tracks were the better ones.

Holy shit that's Bjork alright! Too Bjork for her own good at times, "ancestors" was mainly weird grunts and breathing.... I think I did enjoy "Oceania" though. Was there some actual beat boxing in there? Thought it was but could've been synthetic. You don't hear that too often. At times interesting, but can't give more than 2. Too out there for me

Weird, as all Björk is, but not bad. Probably won’t revisit, but I’m glad to have heard it.

Weird

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

Weird as shit, cool as shit. It isn't too often you hear something this weird and unpredictable. Favorites were Who Is It, Oceania, and Triumph of a Heart

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.

Pop, Rock, Ballade, getragen, 2004 -> 2

5/5. Bjork really is hit or miss and fortunately this one was a hit for me. The sparse vocals and minimalistic instrumentation really challenges Bjork to make it interesting all on her own. Her beautiful and strange vocals shine through and with an album that has very little instrumentation, it feels all the more powerful for it. The features and background vocals stand out on each track. The layering is beautiful and the album is so well produced, each sound clear and not abrasive or too quiet. It does flow together very nicely but because of that I do lose my place and forget how many songs have passed. It doesn't bother me as I am going to enjoy going back to relisten to this one and fall back into admiring her talent. Best Song: Who Is It, Where Is The Line, Öll Birtan

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy pushing my own boundaries when discovering new music and genres. While I can appreciate how experimental and bold this is, I can safely say I'll never revisit it. At times the various elements (instruments?) come together in a real dissonant or tedious way. Vokuro is pretty. Surprisingly, I'm still interested in hearing some of her other stuff.

Somehow better than most bjork shit but still pretty bad. Parts of it sound cool but then I realized I was just thinking of how much more I like panda bear. Will not be listening to again

If it's my good friend Box's favorite, then it deserves a 5

Fucking hell that was annoying. I don’t care if it harks back to ancestral arse trumpet breathing or troll wanking, this wouldn’t have been out of place between water boarding and stress positions in Guantanamo!

The noise. Please stop the noise.

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.

One part Experimental Björk and one part a capella equals a wonderfully ethereal sort of record. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. This is the second time we’ve gotten Bjork, and this is a much, much different album than Vulnicura. I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. This is a really ballsy album to try and pull off, and frankly, she succeeded entirely at what she set out to do – every instrument here is a voice. Some of it processed to hell and back, but impressive all the same. It gives every track a uniform sound, but not a uniform style, and the versatility that she explores throughout this album is kind of remarkable given its general somber and almost spiritually driven tone. I could be misreading the album as somber though – I’m just going off the vibe of most of the tracks, a lot of which feel slow, intentional, breathy, and a bit held, as if to give everything its own space to shine. The exception to this is obviously Triumph of a Heart, and in a way, I’m glad she reserved herself from making more tracks like that – it makes that one stand out, feel special, and connect really well as the final track of the overall experience. I definitely hit the zen state a few times while listening here, but I think the album didn’t do a great job of keeping me in it – for as ambitious as this is, it does fall apart under its own weight a few times. There’s some production choices I disagree with, and there’s a number of times where the melodic structure is lost (albeit intentionally) in favor of a slightly off-beat rhythm that never quite found the balance between musically pleasing and captivating for me. Make no mistake, though – this is a captivating album. It’s 45 minutes that’ll sort of take you every which way, but you have to be willing to go along with the journey. I don’t necessarily blame anyone who could give this a 2, because it is abrasive, unnatural, and discomforting, but if you’re willing to accept that, it’s an enjoyable enough listen on the strength of its ambition. Anyone giving this a 1 is just too afraid to be challenged by music. For me, it’s a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4, if only because I respect its ambition so much, and I was genuinely really captivated by the album. It’s not strong enough to carry its own weight and its own concepts for the full 45 minutes, but when this album is rolling, it’s a beautifully layered mess that’s a treat to listen to. Even when it’s not rolling, it’s just a layered mess that’s technically sound, and that’s still an interesting listen in its own right. I liked it, what can I say?

Can't put my fingers on it but there's something very unpleasant sounding in this album.

It’s Björk. Very creative and interesting. Who Is It is a great song. Overall it’s ambitious, but it ant not my favorite of hers. Gotta be a 4/5 though.

I hate this crap.

Fuck off

This is Bjork’s exploration of the human voice. While that exploration doesn’t yield my favorite collection of her songs, the exception being “Desired Constellation” which in my opinion is a masterpiece, it is still a journey that I’ll happily and repeatedly take with her at the helm. Rahzel, Mike Patton, Dokaka and Tonya Tagaq’s contributions are phenomenal and to hear all of these talented musicians making music together is the selling point to this album. The choir’s also sound incredible through out. Highlights for me are “Where Is The Line,” “Pleasure Is All Mine” “Who Is It…” “Desired Constellation” and “Triumph Of A Heart”. Overall I think this album works best with headphones or some high quality speakers turned up so you are fully immersed in the many vocal layers. Singling out certain performances and being able to focus on them is a challenge at times but when you do it’s always like finding a hidden gem within a cavern of sound. This may not be my favorite Bjork album, it’s still worth a 5 for me. I really hope Vespertine is on this list.

