Medúlla

Sound DNA

• Electronic
• Ambient & Downtempo

• sparse
• eerie
• cerebral

About

In Latin, the word <i>medulla</i> is often translated as the marrow or soft inner part of an object—not a bad metaphor for the molten core of pure humanism that undergirds Björk’s woozy, elegantly constructed fifth studio album. Released in 2004, <i>Medúlla</i> served as a deliberate pivot from the skittering electronics of 2001’s <i>Vespertine</i>. 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.” The result is a collection of songs that are organic and warmly textured, featuring a panoply of guests, including beatbox legend Rahzel, Robert Wyatt of the prog-rock legends Soft Machine, Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq, composer Nico Muhly, and Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton. (Don’t let your ears deceive you: Thanks to <i>Medúlla</i>’s impressive guest list, many of the album’s most “machine”-like moments spring from flesh and bone.) Constructed in sessions across England, Spain, Brazil, New York, and her native Reykjavik, <i>Medúlla</i> is one of Björk’s most political albums—conceived in the wake of 9/11, and its consequent surge of patriotism, jingoism, and generalized fear. Still, hope surges throughout, on tracks like the soulful, swaying opener “Pleasure Is All Mine”; the plaintive “Show Me Forgiveness”; and the propulsive and tuneful “Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right).” <i>Medúlla</i> also includes a track heard around the world: The sinuous “Oceania,” which the singer performed in front of an audience of millions at the 2004 Olympics Opening Ceremony in Athens. The song was a fitting summation of one of her most acclaimed works to date: Earthy and alien, tender and surreal—and inimitably, indubitably Björk.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits