Vulnicura

Poor Bjork, just want to give her a cuddle and a cup of tea.

Bjork has always passed me by - I recognise how talented and individual she is but nothing has ever reached me emotionally. It's sad to see though how poorly she has done with spurious 1/5 votes being handed out left, right and centre. For that reason I'm giving her 5/5 in an attempt to partially redress the balance.

This gave me so many chills. Literally made me forget to breathe once, haven't experienced this in a long time. Wanted to pick favorite songs at first, but after another listen I can't, they're all amazing.

cannot be arsed with byork at all. i get the vibe that anyone who is in to bjork is so far up their own arse that they've become a mobius loop. actually quite impressive.

While I can appreciate Björk as an artist, I can't say this album did much for me. A few of the songs were interesting, but it felt like it belonged more as background music for a film or something - not great listening on its own. I ended up skipping the last two songs because they were just a little grating.

Had to listen to this a few times to make my mind up on the rating I had only heard notget before going into this but yeah I still love Björk if my mood was aligned I would like it even more but its still amazing

I love Björk, even her weird stuff is brilliant. I reckon anything she does will get 5 🌟 from me. The world is a better place because Björk exists.

Whoa... It has the experimentation and weirdness that I've come to expect from a Björk album, but it's not quite as weird as Medúlla (The one other Björk record the generator has given me so far). There's a recognisable structure here for the most part. I loved this. It's a cinematic, emotional blend of orchestral and electronic elements, making one hell of a breakup album. I'm such a sucker for good electronic sound design, and this proved itself to be absolutely amazing in the sound design department, especially going into the second half of the album. I'd imagine much of that is from Arca's involvement? I'm certainly going to have to look more into her work. Honestly, I think I'm really going to have to look more into Björk too. I'd imagine the generator will give me more of her work before it's done, but I'm really loving everything I've heard so far. Favourite: Notget

The second Bjork I listened to on this list and another one that's blowing me away. But where Vespertine is about the beautiful sides of love, this Vulnicura is about heartache. So dark and melancholic instead of romantic and tender, but just as mystical, intimate and strong. And it's the lyrics on this album that make it complete. We follow and listen to the story of a relationship that's failing. Björk is taking us from the months before the break-up to the times after. And some of the lyrics felt like a gutpunch, where the music is amazingly orchestrated around the parts of the decaying love in every song, whether we go from melancholy to pain to anger to relief. If I regret us I'm denying my soul to grow Don't remove my pain It is my chance to heal We carry the same wounds But have different cures The album grows and shows more with every listen. What a discovery.

A stunning achievement - you get the sense we are hearing exactly what the artist wanted us to - a mix of digital and classical, enhanced by Bjork's incredible voice - soundscapes foreboding and consuming the listener as we are absorbed into Bjork's warped world. A work of art.

This was torture.

It's hard to deescribe the inteeresting musicality of Bjork. It was well worth the listen whatever the hell it was

j’écoute Björk en rentrant chez moi avec un kebab délicieux dans mon sac à main girl i am LIVING

Album by Bjork in the pretty specific style of Bjork. It might be a hit or miss at times, but oh boy, it was a massive miss on the occasion of Vulnicura. Maybe my musical taste is down in the gutter, but I just couldn't listen to it at all. I'm sorry Bjork, you are a better actor than musician.

Björk's divorce album. Incredibly somber and intricate. Every sound, vocalization, timing is purposeful. More than just a mere breakup album, Bjork examines the more complex emotions surrounding divorce. Overwhelming grief and betrayal surrounds each song like a whirlwind. Goosebumps just experiencing this for the first time. How is she able to create such incredible works of art like this? Does the depths of her creative talent know no end? For all the Björk albums on this list, it gets hard to argue each one. Maybe Medúlla could've been cut, but having such a recent release be so impactful is such an impressive feat. Vulnicura earns it's spot easily.