Yes! This is a top 3 Bjork album for me. All vocals, strange, beautiful, magnificent. Loaded with great guest artists. Up until this point, Bjork had incorporated various eclectic instruments and electronic music into her albums, but she flipped the script and went A Cappella for this one. Totally amazing. Getting the best human beat box and best male vocalist of all time to guest was an excellent decision. My favorite song is Vökuró. Easy 5 for this album.

I appreciate the vision and creativity of this album and what she was reaching for, creating these soundscapes purely with human voices. Just the audacity of the attempt is refreshing and worth a lot. Having said that, it's often a challenging album, especially compared to some of her previous works. The song structures are so...unstructured or, I don't know, symphonic at times? There was even a moment where a song began and all of these voices started layering in and it reminded me so much of an orchestra warming up before a performance. And I think most listeners are really not used to listening to symphonic music these days, so this is an album that might demand more from the listener. It really requires you to take the time and space to engage with it. I also find a lot of its themes to be rather somber. For these reasons, I don't enjoy it as much as some of her other works, even though I have big respect for it as art.

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.

As bad as they come. I mean, if you’re in on weird and creepy dark ages and mystic noise, then you’ll love it. For the rest of us not living in a padded cell, this is shit.

I didn't get it. I debated pretending to get it. But I just don't get this.

Never really listened to Bjork but I liked the album and will check out more.

Could not finish this. My god it was brutal. Just the worst parts of acapella combined with all the things impenetrable about Bjork. Who is this for?

I remember when this came out and I hated it. I figured 30 years of expanding my musical tastes might change that. Nope! This is unlistenable, I like some of Bjork's music, she has an incredible vocal range but this is the vocal equivalent of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music, just layers of sound for the sake of it. Honestly this sounds like something an artist makes to fulfill a contract with a label and not something that should be taken seriously

Not for me 1/5

Very solid opening with the weird panting haha Have to appreciate the individuality of the artist I like the layering of all the chaos to make something beautifully terrible. Idk I kinda like it It sounds like what watching a thriller feels like

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

I couldn’t really stand this tbh. Had a hard time listening to really any of it. I understand why it’s cool, and why music nerds would like it, but it just wasn’t enjoyable for me. Which is the most important thing when it comes to music I enjoy.

1.5

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.

Musical maverick, very original, some great songs, but this offering didn’t really do it for me to be honest.

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.

чресчур коцептуально

Nothing spoke to me. Not bad. Not good.

The pleasure is all mine To get to be the generous one Is the strongest stance The pleasure is all mine To finally let go And evenly flow Who gives most Good album. She has the most incredible voice, and the whole thing feels dreamy and profound. 4/5

I didn’t really like it

Geen Vibes

This was annoying.

Bjork makes me hate music. So fucking shit.

Ambitious and there’s a few decent moments on here, but it’s just too weird

Mums gone to Iceland! But they’ve sold out of prawn rings! If you want to listen to some abstract Icelandic music just stick with Sigur Ros - it’s far more atmospheric and less jarring! 2.2

I enjoyed some songs more than I thought I would, but I know bjork is not for me

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.

This album is impressive just for the fact that it’s composed primarily of human voices

I liked the beat boxing, I didn't like the heavy breathing, mixed overall, bit something I think I'd listen to again

No thank you

Listening to this reminds me of the time that alien spider/lizard hybrids invaded my hometown - really weird but ultimately sexually gratifying. I'll let your imagination fill in the details

Bjork defies words, so just - Fantastic!

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.

Bjork is exceptional right? Just incredibly imaginative. some of it does jar with me but on the whole I'm always just wowed by how complex and fearless her music is.

This was good, very experimental and interesting. I can't say I'll listen to it much day to day but it was certainly cool. No bangers like debut or the swan one has but still good.

NOOOOOO NOT BJORK DONT DO THIS TO ME I ALREADY HAVE NO POWER AND NO WATER CAN I PLEASE BE SPARED *Edit: I didn't add a score to this album. It's a 0/10. I also did not need to hear this before I die. Just trying to keep my review format somewhat consistent here.

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.

Kut album Björk is zeker een grote artiest maar dit album van haar is gwn wack

Elektronisk pop, nytænkende, lidt for minimalistisk, god vokal ellers

I’d describe my listening experience as an anxiety attack

Incredible. Of course a few spots that don’t carry, but the overall concept and execution are tremendous.

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.

Layered, intimate and epic. This album was excellent. Bjork doesn't miss.

I don't know why I had never heard of or been warned about Bjork until I started this record club, but this is the second album they've sent by her. They say she's got a following in Europe. Good. My buddy Robert recalled a review he read a while ago, "Bjork is who you can picture naked and alone in the woods, singing to the trees." "Bjork sounds like a disenchanted emo witch, lamenting the world through music that appeals to others that also feel disenfranchised from the world."

