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Björk's album Medúlla was released on August 30th 2004 in the UK.
Björk has a reputation for being incredibly creative and pushing the boundaries of music (if you're being unkind, she's weird and her work is obtuse). This album is probably thought of by most as the pinnacle of Björkness, the most 'out-there' of her works and the least accessible. Each of her records is completely different to the last, but this one can be especially formidable to the uninitiated.
What I personally love about this album is that though it seems daunting and experimental and all that, it actually has a very strong sense of melody and solid composition; so many works that claim to be 'experimental' are often structureless messes that are not particularly easy on the ears, but Björk's sensibilities from other genres translate well here to a beautiful album. However, I totally understand that it can be hard to appreciate this on the first listen!
Stylistically, it's easily one of the most interesting albums I've ever heard- a (mostly) acapella album featuring only human voices: as well as regular singing, there's yodelling, beatboxing and Icelandic choral music. Of course, it's not all Björk, and she calls in assistance from a diverse range of collaborators such as Mike Patton, Rahzel of The Roots and Shlomo. In terms of instruments, there's a synth in "Who Is It?", a piano in "Ancestors" and a gong in "The Pleasure Is All Mine", and that's it. Sometimes vocals are cut-up and distorted, such as in "Desired Constellation" in order to create atmosphere, but for the majority of the time the voices remain distinctly... vocal? Voice-like? They come together in such a manner that you get the true sense of humanity's most ancient instrument.
The album's title, Latin medical language for 'marrow', can be found linguistically not only in bone marrow (ossea medulla) but can also be applied to the innermost part of the kidney (the renal medulla) and the innermost part of the hair shaft (medulla) . It illustrates the album's concept of getting to the essence or core of something; in this case, Bjork viewed the essence of music as being vocals.
Inspiration:
She wanted to counteract "stupid American racism and patriotism" after 9/11. Something in me wanted to leave out civilisation, to rewind to before it all happened and work out, Where is the human soul? What if we do without civilisation and religion and patriotism, without the stuff that has gone wrong? Listen: Mouth's Cradle.
It was also influenced by her pregnancy: the album is full of songs about birth. "I became really aware of my muscles and bones. Your body just takes over and does incredible things." Listen: Submarine and Oceania
Meanwhile, from a musical perspective:
She was recording her drum overdubs when it struck her that what she was doing was superfluous. She removed all the excess from her production until the buried vocal melodies started to shine. At this point, she hit on the idea of doing an album almost entirely acapella. (the only rule was for it to not sound like Manhattan Transfer or Bobby McFerrin)
Videos of songs from Medúlla (click the picture to watch the video):
Oceania
Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)
This is an interesting one, as the vocals are removed in favour of a bell choir. It's referred to as the Bell Choir Mix on versions of the single.
The song was originally written in the Vespertine sessions, but it didn't particularly fit that album's introverted and more subdued style, so it found a home here. Bjork describes it as being a very 'physical' song.
Where Is The Line
Desired Constellation
How am I going to make it right? I don't really have much to say about this one, I just close my eyes and smile every time I hear it. It's incredibly atmospheric and hazy. The hazy effect is created from a distorted sample of Björk saying "I'm not sure what to do with it" from "Hidden Place" on Vespertine. The visuals here just reflect its odd beauty.
Triumph of a Heart
Everyone who has ever been on the Internet should recognise at least one shot from this music video (go to 3:57 if you can't be arsed with guesswork). It's yet another odd video. At least it's not particularly disturbing. The song itself was probably the most radio-friendly one on the record, so it was released as a single and charted in the top 75 of most countries. Hooray!
Listen to the album on Spotify
Let's celebrate one of the most interesting (and polarising) works of one of the greatest artists of all-time.
Björk has a reputation for being incredibly creative and pushing the boundaries of music (if you're being unkind, she's weird and her work is obtuse). This album is probably thought of by most as the pinnacle of Björkness, the most 'out-there' of her works and the least accessible. Each of her records is completely different to the last, but this one can be especially formidable to the uninitiated.