Another great Bjork album, and I almost like it just as much as Homogenic. Initially was on the fence as there are some songs that were hard to get into. This still holds to some extent, but other tracks like Stonemilker, Lionsong and Blake Lake are exceptionally strong and compensate for a 5-star rating.

For some reason, I lost track of Bjork's endeavours after Vespertine, but I'm glad we got this one to check out. The sweeping production has echoes of Homogenic, which I like very much, and the songs are all engaging. Terrific album.

This record makes my knees tremble. I wanked so hard that my helmet came off.

As someone who has always admired Björk from a distance but never listened to much of her music I read all these comments calling this a pretentious mess and thought "Ha! I bet they just don't understand REAL art. I'm sure I'll appreciate this!" But yeah, no, sorry, I think it's just pretentious. Personally I blame Arca, the production is just a total casino of noise, at times unbearably so. Sorry Björk, I want to love you but not like this... Not like this.

The first song starts out with the following lyrics, choked out syllable by syllable, over seemingly random meandering synthesizer strings: “A juxtapositioning fate / Find our mutual coordinates / Moments of clarity are so rare / I better document this / at last the view is fierce / all that matters is this / who is open chested / and who is coagulated” I’m just not sure how I can take that seriously. This is the second Bork album I’ve received in the 1st 75 days. I rated the 1st at 2/5, with the comments “I thought the first couple of songs were pretty good. Sort of an ambient, ethereal feel. But with each passing song it held my interest less and less. Just not really my ‘thing’. 2/5….” Well, the second album jumps straight into the bit about each song holding my interest less and less. This doesn’t offend me, I don’t hate it. But I sure don’t like it either. As with the prior Bork album, it’s just not my thing. I’m bored by this, and that’s disappointing. Frankly, as I get further through this, it’s starting to kind of irritate me. I’m taking a break at about 1/2 way through, but I’m not expecting it to improve…. - - - - It didn’t. I admit, I gave up somewhere in the middle of the 7th song. I guess I’m just not cool enough. 1/5

my first björk outside of her iconic 90s trilogy of albums. stunning.

I know Bjork rubs a lot of people the wrong way but if you look past the perceived "weirdness" of her style, she really is a brilliant artist. 'Vulnicura' may be her most mature release to date. In her early punk and electronic releases, she was recording in toilets at clubs. Since then she's grown and explored classical structures, world music and the avant garde and brought all of that experience into this release. This is a break up album unlike any you've heard before, particularly notable as it comes from an older woman, rather than the likes of Taylor Swift. In some ways it's a shame that this challenge doesn't have more of Bjork's early work, which is more fun to listen to. But this is definitely an impressive work of art.

The vagina on her chest represents the gaping hole where her heart once existed. A fitting image for an album tackling multiple layers of emotional loss, gleaning from the experience, and moving forward. Having an idea of what to expect, I still was very surprised by this album's depth which does not fully reveal itself requiring the listener to take some time and peel it apart. Vulnicura is definitely a slow burn that works very well as a whole to the point where I couldn't tell you which song would be my favorite as all of it is excellent. I was most impressed by the arrangement of strings and synth in which Björk seemingly conjures and bends to her will, while managing to be relatable, conversational, and yet very alien. I would seriously like to know how some of these songs look on paper, how they were conceived and measured out. In all, I want to embrace the poor woman but stand in fear that she would devour me like a terrifying monster.

My last Bjork album (I think Post should be on the list too but what do I know) and this is a difficult one but it's about a difficult time in her life.

La fée dans la forêt

Devastating

I just love Björk's annunciation, her phrasing, her accent, her tone. I could listen to Björk sing the phone book. This is my second Björk album after Debut and I found it a bit less accessible and a little less trippy. But the production and sound is great. Definitely headphone music though, and something that needs proper listening to. For Björk though, I'll do it.

This is possibly the most unoriginal take but Björk has such a beautiful and unique voice that mixed with the intense music is spectacular. I need to be in the right mood for it but when I am it hits perfectly.