Björk is one of those artists that I'm glad exists, simply because I think you need people like this to come along and challenge musical conventions every once in a while. I admire her creativity and boldness in that regard. Unfortunately for me as the listener, it turns out a lot of those conventions exist for a reason, as this weird, confusing, disjointed album shows.

Bjork at her most listenable? Still a struggle to get through, just less so than the other albums. I will never revisit this, but it wasnt bad, just kind of draining? its almost like you get bits and pieces of something that sounds good, then some weirdness takes over and assaults you.

It’s Björk at her Bjorkiest and Rahzel for crying out loud! Not sure when I’d be in the mood to listen to this again but it was a really fun ride. This list has taken my Björk knowledge from 0-3 and each one has been very different. I think I like Björk?

What a masterpiece. Coming from Motorhead to this was a real breath of fresh air. Beautifully composed song structures. ENGAGING and interesting listen.

Could Not get passed song 2

I've always adored Björk, since she was a Sugar Cube. She's not always easy to listen to, but in my opinion, her voice and skill are still very impressive. I have many of her albums but didn't buy this one - I appreciate her but this one is too experimental for me to enjoy - only a couple of tracks

I loved this album. It was quirky, avantgarde, fun, and whimsical—all of the best things in life. Her voice is ethereal. It was truly unique.

That voice. I have always wanted more of that voice. And this album offers a surplus. It comes in many strange shapes and colors. Certainly any semblance of pop music has long since left building. At this point she is making art. As such - it is somethings beautiful and engaging and other times confounding and alienating. I'm not sure by what standard to rate this album - especially next to something by the Stones, the Who or even Joni Mitchell or Coltrane. It seems more like it belongs in a museum.

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 little difficult to stay with. Nice cover.

I just love the plot twist, what a great artist and such an incredible album. Faves: Where Is The Line, Who Is It, Triumph Of A Heart

Oh, this is cool - I kinda stopped following Björk's releases closely after the 90s so had no idea she did an album where almost all the noises are human voices - I woulda dug that! (Side note, making an album where almost all the noises are human voices and bringing Rahzel on board kinda feels like cheating, but damn, he does great work!) This was a great discovery, will definitely be revisiting. Fave tracks - "Where is the Line" and "Who Is It (Carry My Joy On The Left, Carry My Pain On The Right)" but really this is a whole-album trip!

Not her best but still great

I really liked weird Bjork back in the nineties. I thought Debut was brilliant. Then she started getting weirder.. and I think I made an assumption I wouldn’t like it and it wasn’t for me. Well how wrong was I. I throughly enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Turns out weirder Bjork is good too.

Weird sounds and at times unlistenable

A beautiful album.

Hold the Bjork, please.

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.

Only Björk could make an album like this. One that feels as magical as it does, yet evokes the rawest form of human spirit.

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.

I figured I would hate this, but I love what she did here. It's a unique experience, an album that's mostly acapella but if you stop listening to it intensely, it sounds like normal music. That's an achievement.

Super weird. Not for me.

I like it! 4/5

Not for me

This shouldn't be on this list. Not essential. 'Debut' or 'Post' should be and probably are on this list, but this? I had to read the review to discover it's based mostly around vocal samples and pure singing... it doesn't particularly sound like it. OK, well done I suppose. Vocal samples and musique concrete are as old as the tape machine or mellotron so this isn't avant-garde to me. It's OK, but it is literally Bjork doing a Bjork album and this one seems to retain the usual tropes with fewer musical highlights or real innovations. One for Bjork fans, you won't hear anythng you haven't heard before. Minimal atmospheres with Bjork breathily twittering or bellowing over the top. Really not much else. A passable minimalist Bjork album but a bewildering choice for this list. Still no Isley Brothers.

I hate Bjork.

If early Skrillex was a signal from the transformers, then this was an eloquent message from aliens outside our solar system. Otherworldly, gracious, delicate, tactful. Maybe not totally ‘music’ as it’s known, but most definitely inimitable art

Strange.

other worldly

Awful album. just noise and shouting.

Extraña experiencia.

4☆/5 08.24.2024

Bjork is great, you don't need me to tell you this

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.

I find the concept interesting, but I don’t enjoy listening to it.

