Customer Reviews

Bjork: Medulla

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a collection of fabulous videos that show Bjork at her most creative, fruitcake best.
In Oceania, Bjork, wearing a black lace dress and covered in sequins suggestive of fish scales, is singing on the ocean floor. Special effects are used to create a host of sea creatures, jelly fish like, that go on to perform an enchanting dance with some sort of mutant sea orchids. It's all very crazy and it certainly looks beautiful.
In Who is it, Bjork is playing a bell- that is, she is both playing the bells on her bell shape dress and acting out what it feels to be a bell. She's accompanied by a pair of huskies, and bell adorned children from Bell Choir of Iceland join her in symphony of bells. Everything takes place on gorgeous lava rock, black sand Icelandic landscape. I'm a sucker for black sand, but this video does look stunning and has incredible energy.
In Trumph of the Heart she is in bed with a cat, and I don't mean in bed reading with a cat crawled up in her lap. The cat is wearing white tank top and they both look disheveled, possibly after a night of interspecies passion, but Bjork is also sad and grumpy, giving the cat some mean looks and she finally takes off in a car, drives to a city and walks into a bar called Sirkus and starts guzzling wine. They love one another but relationships are not easy... See for yourself how this story ends. The winning combo of Bjork and Spike Jonze again delivers a totally kooky and wonderful video.
Constellation of the Heart may test the patience of anyone who likes some sort of action to take place in a music video. What you get is a view of the sky/ocean with constellations beings drafted and redrafted by disjointed white arms. That's it, for over four minutes. I found it rather hypnotic and fascinating to watch, but it's a weird one, even by Bjork's standards, and it's more of a screensaver than a video.
Where is the Line video shows Bjork in a barn, wearing a dress that is like a sackcloth cactus costume. If you though that the Swan dress was far out, wait till you see this outfit. Strange creatures, looking like albino Uruk-hai orcs, covered in slime and fond of slime regurgitation, crawl out of her dress, then roll in the hay and then- I'm not sure how to describe what happens... It's all very tongue in cheek- Bjork actually cracks up in one scene- and other than exploding haystacks that look like extras from Monty Python Exploding Bush sketch, there are no special effects to speak of. The whole thing is like a cheap and campy horror movie. You will laugh or cry or you might throw up. This is possibly the most royally messed up "music video" Bjork has done and I absolutely love it, but approach with caution if you don't like this type of slimy fare.
The little featurette about making of the Triumph video shows the bar where it was shot and talks about the people involved. Most of them get to sing, or yodel. Most of them are pretty loopy and delightful individuals, described as "arty-farty types." The story of the casting for the cat role in this video is told- the winner is a cat named Nietzsche. The importance of cats in Icelandic mythology is discussed. And that's just the beginning...
Get this DVD for yourself or for your cat, it's a very tasty treat.

The Medulla videos dvd was released about a year ago in Europe which is typical of Bjork's array of labels. The United States finally gets this dvd on November 8 as the release date has been pushed back. As for the actual dvd, if you loved Björk's 2004 masterpiece Medúlla then this dvd is a must get. It includes all the videos shot for the album's singles and is even more worthwhile because Björk's videos NEVER get played by any music TV station in the USA. It includes all five of the videos plus a behind the scenes look at the great video of "Triumph of a Heart" directed by Spike Jonze who can also be remembered for the "Its Oh So Quiet" video of 1995.

1. Oceania - This was the debut single and first video to be shot for Medúlla. Its was directed by Lynn Fox who also created the backdrop which was used at the Opening of the 2004 Olypics for which Björk opened with the same track.
2. Who Is It - This video was directed by Dawn Shadsforth and features Björk in a surreal landscape [which is her homeland, Iceland] and surrounded by the Bústađakirkja Bell Choir of Iceland.
3. Triumph of a Heart - Was Björk's return to a music video with a story line, which hadn't been seen since 1997's Bachelorette. A most fun video of Medúlla.
4. Desired Constellation - A video made by Lynn Fox. The most unexciting video here.
5. Where is the Line - Björk's fifth and final video for Medúlla and supposedly the cancelled fifth single. Directed by Gabríela Fridriksdóttir, a fellow Icelandic artist.

In case you haven't been following Björk lately, she released through One Little Indian a DVD compilation of the music videos made for her latest studio album. It was released world wide (not including the US)quite a while ago, but now OLI have decided to bring it to America. I, like many, bought this from One Little Shop and had it shipped from Europe, but it appears you can now pre-order it for a much smaller price. There hasn't been much word on what this DVD will be like, but if it is similar to the UK edition, then it will include the following videos:
1. Oceania - The video that was used as a backdrop while Björk was singing at Athens, made by Lynn Fox.
2. Who Is It - One of her first singles, where Björk dances around in her infamous Bell costume, while children surround.
3. Triumph of a Heart - Probably the best video of Björk's career, made by Spike Jonze who previously helmed It's Oh So Quiet. Features a lovable cross-animal relationship and a whole lot of booze!
4. Desired Constellation - Another Lynn Fox experiment, where we see stars take shape and underwater creatures come to life. Most definately one of the lesser videos.
5. Where Is The Line - Although not a proper single (as of yet???), this video was made by Björk's long-time friend Gabriela. Originally part of Gabriela's Tetrolgia, this version is merely a part with Björk, where cheap editing tricks are used to make the "creatures" move to the beat. Very poor. :(

There is also a special feature, where we see Behind-the-Scenes of the making of Triumph of A Heart. Sort of real facts interspersed with jokes.

Well, that's at least what's on the UK edition, so you can probably expect at least this much, if not more. But it's unlikely, as most of her releases are the same in each country. But for those who held out for this release, you should be very pleasantly surprised.

I really enjoyed the music videos of her latest work, Medulla. I enjoyed it just as much as I devoured the album. Just like Bjork, I loved how she put very bizarre, novel, interesting, profound, creative, original, and interesting aspects in her music video, mixing in magic, mystery, and imagination into all of them. The highlights for me were Oceania, Who is It, and Triumpth of the Heart. Where Is the Line was a bit too strange...but it's new and different, which is something that definitely attracts me even more to Bjork and her genius! I wouldn't recommend this to people who haven't seen a Bjork music videos before, and I wouldn't necessarly say that these are her BEST music videos, but they do reveal the massive growth that Bjork has made musically and visually in her music videos and her albums. A wonderful delight either way, more recommended to Bjork completists or those who really loved Medulla.

I have spent a lot of time and money this year trying to buy every Bjork DVD I could get my hands on. I own 10 official DVD's from The Archive DVD Series that first began with the release of "Volumen II" a few years back, the collection of all Bjork's music videos up until that point in time as a solo artist. A year later she released a juggernaut of live material which included all those live concert DVD's and documentaries. I own the vast majority of those now! In May this year Bjork released "The Med?lla Videos," a stunning collection of all the music videos from her groundbreaking 2004 album "Med?lla." While this DVD is relatively short in its running time, it is absolutely essential for all Bjork fanatics. I am one such fan who think that Bjork is quite simply the most incredible and intense female artist of all time. No one has pushed the boundaries further, or more independently, or more successfully.

Everything she produces treads the fine line between art and craft. It is, obviously, both of these factors; the sheer artistic quality of her work is spellbinding and for this it receives much attention and adoration. However, the craft of her work goes much deeper than just music. She is an all-encompassing entity, a deity, a messenger from above who is single-handedly reinventing the music world all on her own. The painstaking process that her albums go through, from first initial thought and impulse to a breathtaking masterpiece of an album has been tracked carefully online and in journals. One day, in the future, people will look back and give this woman even more credit than she has received. This is because she is so far ahead of her time that in the future the realisation of just how important she has been will become shockingly clear to the world. There's just a selected few who have realised this now.

This DVD opens with the music video to "Oceania," perhaps the most famous and commercial song from Med?lla. Bjork performed this song at the Olympics opening ceremony in Athens, Greece in August 2004. It was perfect promotion for the album, seeing Bjork dressed in a stunning dress that was evocative of the undulating waves of an ocean. The dress, designed by the London-based Greek fashion designer Sophia Kokosalaki, unfolded out for thousands of square feet over the heads of the 20,000 athletes that had gathered in the centre of the stadium. The dress was supposed to represent the ocean and fits in perfectly with the theme of coming together, of uniting and of nature. It's a real shame that the performance wasn't included on this DVD, because it truly was an amazing sight and one of Bjork's most memorable moments ever. The video itself sees Bjork firmly nestled on the ocean floor deep down dressed in a stunning black costume that has a surface texture reminiscent of fish scales and sea shells. Her face is covered in glittering jewels and she looks like an image from a dream as creatures dance around her as she performs the song. She is the ocean come to life, in a half-human form, arrived to sing about the beauty of the ocean and how important it is to nature and the world. All in all this could well be my favourite Bjork video ever. It's so beautiful and perfectly directed.

The next video is to "Who Is It," another superb song. This was the first official single from the album and was a Top 30 hit in the UK. In the video Bjork is dressed in an unusual dress constructed entirely of bells. The focus is definitely more on function than form, which completely subverts fashion's rules. The function is obviously that when Bjork moves the bells make the music to the song. This makes perfect sense, since the version of the song on the video is The Bell Choir Mix, and not the original album version. The song and video feature the Bústađakirkja bell choir, who are a rather strange and scary bunch of people! The video was filmed in the early hours of the morning, beneath the black sand of Hjörleifshöfđi in Iceland of course! It's a very natural and elementary, primal video that seems to take place in the middle of nowhere, but that's all part of the beauty to me.

The video to "Triumph Of A Heart" is probably the most talked-about of all the videos on this DVD. It was directed by Spike Jonze in Iceland again, and features a bizarre relationship between Bjork and her pet cat! It begins with them laying in bed after an argument. Bjork gets up and storms off in a fit of rage, gets into her car and goes into town and gets drunk with her friends in a bar. They have lovely old time, until Bjork is eventually so wasted that she ends up falling over and scratching her face up! All the while, her faithful cat is at home watching TV! She falls asleep in the middle of nowhere, before waking up in the morning to find she doesn't know where she is. She begins walking home, as pink heart shapes start dancing out of her mouth, when suddenly the cat comes to the rescue in a car! Of course he's dressed in a suit, like you do, and urges her to get in the car. They go home, kiss and make up, and dance the rest of the song away as the cat grows to full human size! Incredibly bizarre, but that's no bad thing! A great video, and timeless in its concept and originality.

The video to "Desired Constellation" is another brilliant one, but requires time and patience. A lot of people think it's boring, but I disagree. It's like a more slowed-down version of the Oceania video in that we see lines being traced across the surface of water in a constellation like fashion, as random objects float past the screen. It's a very dreamy and watery-themed video, and will relax you beyond belief! Bjork doesn't feature in the video, however, as this was originally created as a promo on the Vespertine tour. The video to "Where Is The Line" is probably Bjork's freakiest to date. I really can't even begin to explain it, but it leaves me baffled every time I watch it. I think I'll leave this up to you to judge yourself!

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

The DVD also includes (or at least the UK version does) the great bonus feature, "Triumph Of A Heart: Behind The Music Video," which is a 20-minute long look at the process that went on behind the video. Don't be fooled, though: this isn't one of those stupid MTV things where they take a look at Jennifer Lopez's latest booty-shaking video or something shallow along those lines. The whole focus is on of the extras in the video and how they came about to being in the video. Actually very informative, but quite difficult to understand the first time you watch it. I wouldn't recommend this DVD to the casual Bjork fan, and to be honest, there's not really many of those! You either love her or hate her. I adore her, and this DVD is now a proud part of my collection.

This set of videos is definitely Bjork's most avant-garde, but any true fan of hers should recognize that there is always a method to her madness.

Most of the other reviews accurately describe each of the videos, except for one, "Desired Constellation." The song itself is very beautiful, quiet and simple and the video is no different. At first you see what look like stars in space. As the video progresses fishy-looking creatures start swimming around the stars and changing their alignment, creating different constellations. If you look closely at the fishy creatures you'll notice that they are muscular human arms with hands for tails. Then you'll notice that they are following her lyrics,

"With a palmful of stars
I shake them like dice
And throw them on the table
repeatedly(2x)
Until the desired constellation appears."

Like anything else of Bjork's, you must experience it multiple times before you'll "get it." But it's always worth the effort.

Oceania- her first single the video is stunning with beautifal computerized effects.
Who is it- Very good setting for this song I like how she is in the middle of nowhere it makes for a great setting.
Triumph of a HEart- Very good idea to take it back to basics. THe audition mix is the best version, I like how the people are beatboxing.
Desired Constellation- THe vidoe may be simple but the song is very good.
Where is the line- the most graphic video from Bjork if you thought pagan poetry was graphic wait til you see this one!! I call it the invasion of the GRASS people!!!

Bjork has always been very visual with her music videos and the ones featured for her 2004 release, the experimental "Medulla", is no exception. "Oceania" is a watery landscape with jellyfish and face sequins to add that little sparkle and uniqueness that we all adore about Bjork. "Who is It?" shows her in an amazing bell dress singing with a bell choir in front of a bright blue Iceland sky. "Where is the Line" seems to be quite a let-down for some with her wearing sacks and giving birth in a barn to a weird creature. "Triumph of a Heart" proves to be a most favorite amongst Bjork fans all over. Wearing adorable pigtails and a pink dress, she gets out of her house one day from her cat boyfriend and gets drunk at a bar. Directed by Spike Jonze, the video is random and cartoony. "Desired Constellation" is a visual piece used on Bjork's tour and doesn't feature the Icelander at all. Beautiful song, but the video is skipworthy.
One extra remains on the DVD, and that is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Triumph of a Heart".
I've always enjoyed Bjork's work but this collection is simply an ok. Her past music videos are far better, in my opinion.
For the new Bjork fan, buy Volumen 1/2 or the Greatest Hits DVD first. If you're a huge fan, go ahead and buy this collection.

This is the perfect capping for Bjork's Medulla era. Every video here is more inventive and original than any she's ever done in the past. Ranging from the utterly gorgeous Oceania, to the pop-like bell-induced version of Who Is It, to the mellow artful Desired Constellation, to the fun hip-hop dance number Triumph of a Heart, to the eery Where Is The Line. These videos can be appreciated by Bjork and art fans alike, but not by the mainstream public. And maybe that's a good thing.

Love the Medúlla album and am thrilled with the visual interpretations of the selected songs from it on this video DVD! They range from ethereal to tongue-in-cheek to even a touch disturbing, but they are all arresting and engaging and downright fun to watch. I wish more musical artists could find the same level of visual artistry for their music as Björk does.