Another Bjork album that has some super interesting and beautiful moments but a bunch of parts that are a little too out there for me to truly love it. Think this one is on par with vespertine and a little better than medulla and debut, but not quite good enough for a 5

Wildly interesting and very complex. I do like a bit of Drum and Bjass. Njot bjad

Vulnicura I don’t think I’ve ever actually listened to a Björk album before. Which is strange as she makes the kind of music I like, but I think it’s probably a product of my teenage brain not understanding her back in the 90s and then never really getting round to trying any of her albums. I’m not sure if this is the best album to start with, but I thought it was great, getting better each time. It’s hard not to use words like icy and glacial to describe the music, as it’s probably too on the nose for someone from Iceland, but the detached coolness of the music; the strings, the synths, the discordant fractured rhythms and percussion against the very personal and expressive lyrics is a great combination. It’s kind of moving, chilly, distant and uplifting at the same time. It feels a grower, its not immediately melodic, but the tunes do start to burrow into your brain through the textures, and it probably works best as whole piece rather than individual tracks, as the more austere and crawling first half evolves into the spikier and more rhythmic second half, with some more melodic string parts. I think it needs to sit a little longer, and I’m keen to give it some more listens with some space in between but it’s a solid 4 for now. 🇮🇸 🇮🇸 🇮🇸 🇮🇸 Playlist submission: Atom Dance

It's Bjork, never know what your going to get. Liked not loved it

Near paralyzingly brooding, but I feel like it had a hair too much bloat to earn a 5th star. But hey, Bjork really knows how to get you thinking no matter what.

Well I braced myself for yet another Björk album but thankfully it was one of the good ones. With Björk it has been either good or terrible - you don’t know if you’re going to get food or an uppercut to the chin. This one is actually one of the better better ones - cinematic - almost conventional - and a semblance of recognisable structure - so I actually enjoyed it. It’s still Björk mind you - unmistakable - but if one can tolerate her - one would like this one - and actually find reason to return to it.

This is a rather beautiful album. I can't go 5 because it's really iis an album that you have to be in the mood to hear. A solid 4 for sure.

I remember the hype this album received when it was due to come out: "this is Björk's breakup album", "this is her most personal album ever", yada yada yada. And while most breakup albums become tedious, maudlin and vapid at times, Björk always finds a way to make things interesting. It's as though you're right in front of her as she belts out about the pain experienced in her family falling apart and you have next to no choice but to immerse yourself in her sadness that's aided by her ever reliable collaborative spirit that combines orchestration and electronics. Overall, not an easy listen but one can hope that things turn out for the best. Favorites: Stonemilker, History of Touches, Black Lake, Notget, Atom Dance, Quicksand.

So, it turns out I'm a Bjork fan

8/9

Interesting, as björk often is

Lionsong is cool. Bjork songs are so hit or miss to me, always these huge swings and their either connect hard or miss the mark. Atom Dance is cool.

Rolling her Rs, singing in Icelandish, trippy modern art sounds, halting phrases, a pervasive sense of sorrow and loneliness and loss... yep! Typical Bjork!

I mean, it's Björk so it's going to sound different. Parts are interesting, parts sound like they should be on a movie soundtrack, parts sound experimental, parts are annoying bordering on unlistenable, it's a Björk album. Another not really bad yet not really good album on this list.

If you gaze long enough into the Bjork, the Bjork gazes also into you.

Fine enough I guess. But unless there are four (4??) Björk albums in this list, this should’ve been “Post” instead. It’s significantly more important to her sound imo, and is just a better album/listening experience. Listen to “Post”, please.

As the album continued, I enjoyed it more and more. Definitely a 'moods' album (not sure if 'moods' needed quotations, but I'm leaving them there anyways).