A notch under Björk's previous albums *Post*, *Homogenic* and *Vespertine*--all absent from Dimery's list if I'm not mistaken... I've said it before, but the fact that those Björk LPs are not included in the 1001 Albums book is one of the main reasons I can't *fully* take the latter seriously. In comparison to its predecessors, *Medúlla* is still a very nice record, if maybe not an "essential" one (more on that very soon). And this because it admittedly displays large amounts of Björk's stellar skills, as an artist blessed with a golden, formidable voice, along with an unquenchable thirst for groundbreaking innovations, and as one who can navigate the fluid waters of pop catchiness with the same ease that sees her crossing the treacherous tides of challenging experimental music. *Medúlla* is a concept album paying tribute to the human voice, and as such, it also questions the core notions behind Dimery's book or this app (which means that its inclusion was an interesting call, at least). To use one of the phrases used by Björk herself, here diverted to a new context, "where is the line" between establishing a list of the greatest records ever made (the, quote-unquote, "essential" albums) and doing so to highlight ones that may not be *that* essential, and yet sound like no other album on Earth, so original and singular are they (hence why you must listen to them before you die). I guess that if you cross that thin line, surely *Medúlla* should be listened to by anyone interested by vocal performances at large. The question is, is it *your* interpretation of what those nerdy lists are useful for? Hiring the services of luminaries such as Mike Patton, Robert Wyatt, beatboxers Shlomo, Dokaka and former Roots member Rahzel, the Inuit throat singer Tagaq or the Icelandic Choir, Björk thus created an album with 99% of its "instrumentation" composed of human vocals. And the result is definitely impressive on a purely "technical" and performative level (even if reading the liner notes, you realize long-time collaborator and programmer Mark Bell, from LFO, tampered with some of the performances through subtle editing). The beatboxing parts slap *hard*, most specifically. And Björk's vocals over them are a joy to hear. That said, when it comes to the purely artistic results yielded by that ambitious experiment, *Medúlla* admittedly risks coming off as a somewhat "mixed bag" at some points. Four groups of songs populate the album, and depending on your mileage, you might be at ease with all four of them, or just a couple, or maybe none. The first group of songs is made out of instantly memorable gems (in my humble opinion), which are mostly found right at the center of the tracklist. They are "Who Is It", as pop-sugarcoated as it is strangely tense in some of its nooks and crannies (owing to the unexpected modulations of its chord sequence on the chorus), or the soothing and mystical "Desired Constellation", whose meditative wonders will send you spinning between stars in the night skies. And there's also the mock-disco closer "Triumph Of The Heart" to take into account, a little quaint, but with a joyful killer chorus, and the most organic-sounding cut to boot when it comes to the vocal performances, with a very "live" feel. The centerpiece of that bunch of awesome cuts, however, (and the centerpiece of the whole album, really) is "Oceania", once performed for the London 2012 Olympics. It's one of the best and most elegiac ballads Björk has ever written (here with her friend and poet Sjón, like a lot of her other signature songs), as immediate on the ear on a melodic level as it is evocative on a conceptual one. Beatbox and tongue noises are logically moist in those deep-sea-inspired soundscapes, the eerie samples of Robert Wyatt's wordless humming ooze like floating seaweed--smartly hearkening back to his masterpiece *Rock Bottom*--and the elated voices of the London Choir spin and twirl like so many jittery shoals of fish around the Icelandic singer. Apart from compositions by Debussy and Ravel, whose music could express the sensations conveyed by the ocean so well, so *graphically*? "Your sweat is salty, I am why," the electronica diva gently croons after her voice soared one last time to the surface like a dolphin, in one of those typical and exhilarating ad-libs only her can pull off. Björk becomes the *ocean* here, literally. And the "mythic" result is as beautiful as it is transcendent. The second group of proper songs usually makes the best of the album's vocals-driven canvas to explore more specific tones and emotions, whether eroticism and sensuality in the lush--yet also curiously understated--opener "Pleasure Is All Mine", or frustration and nervousness as related to an intense, possibly unsound romantic relationship in the abrasive (and at times quite spooky) "Where Is The Line?". Those sorts of tracks are often displaying great musical moments, it's true. On the other hand, you'd be hard-pressed to find them in a playlist of Björk's most striking songs. Potential hot take here: I sometimes caught myself thinking Mrs. Gudmundsdottir could have released those sorts of thematic and sonic explorations in an extraneous EP so as to preserve the flow and continuity of her full-length releases. But more on that later... The third group of songs consists of very minimalistic odes ("Show Me Forgiveness", "Vökuró", "Sonnets / Unrealities XI", drawn from an e.e. Cummings poem...). They are all wonderful pieces taken individually, but their presence takes a toll on the album's flow and cohesion, once again, and this especially on the first half of the record. In that group of sober, solemn tunes, don't miss "Submarine", though. That cut, mostly sung by guest Robert Wyatt in a hypnotic multi-track superposition, is very special. And it proves that Björk was right to yield to *some* of her most unhinged impulses at least... Which might not be the case for the last group of compositions, at least according to the naysayers. Those cuts ("Öll Birtan", "Ancestors", "Miðvikudags") go full experimental-mode with all sorts of quirky squeaks, gurgles and grunts, and their off-kilter presence takes a toll on the second half of the record this time, almost ruining the latter's momentum. Björk confessed that she was looking after "primordial' emotions here, something cavemen would feel the need to express with their voices. It sure is interesting on paper, but what her most hardcore fans will see here as "liberating", "instinctive", "free-formed" or"free-spirited', her detractors will probably just label as "self-indulgent". Björk and her collaborators sound like they're having a lot of fun performing those cuts, sure. But in all honesty, they are probably having more fun than large swaths of their potential audience. Interestingly, the Icelandic singer-songwriter has recently largely returned to that full-blown experimental mode on her latest LP *Fossora*, maybe with an extra maturity that was lacking the first time around (even if *Fossora* is not always an easy listen either). As usual, fans rejoiced and others went "meh". But maybe there's a third way to make sense out of Björk's later career, which more or less started with *Medúlla*, incidentally. That third way is to keep an open mind for what she tries to accomplish, praise the artistry and the incredible imagination she pours into the latter, while maintaining some critical distance whenever she loses her way at times. In other words, be a listener first, and a "fan" next Having this record to review today proves it's actually nothing new. In 2004, twenty years ago, Björk had already reached a point where she probably deemed it pointless to prove anything to anyone: she had had hits, critical recognition, countless homages from her peers, all sorts of artistically rewarding forays into groundbreaking soundscapes that somehow managed to also be popular... Now she could let herself go to wherever her deep instincts led her to, whether it was a commercial track trying to catch up on the trends of the day, or a totally hermetic avant-garde endeavor. Now she could follow the footsteps of someone like Joni Mitchell, one of her models, and this for the rest of her life--risking potential ridicule, just like her, but also garnering long-time admiration for her undeniable integrity as an artist. Under that light, who cares if you're not releasing "essential albums" anymore? That sort of freedom is not for everyone, whether you're a musician or a mere music listener. And it's the sort of freedom that should be cherished. On *Medúlla*, Björk heard her later calling. And surely, the fact that it was expressed through voices, her most potent instrument, is no mere coincidence here. - 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 4 (and no, I didn't make a mistake when I clicked on the stars: it's a rare *positive* protest vote to complain about the absence of other key albums by Björk--just like I clicked five stars for Lana Del Rey's *Chemtrails Over The Country Club* to protest about *NFR*'s omission) - 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5+3.5) Number of albums left to review: 97 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 389 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 228 (including this one--but I will select *Debut*, Post*, *Homogenic* and *Vespertine* first, and I don't want my passion for Björk's music to ruin the occasion to include other great artists either) Albums from the list I certainly won't include in mine: 286

