Search - Bjork :: Medulla

Courageous, gorgeous, ravishing!

Marianne Stone | San Francisco | 05/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not only do I adore Bjork's music, but also her entire overall approach to it, so I suppose I'm a little biased toward loving anything she does irregardless... However, after multiple listenings in various environments to "Medulla", I'm feeling confident enough to recommend it to *some* people, not all; only the ones I find most experienced and sophisticated in their listening choices, or open to art forms that don't fit into tidy little boxes.

I think that the folks who are saying that this is not the "old Bjork" are correct; this is not the "old Bjork" - any artist worth their salt explores, pushes boundaries, takes risks, evolves, and sometimes leaves their former fans/supporters behind. Beethoven, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan among many others faced huge criticism, even rioting, when they made the choice to put different sounds out into the world's ear than the current audience was comfortable with. That's how great works of art are produced. There must be transitional periods where no one, not even the artist, knows quite what's going on - later we look back and say, "A-Ha! that's what s/he was doing..." It's important to go on the journey...

I suppose that everything on "Medulla" doesn't deserve a 5-star rating (some of it seems a bit self-indulgent and obscure, tho' I hesitate to blame that on the artist and more on my need to listen more deeply), but parts are some of the best beautiful music I've ever heard, and certainly all of it is fearless, seductive and authentically Bjorkish.

I'm basing my rating on the fact that, while it may not be the very best album Bjork has in her to create for all time, it certainly is representative of her passion for exploration, and an indication of what's to come. I think it's an important addition to any music lover's collection."

I'm not dissapointed.

homogénica | Chile | 02/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I heard the leaks of Medúlla before its release: I was afraid I wouldn't really like the cd. It's really weird to see someone say "I'm bored with instruments" and want to do an entirely vocal album. I feared it wouldn't be as good as the other Björk albums, but after listening to the songs, I realised it was a pretty good album. Many people hated this album, and even regreted buying the album... which I think it's no use. I think they expected too much for a new album, and were desperate and thirsty for new material. The result was, in my opinion: a very cozy album, almost relaxing to listen to, even though it has some strong beats sung by Razhel from The Roots. It's not a boring album. There's use of a lot of effects on voices, a great deal of textures. I extremely fell in love with "Who Is It", which is now a single with a pretty bell choir mix. Lyrically is splendorous. "Pleasure is all mine" is surprisingly nice and it's one of my favourites. There are two tracks supposed to be improvs, like "Midvikudags" and "Öll Birtan", and are very short and sorta fun. "Desired Constellation" is wonderful, dark and slow (in a good way). The lyrics are at times kinda heartbreaking yet a real beauty. "Oceania", "Triumph of a heart" and "Mouth's Cradle" are the upbeat tracks of the record. I really suggest you buy Medúlla if you like buying every release by Björk. This Limited Edition consists of a special packaging, a "digipack", and a poster of the cover with some doodles around. The lyrics are in the back, and although they're black like the paper itself, they can be seen anyway. It's a cute digipack, and a nice album. I think it might be a sorta transition album, since Björk wanted to release two albums in a row (Medúlla & Next Album?)."

Bjork's best album yet

Troy E. | New York, NY | 01/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first listened to clips of songs from this album, I wasn't too interested... probably because it is so unlike anything that has been done before. Now I consider it Bjork's best album. I love that she took such a risk with this album and it's fascinating that she created so much music from human sounds (throat-singing, percussive sounds, even breathing). There is a raw, human element that makes this album profound, and there is a lot of variety among the songs. It's less pop and more genre-defying -- a step in the right direction, I think."