This really started off like I was really going to like it. First 3 (and maybe 4 songs) had me invested. Then it kinda just went a little too hard off the deep end and being artsy. Had a Radiohead feeling in some of the tracks. 3/5. I’d say I liked this more Stylistically then I did song wise

Tough one to rate. I liked this a lot better than Medúlla, which is admittedly a low bar. This one has some good hooks and interesting orchestral parts. I might actually like it under the right circumstances. Weirdly reminded me of the Hollow Knight soundtrack (which I loved). Unfortunately, this isn’t universal throughout. Not sure what “Family” or “Notget” were. I do think it was intentionally uncomfortable though, even though some of it id just weird for weirdness’ sake. I’ll give Björk this, though: one thing she definitely isn’t is boring.

Surprisingly accessible given her other efforts, but maybe that’s just my fatigue from the last round of singles being played constantly at the station. I will give credit to Björk for carving a niche that is unmistakably her own - while hard to nail down, the instrumentation and arrangements she builds on would be recognizable immediately in any context. This LP definitely suffers due to tracks running longer than the ideas that fuel them remain interesting, but for such an out-there album I found myself jamming along decently well. Given the fatigue that comes with listening to 1001 albums (some seemingly identical to one another in their blandness), I appreciate any artist who doesn’t give two fucks about respecting Western arrangements or ideas of what music should be, even if the execution is not always my thing or their name sounds like a lamp from IKEA.

I really thought I would be into this. And I think I would be if it weren't a work day and I was tripping or something instead. As with all other Bjork, her accent is tough for me to follow lyrics at times so relying only on beat/melodies, it just wasn't doing it for me. I liked Atom Dance, not much else, but I did add a few other songs to my "weird and wonderful" playlist, which I rarely listen to, but love it for when I'm in a specific mood. For this, it gets 2 instead of 1.

Three oblique analogies will serve. Our friends Howard, Matt and Matt saw “Dancer in the Dark” with me on release, a very enjoyable time as the film infuriated the Matts to an audible extent, and they ranted beautifully afterwards, goaded by my mild praise. An afternoon of improvised interpretative dance workshop in Paris for the love of a fiancée, harrowing for one unschooled in dance and primitive in French, left me with respect for the form and the relief of knowing I’d played my lifetime role in it. A few months later, breaking up with me on the walk down from a weekend monasterial retreat (also for love, silent aside from prayers and Bible chat, French), my ex-fiancée asked me to stop using analogies as I tried to talk our way out of it.

not really interesting to me. not unpleasant to listen to but i didn't feel much with this one. sorry björk i still love you

Böring.

Man orkar med några låtar men sen blir det för ostrukturerat.

Far from Bjork's best work. Really disappointed with this as we usually enjoy Bjork but this did not deliver. Couldn't get into it at all.

Artsy-fartsy and, unfortunately, more fartsy than artsy.

Anyone who says they are a big fan of Björk…. I would love to see their record collection. I don’t see how anyone can get into this. This album in particular lost my interest quickly. Songs that drone on and on and appear to end and then come back but usually the same as before they left. Was there no one around to edit this? Was the motto, “play until you have played too long and then play a little longer”? Or “Let’s take a few good ideas and drag them out until no one likes them anymore”? I can’t imagine playing this in the car or working out to it or cleaning the house to it or putting it on at a party or falling asleep to it or ever wanting to hear this. It is confused, angry music for someone who feels like no one understands them and they can put this on and draw angry spirals on their notebooks while wearing all black and hating the world. I can see pouty, goth, teenage girls listening to this while plotting revenge. That’s about the only use there is for this. And even for those girls, I think they would get out of their funk and never go back to listen to this again. Just unpleasant.

I fucking hated this. Aimless string vomit and purposeless techno farts frame pretentious mispronunciation. I thought I despised Bjork beforehand but this takes it to an unimaginable new level. Who likes this shit, honestly?

