Medulla [Limited Edition]

Björk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B0002PYP04
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,472 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Pleasure is All Mine

2. Show Me Forgiveness

3. Where is the Line?

4. Vokuro

5. Oll Birtan

6. Who is it (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)

7. Submarine

8. Sonnets/Unrealities XI

9. Desired Contellation

10. Piano II

11. Mouths Cradle

12. Wednesday (Midvikudags)

13. Triumph Of A Heart

14. Oceania

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Normally, an artist such as Bjork with a mass audience across the globe steadily eases off as the back-catalog starts to grow. However, Medulla, the fifth proper studio album from Bjork is without a doubt the most challenging collection of music she has ever released.

For the most part, the album is made up of layers upon layers of processed vocal parts arranged in either harmony or dissonance such as "Vokuro" and "Oll Birtan," respectively. Some, such as "Show Me Forgiveness" are simple acapella, the aforementioned sounding like a vocal cut from Debut minus the music. Another echo of Bjork days gone by is "Desired Constellation," a slow trancy pulse underpinning her distinct vocals. "Where Is the Line," "Who Is It," and "Triumph of a Heart" are a bit grimier with a semi-urban twist, the latter a fantastically funky beatbox number with an outstanding introduction, the closest moment to a pop song appearing on Medulla.

Although traditional instruments and breaks have been removed from this album, Medulla is no great departure for Bjork but in a sense it is radically different from any of her previous work. Some will love it, some hate it, and some just won't be sure what to think. --David Trueman

Amazon.com Special Content

An Interview with Björk
Björk shared her thoughts about the directions she is taking with Medulla in our Amazon.com interview.

Product Description

Track listing 1. Pleasure Is All Mine 2. Show Me Forgiveness 3. Where Is the Line 4. Vokuro 5. Oll Birtan 6. Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right) 7. Submarine 8. Desired Constellation: Sonnets / Unrealities XI 9. Oceania 10. Sonnets / Unrealities XI 11. Ancestors 12. Mouth's Cradle 13. Midvikudags 14. Triumph of a Heart Details Contributing artists: Peter Van Hooke Producer: Bjork, Mark Bell Distributor: WEA (Distributor) Recording type: Studio Recording mode: Stereo SPAR Code: n/a Album notes Personnel: Björk (vocals, piano, bass instrument, programming); Robert Wyatt (vocals, sampler); Mike Patton, Tagaq, Icelandic Choir (vocals); Rahzel, Nico Muhly (piano); Peter Van Hooke (gong); Mark Bell , Matmos, Valgeir Sigurdsson, Shlomo, Jake Davies (programming).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bjork does it again and is sure to wow her fans, September 8, 2004

By 

Christina M. Anthony "Bjork Fan" (West Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Medulla (Audio CD)

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this CD or not after hearing a few tracks on the radio before it was released. The idea of having an entire album composed of only human voices is intriguing, but in all reality would it *really* work? I believe it did.

Only Bjork could pull off an album of this magnatude and she does it with compelling grace. Often times you forget that you're only listening to human voice at all (Where Is The Line, Who Is It) and other times you are fully aware in acapella pieces. One can only be fascinated in the way that human vocals are cut and blended to sound like musical instruments. Vokuro is perhaps one of my favorite tracks on the CD so far. It is simply Bjork singing with only a hushed choir in the background and completely in Icelandic, but has an extremely beautiful melody. Oceania is a wonderful work also, which was recently heard at the Olympics. The background vocals are amazing with the shrilling ups and downs of their voices, it sounds as though they really are some sort of ocean creature swooping up and down through the water.

I can see this CD as either being fully embraced by fans or have them wondering what the heck they just purchased. If you are looking for a CD that sounds more like Homogenic or Post,then Medulla is not for you. There really aren't many songs on Medulla (if any) that possess the types of beats or mainstream sounds as her other works. I do recommend it if you have an open mind about her music and appreciate her work for the creativity and art of it. The only reason this CD did not get 5 stars is because, like most fans, I do miss having great songs like Bachelorette, Joga, Human Behavior, etc.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A radical and daring departure from Vespertine, August 31, 2004

By 

Daniel M. Molloy (Munich, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Medulla (Audio CD)

I received this album through a presale from Bjork's record label website. In this first week, I have listened to the album a total of 31 times according to iTunes. I must say that I was initially disappointed with the acapella sound of the album. However, this album has really grown on me. I start to forget that the "instruments" that I'm hearing are really all human voices. Some notable tracks are 'Who is it', 'Where is the line', 'Mouth's Cradle', 'Show me forgiveness' and 'The pleasure is all mine.'

There is only really one song that I still do not like, and that is 'Ancestors' It starts out beautifully, with layers of Bjork's beautiful voice building up on one another, and then in comes the sound of what seems to be a dog choking. I have begun to be able to tune that part out with enough listens, but it still remains as a sore spot on the album.

I would highly recommend this album to the casual and hardcore Bjork fan. Every one of Bjork's albums has been so different, and this is probably the most conceptual album she has produced so far. It may take a few listens to appreciate fully, at least it did for me. Now I love the album. Thumbs up to Bjork!

29 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rating for the limited edition, August 31, 2004

By 

David Johnson (Mill Creek, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Medulla (Audio CD)

I reviewed the standard issue of "Medúlla" already. This review is purely for the purpose of talking about the Limited Edition. I wasn't too impressed with it, because the lyrics are printed on the same paper as the poster (which is only the same photo as the cover), so if you want to read the lyrics, you'd have to take down the poster to do it. I know you can look online or whatever, but I just think it's not practical.

The case was like her greates hits one, just a two-sided digipak. The sleeve for the CD probably doesn't protect it that much, I liked the case of the Homogenic limited edition.