Medúlla

by

Björk

Edit

Ever heard of mouth music? It's a traditional technique for producing music with nothing except rhythmic vocals -- literally, just music from the mouth. Quirky Icelandic Bjork isn't a Celt, but she takes the term "mouth music to new heights in the enchantingly challenging "Medulla," an album whose music is based on the voice.

Bjork embarks on her strangest and most experimental musical journey here. Not just one kind of song, but many -- majestic medieval-flavored music to pop to hymns to an eerie vocal ballad backed by throat singing. Bjork even beatboxes with a choir behind her, giving a sort of classical hip-hop sound to the music. Can't get that just anywhere.

"Medulla" isn't entirely devoid of instrumentation... the non-vocal variety, that is. There's a pretty piano solo to "Ancestors," and the deep bassline of "Submarine." Keyboards pop up occasionally But those are the exception -- most of the time it's Bjork's soft vocals, singing, grunting, whistles, and various gutteral sounds -- sort of a dolphin-on-acid noise. It's wonderfully weird.

After the pretty but vaguely monotonous "Vespertine," Bjork just bursts out with her new sound. What's strangest is the effect it has when one is listening to it -- it's powerful and visceral, lulling you one moment and making you shiver the next. At times it's unnerving -- the grunts range from sexy to ghastly, and are enough to make you squirm -- but it never fails to provoke a response.

"Medulla" isn't a full departure from her past material. The opening number has echoes of "Vespertine," while "Where is the Line" hints at "Homogenic." But the heart and soul of "Medulla" rests in an entirely new zone, far away from the icy grandeur of her past trip-hop. This is a darker, thicker sound, backed by Robert Wyatt's odd vocals and a choir.

Bjork proves again that she is an artist in every sense of the word -- she doesn't just make wonderful music, but she explores into new and thrilling musical arenas. Revolutionary, sultry, and a jolt to the system.

I was in a funk all day after listening to this album for the first time. Being a Bjork fan (almost verging on obsessive) for over 11 years, to say that I anticipated Bjork's next release is an understatement.

I can tell that I am not going to be popular given all of the 5-star reviews already posted but can see that I am not entirely alone in being utterly disappointed. Bjork is truly one of my favorite artists but I am not so enamored by her that I will convince myself to like something that I don't just because she is the one who created it.

Most of the tracks would be listenable were it not for the hyperventilating, moans, cries, and wails that make some tracks almost laughable. In fact, some of them I did laugh (especially the track Ancestors!), thinking to myself "You've got to be kidding me!". Although some songs have stuck in my head and provide a glimpse of the "old" Bjork in all of her glory, I was hoping for an album that I couldn't wait to listen to over and over again, that would satiate me for the years of wait until her next album. I did not find this in Medulla.

She has said that she felt cleansed after completing this album and I sure hope she got it all out of her system because if the next album is like this one, I don't know what I'll do.....