I'll chalk this one up to the 1000 albums I should die before I hear. Bjork is just not enjoyable. Not only is it not enjoyable but I have to suffer through 8-11 min songs. Jebus. It's beyond me that there are people who buy her albums. In what mood does one have to be to want to listen to this? I hope I'm never in that mood.

I like the versatility and vulnerability of her voice, but I don't understand her music.

As tedious as it is to have Bjork on this list so many times the one quality of her work is the string arrangements. Otherwise, please stop.

I have no idea why she's on the list so many times.

There's a certain type of guy who is attracted to Björk. They're invariably weird nerds who obsess over left of centre garbage and pretend that mainstream beauty is actually ugly. I don't think it's any surprise that there are like 5 Björk albums here, because music journalists are definitely THAT KINDA GUY. This album was more of the same Björk nonsense. Odd electronica with Björk ignoring accepted English syllable stress patterns over the top. Hopefully this is the last of her here. Surely. 1/5.

Too many Bjorrrrk albums on herrrre. This isn't one of the betterrrrr ones. 🏴‍☠️

This is wild. You cannot listen to this while doing anything else. You cannot have this on in the background. You might hate it.

Lion song is 10 stars

An audio masterpiece. The production is perfect. The whole album feels terribly claustrophobic. Björk sings as if every note is her last breath. It's truly mezmorizing. I love the beats combined with the strings. Björk has a special way of always sounding incredibly unique and one upping her previous albums weirdness. GOAT artist

Like floating on an electric cloud

It’s bjork

This is fucking awesome.

Great for late nights

I've been reading a book about the ways that other species perceive sensory input in unique ways compared to our reliance on the visual and tactile senses. When a zebra finch sings, we get a pretty good idea of what is being sent out into the world, as there is a nice overlap between the hearing ranges of humans and songbirds. Still, there is something present in the sound that Ed Yong refers to in the book as a fine structure; these are very minute changes in pitch that we cannot hear. Their music is beautiful, and yet there are dimensions to it we cannot even comprehend. I think that we can comprehend Björk's sounds and messages quite easily, because she is not a bird, but I like to imagine that the confusing complexity present here might be the closest human equivalent to what those secret bird noises are.

11/10 no notes perfect album. amazing vocals, amazing production, this is her best album ever i love this a lot!

had no idea Björk was in a relationship with Matthew Barney, and this album is about the breakup; funny timing considering I just started the Cremaster series on a whim (the first movie I’ve ever seen by him) anyway, obviously 10/10 for me

емоціонально чесна та відкрита, бйорк робить музику про самі складні почуття, які в тобі є, які навіть описати не вдається, які ти сам в собі не розумієш. вона ніби як твій голос в голові, тому і тексти її такі ж розпливчаті та розмовні, але дуже акуратні та правдиві. дуже унікальна музика, тому що відчувається як частина особистості самій бйорк. ну і плюс я дуже люблю електроніку, особисто для мене мої почуття може дійсно виразити тільки електронна музика... жорсткий репітативний саунд, синтезовані тягучі інструменти...

Áfram Ísland áfram Björk. Mjög gott sound.

Björk er einstakur listamaður. Mjög flott plata.

This must be what it feels like to have been walking through the desert alone and starving and then coming across a pristine river surrounded by trees bursting with fresh fruit. What a beautiful, emotionally resonant, fully realized piece of art this album is. I could cry. Admittedly as big a Bjork fan as I am, I fell off after Vespertine. I guess in my mind I figured that album was perfect and couldn't be surpassed. My exposure to Vulnicura was very limited. Kicking myself now because this is so gorgeous to immerse yourself in. Heaven. These songs are lush and hopeful and full of love, if you will. There's a song 'Atom Dance' feat. ANOHNI that just builds and works it's way into your brain. The strings on this album! Bjork's arrangements have always been faultless. This is her 8th album. Stonemilker is a killer opening track. I'm already playing the album again.