What I personally love about this album is that though it seems daunting and experimental and all that, it actually has a very strong sense of melody and solid composition; so many works that claim to be 'experimental' are often structureless messes that are not particularly easy on the ears, but Björk's sensibilities from other genres translate well here to a beautiful album. However, I totally understand that it can be hard to appreciate this on the first listen!
Stylistically, it's easily one of the most interesting albums I've ever heard- a (mostly) acapella album featuring only human voices: as well as regular singing, there's yodelling, beatboxing and Icelandic choral music. Of course, it's not all Björk, and she calls in assistance from a diverse range of collaborators such as Mike Patton, Rahzel of The Roots and Shlomo. In terms of instruments, there's a synth in "Who Is It?", a piano in "Ancestors" and a gong in "The Pleasure Is All Mine", and that's it. Sometimes vocals are cut-up and distorted, such as in "Desired Constellation" in order to create atmosphere, but for the majority of the time the voices remain distinctly... vocal? Voice-like? They come together in such a manner that you get the true sense of humanity's most ancient instrument.
The album's title, Latin medical language for 'marrow', can be found linguistically not only in bone marrow (ossea medulla) but can also be applied to the innermost part of the kidney (the renal medulla) and the innermost part of the hair shaft (medulla) . It illustrates the album's concept of getting to the essence or core of something; in this case, Bjork viewed the essence of music as being vocals.
Inspiration:
She wanted to counteract "stupid American racism and patriotism" after 9/11. Something in me wanted to leave out civilisation, to rewind to before it all happened and work out, Where is the human soul? What if we do without civilisation and religion and patriotism, without the stuff that has gone wrong? Listen: Mouth's Cradle.
It was also influenced by her pregnancy: the album is full of songs about birth. "I became really aware of my muscles and bones. Your body just takes over and does incredible things." Listen: Submarine and Oceania
Meanwhile, from a musical perspective:
She was recording her drum overdubs when it struck her that what she was doing was superfluous. She removed all the excess from her production until the buried vocal melodies started to shine. At this point, she hit on the idea of doing an album almost entirely acapella. (the only rule was for it to not sound like Manhattan Transfer or Bobby McFerrin)
Videos of songs from Medúlla (click the picture to watch the video):
Oceania
Hey, this is the song she performed at the Olympics in 2004! It was written especially for the event in collaboration with Sjon. Yes, her dress is expanding and engulfing the entire floor of the stadium in order to evoke the ocean. How lovely. It's sung from the point of view of the ocean about the evolution of humans from her waters. As you do..png)
Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)
This is an interesting one, as the vocals are removed in favour of a bell choir. It's referred to as the Bell Choir Mix on versions of the single.
The song was originally written in the Vespertine sessions, but it didn't particularly fit that album's introverted and more subdued style, so it found a home here. Bjork describes it as being a very 'physical' song.
Where Is The Line
Possibly one of the oddest and most disturbing music videos I have ever seen. To crib the Wikipedia summary: It shows Björk wearing a dress made of sandbags and standing in a barn full of hay. She gives birth to a convulsing person covered in white ooze that is presumably made to represent Vernix caseosa. After a series of explosions, a number of creatures made of hay emerge from the hay stacks. They surround her and cover her with their bodies on the ground until she is no longer visible. Where is the line, truly.
Desired Constellation
How am I going to make it right? I don't really have much to say about this one, I just close my eyes and smile every time I hear it. It's incredibly atmospheric and hazy. The hazy effect is created from a distorted sample of Björk saying "I'm not sure what to do with it" from "Hidden Place" on Vespertine. The visuals here just reflect its odd beauty.
Triumph of a Heart
Everyone who has ever been on the Internet should recognise at least one shot from this music video (go to 3:57 if you can't be arsed with guesswork). It's yet another odd video. At least it's not particularly disturbing. The song itself was probably the most radio-friendly one on the record, so it was released as a single and charted in the top 75 of most countries. Hooray!
Listen to the album on Spotify
Let's celebrate one of the most interesting (and polarising) works of one of the greatest artists of all-time.
