Customer Reviews

Biophilia

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

When Bjork released her first adult solo album, "Debut", in 1993, Bjork's ecstatic voice and unique songwriting offered a refreshing take on dance-pop music. Since then, Bjork has released seven more albums, most of which towed a fine line between highly creative pop music and experimental, even otherworldly songs.

Bjork's new album, "Biophilia" is her most ambitious, intuitive, and non-commercial album to date. (And considering Bjork's catalog, that's really saying a lot.) If you are looking for catchy, easily digestible pop music, than this is not the album for you. Even for a hardcore Bjork fan like me, it took a few complete listens to start to wrap my head around this album. At first listen, it seemed amelodic, difficult, and inaccessible. But once I gave in to it, the songs began to slowly reveal themselves to me. And I found myself in a strange, beautiful, and yet somehow familiar world.

"Biophilia" is an intersection. Thematically, the entire album is about science. With "Vespertine" (my all-time favorite Bjork album), Bjork explored the human condition through music about intimate human relationships. With "Biophilia", Bjork explores the human condition through the context of our place in the natural world. "Biophilia" exists at the intersection between science and music, between human beings and our environment, between classical music and modern electronica, between emotion and instinct.

At last Björk has mananged to make something lasting. This is her "Night of Hunters"; in many ways, it harks back to "Homogenic" (her masterpiece), but it also forges new ground. The brass of "Volta" makes an appearance, but it also has some of the more pensive and... well, different elements of "Drawing Restraint 9". Yes, some of the same things appear in "Volta", but they just managed to make the album feel uneven, like it didn't quite know what it wanted to be. On here, everything works towards the common goal.

"Moon" is probably one of the most wonderfully realised songs she's written in a long time, and a perfect introduction to the feeling of the album. And then you listen on and WHAM: "Virus", "Sacrifice", and "Mutual Core". These three are perhaps among the best songs she's ever written: "Virus" is outstandingly beautiful, "Sacrifice" starts off unassuming and then hits you, and "Mutual Core" just blows you away.

We seem to forget how few albums Björk has actually made; "Volta" was a fun album, with a dark edge, and yes it was uneven, but it was right after "Medulla", which probably her most interesting album, if also slightly uneven.

And then she produced this. "Biophilia" is her most modern and accomplished work. She's back, not that she ever really went away. Brilliant.

I really cannot understand why this Cd has been reviewed so highly by critics and so poorly by customers. Well, I have to agree with the critics: This is a great album, some of Bjork's best, and one of the only modern music that is worthy of some attention. All tracks are masterpieces. Moon is minimalistic, but is all about Bjork's voice. The other stand-outs are, in my opinion: Cosmogony, Mutual Core and Sacrifice. All great. I hope the rating gets higher with time. Admittedly, as it often happens with Bjork, this album needs time to grow, but when it does, it becomes wonderful.

Though it seems like everybody has said what I wanted to say about this album, I feel like I have to still throw my two cents in since I've been a devoted fan of Björk's since I was a teen. Björk has always been in top form when it comes to lyrics so my review focuses more on Biophilia's music style and explains what each song sounds like.

Leave it to the genius of Björk to take music to the next level by making an interactive app; the first app album ever actually. I don't know if it was a strategic ploy to sell more of Biophilia, but no matter, the app allows the listener to get closer into Björk's vision while also letting the listener experiment with some of the songs and sounds themselves.

Biophilia for me is Björk's most fulfilling album since Vespertine. The album echoes vocals from Medulla, instruments similar to Vespertine and Volta , and the technology that made Homogenic so groundbreaking; Björk is back at her zenith on Biophilia.

1. MOON contemplates emotional rebirth, explores lunar cycles, the tides, and human biological rhythms. MOON is a calm, tranquil song that features the harp and some of Björk's famous wailing.

2. THUNDERBOLT is the thirst of miracles - a track forged from arpeggios of lightning. THUNDERBOLT's rhythm mostly comes from Björk's specific vocals and features a choir, and a teslacoil bassline.

3. The spatial aspects of both crystals and music unite our internal and external worlds in CRYSTALLINE. CRYSTALLINE is a really fun song with an epic ending that will blow your mind away. The song features a gameslete and will have you constantly repeating, and dancing.

4. COSMOGONY explores the different myths and theories of how our universe might have come to be. COSMOGONY takes you on a mesmerizing journey through our universe with a bass, choir, and Björk; beautiful and emotionally moving.

5. Breath is a spirit that pervades the cosmos, and the invisible "DARK MATTER" pervades the universe. DARK MATTER is mostly vocals and an organ type instrument. The song echoes something from Medulla and is pretty creepy and slow.