Pretty good

note: it's pronounced vul-nee-CYU-ra anyways, this album is absolutely beautiful. It sucks that artists' best work is always brought out of horrible grief and trauma, but it really does create some of the most unique works I've ever heard, even from artists who already have an incredibly unique sound, like Björk. I love the mix of strings with electronic production, and her really freeform vocal style fits perfectly above it, all with some of her best lyricism of her whole career. Not to mention those vocal harmonies, absolutely otherworldly. Sometimes it's uncomfortable, sometimes it's upsetting, and there are a few points in the album that are nothing but devastating, but at the end of the day that's what a divorce is, or a loss of any kind. Absolutely incredible in every way an album like this could be.

heard this before in the past. this is likely to get a high rating because it's Bjork. the fact that this has received lower than 3 stars average here is criminal tbh, but i suppose some folks just have different "tastes" Stonemilker - 5/5 Lionsong - 5/5 History of Touches - 3/5 Black Lake - 5/5 Family - 5/5 Notget - 4/5 Atom Dance - 5/5 Mouth Mantra - 5/5 Quicksand - 4/5 Average score: 4.6/5 (rounding up) very creative and authentic album about her breakup. this isn't as catchy as her earlier work, nor is it as experimental as some other albums in her discography (in my opinion), but it's still accessible and masterfully crafted nonetheless

From here on out I'm calling today epiphany Tuesday. My wife often tells me I need to pull my head out of my arse. Apparently she's right, I'm really Möbius loop vibing to this album. I think this is the third Björk album I've gotten. This isn't one of my preferred genres of music but her talent and vocal ability are undeniable. One of these days I'm going to make it to Iceland and sit in a hot springs and watch the Northern lights. Bjõrk is going to be my soundtrack.

Nice. A late one though - this isn't from the era of hypermusic etc. Curious to see what she was doing. The first track is EXCELLENT. Such beautiful sounds and arranged so skillfully. Feels a little like a follow up to kid a. Can't think of a more exciting description from me.

Solemn strings, deep electronic percussion and of course beautiful vocals

Even though it's been some time since I listened to this album (after the breakup of a long term relationship no less), it still hits thematically and sonically. Just ugh, what a crushingly heartbreaking album

Another wonderful record from Björk. This one more intimate and personal than the others I’ve heard.

OMG BJORK Im a big Bjork fan, and this is in the upper echelon of her discography. Thank you to the person who introduce Bjork to Arca. They are a match made in heaven and make this one of the most interesting to listen albums ive had on this site. I'm not sure if it's a ten but its close enough to give it that on this site. 9/10

This album really is something. Björk if nothing else is certainly an ephemeral transcriber of difficult, raw, and indescribable emotions on this soul-searing existential breakup album. I think her goal was to essentially turn herself inside out and let the art do the work of working through and healing the real. This album says a lot about identity and grief, and you may not be who you thought you were without that same loving relationship you've had for years. You might not be a person, but a frightening creature now. The sounds on this thing range anywhere from graceful, somewhat gentle and somber, to absolute stress, terror and emotional urgency. Horrifying leads and phrases. Absolutely otherworldly and intense, how could It not be? Beyond raw, beyond real, in the rarely explored territory of hyper-real analysis of emotion and intention.

Intanto shoutout alla copertina di questo album, a mio parere una delle più belle che Bjork abbia mai creato. Anche il nome…stupendo. E l’album in sé è fantasticamente struggente, specie quando lo ascolti con in mente l’amore e l’affetto che traspaiono da Vespertine, album a cui è gemellato. Black Lake, Family e Notget sono eccezionali, l’album sebbene lungo e denso secondo me scorre bene (a parte Lionsong che detesto). Non voglio dilungarmi troppo, si sappia che mi piace molto

This album was a back to form album for sure. Bjork’s heartbreak after ending a marriage became a gift to rabid fans like me. It’s almost uncomfortable at times as Bjork goes into detail her feelings of betrayal and loss. While Vespertine is my favorite Bjork album and a top 5 album of all time, this album, Homogenic and Post all tie for 2nd place. But I’d still give it a 5.