I respect bjork and don’t think this is necessarily bad. But I won’t listen to it again.

The creativity oozes out of it. Her more experimental stuff after Post I still don’t like near as much as her first two but I’ve only listened to these later ones once so I’m sure they will all grow on me. It’s so hard to hate her and Kate Bush when even if an individual song isn’t for you it’s still very entertaining because it’s so unlike anything else. I’m interested to see how my opinion on these change over time but for now this one isn’t near as high as some of her others. Rating: 3.9

This was such a fascinating listen. It seems to be almost entirely vocals making up this album. I occasionally heard some very softly played piano, but otherwise the vocals were the main focus. I’m even fairly sure that the percussion was beat box (or as Rach called it, Bjëat Bjöx). The composition was as kooky as I’ve come to expect from Björk, but doesn’t get too strange, which is what I found with her latest release Homogenic. Certainly, I’m finding these earlier albums to be more pleasing to my ears than the newer (although I’m aware that a lot of her fans disagree).

loved all the different harmonies/sounds she used.

I found this an interesting album, with its focus on using the human voice for most of the music. I think this is an album that would repay more listening than I could offer it over a 24h period! I'm not wildly keen on Bjork, but I can see her obvious qualities as a rather experimental artis shine through here.

There is a humming game we play at Christmas, it ends with all of us in tears of laughter. This is not the album : nonsense

This would be great as the soundtrack to Midsommar.

Not essential

1.5/10

I know Bjork gets hyped up by music fans but this ain’t it.

Not quite 1 star territory but can’t give it more than 2

Surely not even Bjork could pull off an almost totally vocal album. She triumphs.

First time listening to björk. Anyway to make music with the human voice was achieved from throat singing to beatboxing it was so experimental

This is the stereotype of Bjork. This is what I sing when I’m making fun of Bjork. It actually makes me question what constitutes an album. How is this music and not “beat poetry”? Where is the line?

I don't understand what Bjork is going on about and I don't enjoy it. Still, its not bad

++: Where Is the Line, Öll Birtan, Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right) +: Pleasure Is All Mine, Show Me Forgiveness, Vökuró, Submarine, Oceania, Ancestors, Mouths Cradle, Triumph of a Heart +-: Sonnets / Unrealities XI, Miðvikudags -: Desired Constellation 8,1/10

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

Wasn't expecting this. Very weird, and I loved it. Will be listening to more Björk.

This starts with some weird breathing noises on the first track and doesn't get any better from there on. Her voice is so grating, especially on the tracks where it's mostly vocals. By the end, I wanted to bash my head against a brick wall as I thought I might get more enjoyment than listening to Björk. But in all seriousness, I think someone should check on Björk because she definitely isn't ok.