6. HOLLOW is inspired by Bjork's own genetic ancestry. The song is about DNA, ancestors, and biological connection through time. HOLLOW is a song that you will either understand or not. Thanks to Björk's interactive app that I purchased, I absolutely understood what Björk was going for in this song. Each beat represents the flow of blood and cells that are created and regenerated throughout the body; very scientific then again this whole album is.

7. A love song reveals the dangerous relationships between VIRUS and host (between lovers). The sound on VIRUS is definitely a throwback to Björk's past albums Homogenic and Vespertine. It's one of most rememberable tracks on the album and once again features the gameleste, and choir; one of Björk's most beautiful songs.

8. To surrender, to forgo, for the love of another you must SACRIFICE. SACRIFICE starts out serene and goes into another epic middle and end; song features a sharpsichord.

9. Geography, geology, geothermal activity become a metaphor for human relationships in MUTUAL CORE. MUTUAL CORE is another highlight on Biophilia that is divided by different rhythms which feature an organ and choir. The song echoes hardcore Björk songs from the past.

10. SOLSTICE celebrates light and the changing seasons produced by the tilt of the earth in its orbit around the sun. SOLSTICE ends the album nicely. The song is similar to Moon and features some of Björk's distinctive wailing and a pendulum.

This album is the one I've been hoping for from Björk, for some time. Her creativity on "Biophilia" is off-the-hook, a sequel of sorts to her _a capella_ album "Medùlla" (which I would also recommend). Happily, Björk's heavily gamelan instrumentation is vibrant, pleasant to the ear, and deeply intriguing.

The lyrics on this album center around a poetic storytelling of the progress of the Universe, as currently understood by science. Her verses are succinct facts of physics. Unlike some of her earlier albums, the lyrics don't feel like random lists of nouns. There's great poetry to the lyrics.

The booklet includes almost all the lyrics (not 'Dark Matter' for some reason; is it a play on words? we can't see the words because they are dark matter?). The artwork is fun, and mostly variations of what you see on the cover. Most striking in the art design is the incredible font based on a music staff used for the song titles.

Stand-out tracks are 'Crystalline', 'Cosmogony', 'Virus' and 'Solstice'. But, "Biophilia" is really a concept album, meant to be taken as a whole.

I really enjoy "Biophilia." It definitely stands as a high point in Björk's repertoire.

When I first popped this in, I was very confused but knew I heard good parts in the confusion. I listened a second time and was not as perplexed but still could not completely wrap my head around Bjork's style for this album. I listened a 3rd time and it finally clicked.

The truth is that Bjork has become so good that everything she does raises the bar and is always unique. This album has it's own unique style that stands on it's own and can't be categorized. Neither can the majority of Bjork's other albums. Some Parts are reminiscent of "Homogenic", "Vespertine", and even "Medulla". Somehow though, this album has it's own sound though still.

If you're a beginner to Bjork, start with something like "Post".

If you're a longtime fan of hers, I guarantee you'll like this album.

Seriously?? What is wrong with people these days!? This album is pure stroke of genius. It was critically acclaimed for a reason, and that reason is that BIOPHILIA is an absolute musical masterpiece. In my opinion it's Björk's most beautiful album to date. Lyrically it's phenomenal. musically, it transports you to another world you've never been before. One of peace and one of strife.

The album starts out strong and only gets stronger and better. The last 4 songs are possibly some of the best songs Björk has ever made. "Virus" sends chills down my spine. I love the subject matter of "Sacrifice" and how great the song is written and "Mutual Core" is AMAZING! "Solstice" is a gorgeous way to end the album. Phenomenal song.

& you have to hear "Thunderbolt" to believe it!

All in all BIOPHILIA will leave you breathless. It's music + combined together in order to make a phenomenal listening experiance.

Either you like her or you don't, but you can't argue that she creates every time she produces an album. The use of the harp throughout this album is similar to how she focused on brass in the volta album. I really like it and on vinyl and with a good stereo the depth of the music is breathtaking.

Let's face it, Björk is quite the character - that may be an understatement. Regardless of that unique truth, Björk is one of today's most intriguing, talented musicians. Biophilia, additionally, is easily one of 2011's best albums. For the more `traditional' music lover, an album the likes of Biophilia may not be `your cup of tea.' For the avid classical, experimental rock, or electronic music lover, Biophilia will be an album that you spin for years to come. One continual tone poem dabbling in the universe, supernatural, and biology, Biophilia is an album deserving of a Grammy that will most likely go overlooked. Regardless, if you are interested in a captivating, experimental listen and have never tried Björk, Biophilia might just change your life. Additionally, it made for quite the Halloween soundtrack.