This is a beautiful album with interesting, spacey string arrangements. Somewhat "back to normal" for Bjork after some pretty strange sounding albums before this one. I use strange to mean awesome. This one is a more somber album. Cool production here. All of her albums are a 5 to me. She is truly one of a kind. Three favorites are Lionsong, Family, and Notget.

I think the first Björk album I heard was Fossora, and I really disliked it. I remember thinking to myself that so many people love Björk, and I didn’t understand why. Since then, I’ve listened to more of her albums and found myself enjoying things more and more. This album is one of the more recent ones (2015 was only like two years ago, right?), so I was a little apprehensive, but I really did enjoy this. The orchestration of it all just comes together beautifully, and the vocals amplify how nice it all sounds. I still think Debut is my favourite, but may be a close second.

Siempre me golpeó la música de Bjork e Islandia que viene a ser otro planeta, pero de aquellos enigmáticos vientos. Musicalmente es un reto constante y misterioso.

Very good. Will be giving her entire catalog a listen soon.

Björk/Matthew Barney divorce album. So good.

Ah, my final Björk album, and also my final album from 2015. The three Björk albums I’ve reviewed so far have run a pretty wide gamut. Medúlla was 2 stars, Debut was 3 stars, and Vespertine was 4 stars. I think that Björk makes some incredibly unique music, but it doesn’t always land with me. I have no idea what to expect on this album, but I’m excited to see what it has in store! I thought Vulnicura was really great, and easily the best Björk album that I’ve gotten to review. I loved that the sound was really consistent and cohesive throughout the album. Having the string arrangements as the dominant sound on this album worked really well. Björk knows how to create strange and beautiful arrangements, and in my opinion, the music on this album is her most accessible work that I’ve listened to. I really loved that the album was thematically tied to a breakup that she went through, and there was such a wide variety of emotions that Björk explored over the course of these songs. I didn’t really have a favorite song on this album. Granted, I didn’t really take a lot of notes as I listened to it, but one of the few things I wrote down about an individual song was that I liked the lightness of the strings in contrast to the deep bass and percussion on “Stonemilker.” I’d normally go back through an album to snag some more notes on individual songs, but with this album’s length, and the length of the individual songs, I’ll have to pass on that this time around. Even though I don’t have a ton of notes on this album, I’m giving it five stars because I think it really stuck the landing from its bold vision. While this album isn’t the sort of thing I’d actively listen to again, I thought it was incredibly beautiful, and full of rich, meaningful songwriting. What a way to wrap up Björk’s albums on this list!