Just weird enough for me. Loved the ee cummings poem. Some bits felt too off the wall for me but I just enjoyed the journey.

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.

Definetly a unique Björk.

I often times found the music enjoyable. It's interesting and richly layered. Björk shows she can sing, but far too often Icelandic Yoko Ono's warbling screeches make this punishment I don't think I deserve. At least twice I thought I was having a brain aneurysm. Once, while I was working intently on a task, I sort of forgot what I was listening to and suddenly thought I needed to call 911 for someone needing help nearby. Björk is massively talented though. She made music out of hyperventilation, and I almost thought it was okay. She would have gotten away with that if it weren't a prelude to what I think was some half goat-half man having sex at her. There is tolerable Björk music out there. This isn't it.

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.

I don’t think Björk will ever be for me.

Thats Björk, great voice but sometimes strange for me

Very experimental, but also very unique and outstanding, like her other work. I don’t hate it or love it but I like it very much. I really must be in the mood to listen to this whole album again, but this actually is the matter for me with every Björk album.

Weird

It's very unique and a bit strange. No me gusta que veces no me suena armónico ni especial

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.

Bjork isn't for everyone. But everyone should hear her. Personally i think she's a genius. Ahead of her time, never confined to the constraints of pop music but always tapping into pop sensibilities. This album is weird, daring, beautiful and unique. Just like Bjork. 9/10 True art

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.

This was at least listenable, as compared to the other two Bjork albums I've had to endure from the list. But three times nothing is still nothing.

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.

Just no

Amazing! Definitely sounds influenced by Kate Bush's "The Sensual World" album.

Alluring. Enchanting. Is Bjork a siren?

No one would say "ooooh let's put a bit of Medulla on..."

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

Great stuff.

I can appreciate it (I think) for what it is but I just don’t really enjoy listening to it.

Bjork is just my type of weird.

Fuck a beat, I’ll go acapella (however, I don’t really like acapella). 1.5

I used to love Björk when I was younger. That’s probably because I hadn’t heard this album.

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.

Where I rate Vulnicura and Vespertine as two of the best albums ever made, this Medúlla has never done it for me. I find the sounds lacking any interesting quality to it. I appreciate where Bjork was going here, but it needed time to be fleshed out, which she did on later albums

Even more Björky than usual!

Weird, I kind of like some song, others not so much

Only Björk, I guess. I think I pegged this for a strictly vocal album from track one, and I was curious what my reaction at the end of it was. In a word, "mixed". In several, it's a well executed record where the "instrumental" vocals occasionally come off somewhere between weird theater performance and crummy a capella group (looking at you, "Ancestors"), but at certain points make for genuinely cool, robotic-ish dance music. Call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "Where Is The Line", "Desired Constellation", "Triumph Of A Heart"

Wtf

Interesting. 2.5 Where is the line? Idk Bjork. You’re the one talking about it.

Bad 1.5

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

1,000 albums to hear before you die, and a dud.

this was a really fascinating album. obviously a lot of it is voices and altered voices (nearly all of it?) and the music can be a little bit challenging at times, but i found it all fairly compelling. it's an album that sounds cool. although i think at points it's definitely difficult to listen to. i had never listened to bjork before and often i hear her spoken in the same breath as yoko ono, and honestly i do not see the similarity between this and yoko's works (i do enjoy yoko as well) beyond "woman with unconventional voice is making weird music" - all that being said, i did enjoy my time with this one.

A cacophony of voice

“Björk’s new self-imposed mandate was to build a record almost completely out of a cappella vocals. ‘I want to see what can be done with the entire emotional range of the human voice—a single voice, a chorus, trained voices, pop voices, folk voices, strange voices,’ she told a journalist at the time. ‘Not just melodies, but everything else—every noise that a throat makes.’” Fine. You do you. But why do I have to listen to it?

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.

odd and quirky, björky

Not a huge fan of her sound unfortunately

I’m kind of shocked at how much I do like this, especially after being a bit underwhelmed by Debut a few weeks ago. Medúlla is by turns strange, beautiful, powerful and incredibly, incredibly human and that humanity is very affecting. Björk has said that the reason for wanting to produce a mostly a capella album was as a spiritual link to the very origins of music, and by god she hits that breif perfectly. It’s a truly timeless listening experience, something that sounds like it could have come out at any point in the entire history of humanity

Weird, but not really bad

Björk is a one of a kind artist.

weird

Damn. That's something. Really hard to listen to all at once. I'm going to give her a shot on different albums.

If the goal of this album was to make me deeply uncomfortable, then it sure did a damn good job at it

This was a mix of someone in significant pain, someone in ecstasy, or someone hyperventilating.

Too squeaky & squawky for my liking

I don't understand her style but I can't say it's bad.

Something as unusual as a (mostly) a capella pop-ish studio album. A few tracks Where is The Line are quite bizzare, but also quite interesting. This is definitely not easy listening, but there's definitely depth and quality here, and I think there are more layers I want to uncover, so probably going to listen to this again soon-ish. Seems like a 4.