"Moon" opens the effort exceptionally, featuring the harp (who uses harp these days!?!?). Tons of vocal effects surround Björk's commanding vocals. Björk oscillates between being restrained and belting here quite effectively. The use of a choir as the track evolves alongside the constant minimalist vibe cultivated here makes "Moon" a treat and excellent opener. "Thunderbolt" keeps up the strange vibes and momentum, using the organ as the instrument of accompaniment. "Thunderbolt" is as mystical and strange as the opener with synthetic lines underlying. The choral arrangement is magnificent. What more is there to say? As oddball as both the opener and "Thunderbolt" are, there is an underlying brilliance that most artists today wouldn't even dare to try. "Crystalline," the excellent first single is still a standout upon listening to Biophilia in its entirety. The use of electronics are a highlight, not to mention an accessible (or somewhat-accessible) refrain which helps to clarify the ponderous and dense nature of this affair - if that's possible. Three cuts in, Biophilia is nothing short of eccentric genius.

"Cosmogony" may be my favorite cut. While it is odd, there is a better sense of cohesion here in comparison to the rest of the album. "Cosmogony" opens with celestial, ominous synth pads - a nice tone poem effect achieved to represent `the universe.' "Cosmogony" features superb vocals by Björk that make the listener hinge on to every word. The airy supporting background vocals, coupled with the valedictory orchestration makes this track one of the album's crowing achievements. "Dark Matter" has a hard act to follow, but does a fine job causing the effort to lose no momentum. "Dark Matter," just as its title prescribes, is nothing short of `freaky.' Much like the `film-music' concept that Biophilia cultivates, "Dark Matter" features Björk's most chilling vocal performance filled with dynamic contrasts and genius supporting background vocals. A clear high point is the fact that "Dark Matter" is the first cut from the album not to clock in at over five minutes; it only last 3:22.

"Hollow" is another oddity - but what else do you expect from Björk? The minimalist aspect is superb, cultivated through strings and once more organ. Unpredictable, this in itself is part of the allure of this oddball cut that just misses the six minute mark in duration. As much experimental rock as it is utilizing classical techniques and devices, "Hollow" is a brilliant anomaly. Most people won't get it, but for those who love and live to experiment, "Hollow" is just more `icing on the cake.' "Virus" is more accessible than the majority of cuts with a lighter opening that contrasts the heaviness of cuts like "Dark Matter" and "Hollow." Björk's vocals are pure and the lyrics are `out-of-the box' and creative. The bridge section a completely different harmonic scheme, which helps to alleviate predictability on this cut. "Virus" makes Biophilia stand at seven for seven.

"Sacrifice" possesses an oriental sound, again serving as a contrast to previous cut "Virus." Not a personal favorite, "Sacrifice" is still above par and supremely creative. "Mutual Core" `smokes it,' again finding Björk dabbling again with the organ, which is both mysterious and beautiful. Björk continues experiments using hardcore electronic production. "Solstice" decelerates the effort, finding the effort (in standard form) closing with plucked strings (harp) and Björk stripping things back down. In deluxe form, Biophilia features three more cuts, an extended version of the oddity "Hollow," an exceptional choir and organ featuring version of "Dark Matter," and spastic, manic, rhythmic cut "Nattura." If the decision is between the standard and deluxe versions, go on and splurge for the deluxe - you won't be disappointed.

Basically, Biophilia is a masterpiece. It is not an album for everyone, but for those who love an album that challenges them musically and as a musical listener, Biophilia fills the gap. In my opinion, Biophilia is one of my favorites of 2011 as of yet. Kudos to you Björk!

The main complaints I read about this album seem to be that it is nothing like the hit records she produced 10 or 15 years ago and that the music is "unlistenable" in many ways. I wonder if the people with these complaints are still approaching Björk as a pop musician, and not for the classically trained composer she has been all along? This album, most would agree is not a pop album by far. Electronic music, yes, but not pop. To me the music of this album really highlights the modern, classical side of Björk that has always played some role in her music, but has only recently become more prominent as she has gotten older. I interpret much of this album as modern classical music with an electronic twist. Songs like Dark Matter and Hollow remind me of composers like Stravinsky and some of his contemporaries who were often misunderstood and deemed "unlistenable" in their day as well. Part of Björk's appeal to me is her innovativeness and how she forces you to wrap your head around her work. For her to keep spoon-feeding us albums consisting of the tired, 4/4 verse-chorus-verse-chorus style pop songs would be disappointing and boring. As Björk has matured, so has her music, and she is not writing it to be pretentious or purposely abstract just to be "artsy". I think she just has a lot of crazy, creative ideas that are so new for some people that they have a hard time understanding and enjoying it. I think this album is a gem. The music may be a bit understated, but I think that's how she wanted it. Stark and mysterious. Even aside from the apps, residency-tour, and all the extra facets, this album stands strong on its own, in my opinion. It may take time to sink in, but only if you approach it with an open mind, and appreciate Björk as the seasoned composer she is and not the spontaneous pop artist she used to be. Try meditating to this album instead of dancing.