Stonemaker, the strings are gorgeous. The drums feel very nostalgic to me, this is the 2010s tbf. The melody is simple but rythem is everything. When it opens all opens up when she says “Show me emotional respect” it really feels like she’s asking as kindly as she can. “Like milking a stone, To get you to say it” I feel this very deeply. It’s such frustration and yearning mixed together. And this soundscape captures that. “A juxtapositioning fate, Find our mutual coordinates” it won’t be easy to get there but if they do it will mean unison. Ends how it began with beautiful strings. This did not feel 6 minutes long at all. Lionsong, woah the harmony work is so crazy, very cool. Somewhat uneasy. Strings again. A stronger drum beat. “This wild lion doesn’t fit in this chair, Maybe he will come out of this loving me” then morphs into “These abstract complex feelings, I just don’t know how to handle them”. There’s no need for a metaphor when you understand what is happening. I’m assuming this is about the same relationship in the first song. She really uses rhythm as her melody?? if that makes sense. She really follows her story. Ends by saying “Somehow i’m not too bothered, I’d just like to know.” Fatigue for the situation has set in. You can feel that with the strings they’re strong but somber. History Of Touches, a synth to begin with and just her voice. “I wake you up, In the middle of the night, To express my love for you”. This is deffo about sex. “Every single fuck” confirmed my hypothesis. This does feel intimate and close. It’s just her and a wall of synths really. It’s very interesting. There’s sadness too, it’s the last time. Black Lake, this feels very sad. The strings. “Our love was my womb but our bond has broken”. Is this about falling out of love with the father of her child?? :( The drums sound like a heart beat. wow all of the lyrics are truly heartbreaking, and the vocal performance is simple and raw. “You fear my limitless emotions, I am bored of your apocalyptic obsessions” two very different people have finally come to the end of their commonalities. “Did I love you too much?Devotion bent me broken”, wondering if you pushed them away with intensity. The music begins to speed up, still sounding like a pounding heart from the drums, the intense strings could be a panic attack. Then it settles as she says “I did it for love, I honoured my feelings” feeling safe again that this was not her fault. Again it begins to speed up, the melody becomes higher and more chest focused when she says “Family was out sacred mutual mission, Which you abandoned”. There’s a lot of space almost hinting the need for a response from him. The production come together again for her to finish by saying “Returning home”. This is a haunting masterpiece. Again somehow did not feel 8 minutes! Family, the drums are demanding. She’s in pain for sure. This is a heavy album. “No triangle of love, So where do i go” Feeling incomplete after the break down of a relationship. There’s so much space in the production, close harmony and call and response. Echos, making it feel like she’s in a void. “To mourn our miraculous triangle, Father, mother, child”. A complete change happens to staccato strings. She’s mad but also trying to “build a safe bridge for the child” out of this trauma :(. It ends with her saying “this location of solutions” she has to carry on through the pain. Notget, this feels more upbeat but still tense. Then she says “Once you fell out of love, Our love couldn’t carry you, And I didn’t even notice, For our love kept me safe from death”. She is shattered by it. “If i regret us, Im denying my soul to grow”. The drums are carrying her along to heal through it. It’s horrible but it has happened. She’s fighting on. There’s a synth that is incredible, gives some light. She is singing very openly in her chest voice, reaching high in her range. It’s haunting and hopeful. “Love will keep us safe from death” is a beautiful sentiment, delivered in a painful way. Atom Dance, this features ANOHNI. “None is a lover alone, I propose an atom dance.” This feels lighter, she has realised that “love is the ocean we crave” and she is not alone. It feels like an alien waltz. “Enter the pain and dance with me” she welcomes all of us with broken hearts to join her to heal :,). What a little fairy nymph she is. “Atoms are laughing at last”. Mouth Mantra, I think this is a song about being silenced. Within her creativity and her voice within her relationship. Again it’s very airy. Strings adding tension. A consistent drum. Echos and lots of synths. “This tunnel has enabled, thousands of sounds”. Her voice mixed with the void she is moving through. Ends very cinematically. The final song, Quicksand. “our mother’s philosophy, fells like quicksand, And if she sinks, I’m going down with her”. I feel this song is to her daughter. It’s fast and fierce. Whatever happens she will be right by her. “When we are broken we are whole” understanding pain can bring people closer together, especially if it’s shared. “And my continuity and my daughters”. I hope I never need this album, but i know it’s likely I will have big feelings to get through that this will aid well. She so interesting as a vocalist, she creates her own rhythms I can’t really explain it, at first it feels a little clunky but then you get drawn in. This album is devastating, but hopeful in some ways and strong in most. She makes it through the pain. I love that she had creativity as an outlet in this time. It has to be a 5, no one else could dare to create/recreate this. The artwork is gorgeous. She stands in all black radiating spikes of yellow and blue and silver. And this album feels as though although she feels dark there is moments of colour through all the separate deep feelings.

Amazing. This algorithm has me as its cat’s toy. Just what I needed to hear as my own relationship imploded.

beautiful + challenging = perfect

one of the few truly unique artist in contemporary music

I love this album. Hypnotic and beautiful.