Very unique and interesting

What a strange (in the best way) album. I don't think every song lands for me, but the ones that do are truly incredible. Even though I knew this album was almost entirely a capella, I still wasn't prepared for how innovative and different it is. Definitely worth a listen, even if you don't connect with the songs themselves. Top tracks: Where Is the Line, Oceania, Mouths Cradle

Odd songs

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 quite like this, appreciate that it’s all vocals. Not as good as Petra Haden’s all acapella song by song remake of the great album The Who Sell Out” (well worth seeking out if you’re unfamiliar with it. I also got to listen to this in 5.1 surround, since I have the “Medulla Surrounded”, edition, a CD/DVD set with surround sound and videos on the DVD. I got it through the BMG Music Service CD club, back in 2004.

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

I don't like Bjork's voice. I've tried and tried, and it's just unpleasant to me. This album appears to be completely made of that. Also, it's really boring. I slogged through about half of it, but couldn't force myself to pay attention to it. There were a couple of moments that managed to grab my attention briefly, but aside from that, it was like trying to listen to paint dry.

Absolute dog poop

This is absolutely an album you should listen to before you die! I can’t think of another album that made me so dramatically rethink what we’re capable of as humans. It’s amazing because it’s such a weird idea, but also so obvious to make an album exploring what the human voice can do and it’s kind of wild that no one gave it a shot like this before. I’ll be honest in that I’ve always waffled between admiring Björk’s kookiness and suspecting it was just a schtick to stand out, but I’m all in on admiration after this one.

Not my favourite Björk record, as it kinda struggles to hang together, but I totally respect the commitment to artistic intent on each track.

Like a combination of Robert Wyatt's (who appears on this album) Rock Bottom and Sparks' song My Baby's Taking Me Home, Medulla is perhaps my favorite of the Bjork albums I've had the pleasure of listening to, because while its gimmick is just that, a gimmick, it does that gimmick so incredibly well that for 99% of the album I am entranced. Obviously the human voice is easy to manipulate into any form or context you'd like, but to be able to make an album where I struggle to discern the genre, yet have me totally invested from start to finish, with impressive melodies, a great amount of experiences I would only describe as "out of body," all the while Bjork has gathered some of the best voices I've heard to synchronize with and within herself to make something so (ironically) breathtaking is remarkable. I'm actually at a loss for words because it's hard to describe the feeling this album puts me in, but it is not one unfamiliar to that of other Bjork albums. She can make you feel frigid yet cozy with a single note, and that atop having a pretty solid hook among each of the songs makes it, in my eyes, something worth savoring every moment of.

Finishes better than it starts. Yes, it's quite challenging. Yes, it is quite innovative. It's not something I'd listen to every day, but it is something I might put on if I was bringing a woman home and she'd said that she liked Björk.

I had to wait to be in the right specific mood for this album, but then I listened twice in a row. Hunting and mesmerizing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQlByoPdG6c

Incredibly ambitions, fairly avant-garde in parts. Listenable, but not my favorite by her.

"Where Is The Line" she asks. It's outside Dignitas, full of people who listened to this.

I get Bjork is cool and innovative, but it seems too cerebral.

Meget stolt af at jeg kunne kende Mike Patton på 3. nummer! Acquired taste men samtidig det første Björk album der har ramt plet for mig

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.

Jøsses en lang plade.. Hun har en vild stemme, men stilen er virkelig tillært og det er bare ikke mig.. Nogle af de sidste sange var rigelig fresh og have noget catchy i sig

do I have to listen to every Björk album ever produced? This seems like the 5th... also you made me hate it even more.

another retarded chanting album. I think I heard a beat once or twice but this belongs in the trash 🗑

Oh hell no

Strange and ethereal. Probably won’t listen again but it was worth the listen.

I have to give so much credit to this album just because it’s so unique. Not a bad listen, either, what a fun surprise.

Bad album. I'm not sure if I'm a Bjork fan generally, but this album is firmly bad in my opinion. It's weird guttural a cappella singing that I find irritating. I'm not sure I get the critical acclaim here (though I'm not surprised with the pretension from critics or groupthink around this being a really brave, interesting, and/or groundbreaking album). To each their own. Maybe I'm too middlebrow to understand. *

Beautiful

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

Meh meh meh. Solar systems away from her good stuff.

Pretentious tosh.

I thought this was bad.

björk I love you but this ain't it. this one is too avant-garde 4 moi

So I have loved the previous (earlier) Bjork albums I've had from this list, but this one is really pushing the limits of how much I enjoy her experimentation. I do not think it is bad in any way and I truly appreciate the concept of a fully human record, but it simply can be an awkward listen at times. 7/10

Not entirely sure how to put into words my reaction to the noises on this album. Unique, and I have met those who appreciate the voice tapestry Bjork weaves.

Awful and whiny

not my thing and very 'weird'

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.

The Icelandic eat fermented shark and presumably like that too. There's little reason to listen to this other than to say you have. Glad I didn't waste money on buying it.

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.

so fucking bad, no amount of titties could save it. Where is the line kinda goes hard

4/5

I like the majority of Bjork's work and this is no exception. I don't think this is quite 5 stars for me but it is really good. Bonus points for having Mike Patton involved. P.S. Homogenic and Post really should've made this list.

An absolute shit album. But also a fascinating absolute shit album.

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.

A very odd Bjork album (as opposed to her very down to earth ones, lol). Nearly everything is done with just voices. Using choirs, beatboxes and effects on these. It's really pretty, and so impressive. It also has sexy Mike Patton on it, which will always bump things up a star.

This list has made me a fan of Bjork

I like Bjork but I think this is where her output starts to go too experimental for me. I get the premise behind it but I will never be listening again

Overuse of throat singing

I’m sorry, I just can’t do it I don’t like Björk…an extra star for creativity!

You have to respect Bjork for giving no quarter to the concept of trying to sell records or being concerned about anything other than her artistic vision. Here she produces an album formed almost entirely from human vocals, but keeping it arty and a million miles away from Glee or Pitch Perfect style acappella. Choral chanting and weird beatbox sounds feature heavily in support of Bjork's unique lead vocal. I genuinely don't know if I like it or not, but either way it's a success on its own terms and is hugely impressive. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Who Is It Date listened: 19/04/24

Why don’t I hate it? i have no idea

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

Wow, Björk’s second album on this list. It’s neat in that hardly any instruments were used, and it’s very avant-garde. Avant-garde, yes. Still a shitty mess of meandering “what the hell did I just listen to?” - also yes.

Interesting concept, and there’s a few songs that were enjoyable, but overall most of it just felt weird.

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

Because it is very interesting and I can see it being a must listen, I give it 4 For my tastes it is a 3

I’d rather get myself papercuts and drown them in vinegar than listen to this again.

If you listen to the whole thing, there are glimpses of catchy, good music, but it’s more artsy than music for me.

NO!

It’s a no for me.

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.

Not for me

Pleasure Is All Mine is....wow. Its a modern exploration of a choral album? It is a cool concept, how do you make a choral album that sounds like the experience of intimacy, giving it these grunts, harmonies, beats. Like listening to an orgy in an art gallery. What to rank this? I think by my own scale it has to be a 5 but its a fundamentally a different experience than just throwing on an album for fun.

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.

It is interesting from a sonic/experimental angle. The lack of melody hints at rap. The production values are excellent. I will never listen to this again. Do these albums sell? I find this list perplexing it goes from experimental music to second rate synth pop. Do I really have to hear these albums are they really enhancing my life or giving me insight into my time? Whoosh, I guess it is over my head. 2* Cathy almost screamed during Ancestors, I had to skip it. Apparently it is all voices manipulated in the studio. Good for her.

Brooding and foreboding. An ominous listen that just isn't my cup of tea, though I can sense why it would be well received by others.

Standouts: Where is the Line, Who is It, Triumph of a Heart 3.75

Had this in my ears as I went outside to enjoy the 2024 eclipse, specifically Desired Constellation, and wow. I couldn't have picked a better soundtrack for an eclipse if I tried. This album is delightfully weird, wonderful, and utterly singular. It had been many years since I'd heard this album, and I definitely have a deeper appreciation for it after revisiting it.

Comme à son habitude, Björk ne fait aucune concession et explore de nouveaux territoires. Parfois brutal et dérangeant, toujours intrigant

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.

It's like the other Björk album on my list, only with even lesser known songs but with the same terrible voice.

too weird

Great stuff. Lovely clean vocals. Bit kookie but in a good way.

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

Bjork never ceases to surprise me. This album is an entire acoustic adventure. 9/10

Interesting concept that I can appreciate, but musically confusing and directionless. I enjoyed some of the layered vocals, but most of the others were very cheesy and annoying.

Had some nice moments, but I mostly found this annoying.

ya

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.

Wow, actually really enjoyed this one. As much as I've struggled with Bjork's music, this album clicked for me. Production was really cool, lots of great sonic choices, and some nice off-the-wall songs too. Just much more engaging and interesting to me than what I can remember of the other albums we've had. Almost makes me want to try those again, as if this flipped a switch for me. But yeah, this was pretty great. Favorite tracks: Where is the Line, Oll Birtan, Submarine, Ancestors, Mouth's Cradle, Triumph of a Heart. Album art: Bjork wearing a freaky deeky knitted Mickey Mouse/Batman kind of mask? And she's got a strange necklace that spells Medulla (I think). It's a striking cover, I think I like this more than some of the others she's got. 4/5

Closer to a horror/thriller soundtrack. Really interesting, but not for me.

This was really cool. I’m generally not a fan of a cappella music, but the variety of voices and sounds on the album are used to an impressive and haunting effect. Worth revisiting. Favorite tracks: Where Is The Line, Vökuró, Mouth’s Cradle