Customer Reviews

Medulla

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

Reviewer:   Glenn Edward Deuman VII (Royal Oak, MI) - See all my reviews It is inevitable that the occasional listener will not digest Bjork's "Medulla" well, but nobody can deny that this is yet another original, challenging, and beautiful frontier that she has begun.

The many vocal tracks that have been mixed into these tracks(along with the occasional drum pattern & a various array of instruments) flow together smoothly without giving a cluttered feeling, which is an accomplishment in itself.

Using vocals as more than a simple lyrical outlet isn't a new quality to Bjork's work. These mastered skills have been heard throughout her career. This album, however, takes a step further into the realm of original sounds, phrases and mixes of the combination and absolutely triumphs at making one priceless album.

These recordings take you to many different places. "Who Is It" revels with thoughtful lyrics, a catchy chorus & an intelli-pop sound. There are other tracks, though, that the listener must rely on feeling the song in order to understand the message... "Ancestors" supplies a mix of distressed, orgasmic, and womb-like vocal sounds in the background.

Bjork has supplied for us a challenge. It's true that some of the places that this music takes you aren't exactly sugar-coated and happy, but I can guarantee that this is some of the best art you will hear for months. Embrace the opportunity & buy this album.

I just bought Medulla, and it's brilliant, even though, most of the songs are only voices..i think..that's the key to make this record so great and so gratefully strange. But, in the other hand i have one complain... i bought the limit edition format..that comes in a digipack...and also...comes with a poster..and of course the color booklet, the problem. is that here it's announced as it were two separates items (poster and booklet), but poster and booklet is the same thing, so. if i want my poster on my wall, I'd would be losing all the entire booklet (album credits, lyrics, etc..) so what's the point of buying this edition if i can't have the poster on my wall!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually I don't recommend buying this limited edition...This nothing has to do with the songs on the recording...as i just said they are just amazing...
p.s: the poster has the picture as the album cover with some extra drawings..

Wow, I bought this CD today being the Bjork fan I am for about 25 bucks cause it included a poster. I felt like I cheated myself when I got home afraid I was going to be mad spending so much money being the broke 17 year old that I am...But WOW, this album is absolutely stunning. The vocals are awesome and the experimentation gives Bjork the title few maintain as a "vocal virtuoso." it kind of has that experimental feel you get when listenng to "scat" singing in jazz. Its innovative, futuristic, and retro all at the same time. Bjork definately spent some long hours with her singing and sore throats from it. The best CD of hers yet, wow, it is just fantastic. *Clap clap clap clap* yes its that good it even gets an internet applause. Yeah, so buy it...now....like....RIGHT NOW!!!

Though she is not known for having an astute sense of fashion, there is no denying that Bjork is an intriguing musician. She has further solidified her reputation with the recent release of "Medulla" (Latin for "marrow"), her most challenging album yet.

Bjork began creating the record with the stipulation that she would not utilize any instruments in the creative process; she was simply "bored" with them. Inspired by Paganism and the notion of a universe wholly human, sans "tools or religions or nationalities" she decided the human voice would be the instrument of the album.

Among the instruments she enlisted the assistance of are classical vocalist Gregory Purnhagen, Inuit throat singer Tagaq, the Icelandic and London choirs and singer/songwriter Robert Wyatt who duets with her on the eerie "Submarine." Interspersed amidst the vocals are heavy breaths, whistles and growls, which in turn provide a particularly cryptic experience when turning up the bass.

The initial single "Oceania," which the Icelandic innovator performed at the opening of the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, contains vivid imagery of "sting rays floating across the sky" and creates a serene sense of peace a la Enya. Meanwhile, the second single "Who Is It (Carry My Joy On the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)" is rather mainstream material with an alluring chorus and rhyming lyrics - which the rest of "Medulla is completely devoid of.

The disc's lyrical highlight is "Desired Constellation," which contemplates the risks we take that don't always work out the way we hope they will, resulting in our need to correct the mistakes we've made.

"With a palm full of stars/I throw them like dice/Repeatedly/I shake them like dice/And throw them on the table/Repeatedly/Repeatedly/Until the desired constellation appears/And I ask myself/How do I make it right?"

Other standouts include inquisitiveness with the beat box-driven "Where Is the Line?" the sensual, sparse "Pleasure Is All Mine," the slickly produced closer "Triumph of a Heart" and "Sonnets/Unrealities" which marries Bjork's dazzling voice with a pristine, gorgeous melody.

The overall result of "Medulla" is a tapestry of vocal workings with abstract lyrics that induce a sense of being trapped in an asylum one moment and then invoke a feeling of inherent beauty the next. A unique disc that is at once both repulsive and enthralling, it is an album that is ultimately a rewarding experience for those seeking something fresh and original.

A limited edition of the album features a slipcase, a 32-panel color poster, and a 4 panel gatefold digipak. Also available is "Inner Part of an Animal or Plant Structure," a companion DVD offering information and insight on the making of "Medulla."

Don't miss:

- Mouth's Cradle, my favourite. I don't know why, probably because it has a very playful vibe and it shows Bjork having fun while she sang it (the vocals). Very mellow, almost Debut-like.
- Triumph of the Heart, the most friendly song on the album, which in this case means one of the most complex to make. Nobody, even the less music-oriented person in the world, will not flip when he/she gets to hear the beats produced in this track. To say that you can dance to it (when we are talking about an a cappella sog) is enough.
- Pleasure is all mine, my second favourite, basically because it works so damn well. As with most of the album, everything's vocals here, but the density, the layers, the message, the tone and yada yada are so well unified it's amazing. Stands as her best opener together with Hunter (in fact, the could very well fit together).
- Who is it, starts with diverse weird melodies but suddenly it builds up to a very poppy tune, that in the hand of bjork is obviously a complex gem. Uplifting.
- Ancestors, a highly experimental track (I know, which isn't) that condenses the core of the album, the "getting to the essence of things". Very moving, very bizarre,very earthly. All moans, groans and so on.
- Oceania, basically the front melody is rather simple although engaging after a few listens. The first time I heard it I reckon I could not find the pattern of the songs, then everything came together. The backup voices, and the moments in which they are places, make up the album's most original moment.

Needless to say, this is Bjork's most challenging album. Yet, if you are a newbie, or just want to try a couple of tunes to see what the fuss is all about, I'd probably start with the ones listed above.

Borges used to say that if you are reading a classic and you don't like it, then you better stop reading, cause probably the time has not yet come for you, as a reader, to appreciate that piece of work. He also said you shouldn't feel ashamed if you don't like something people who are (supposedly) more sensitive than you, embrace. Maybe it's just not your time, or maybe you won't ever like it because of your personal identity.

Same here. I probably love it not only because I love Bjork or because I am the most sensitive person in the world (I am not, no worries), but because at this point of my life I needed something like this to come my way.

Hope it's your time as well, cause Medulla is a monumental piece of art.

I recommend this seller to any and everyone! My package arrived much before I expected And Bjork is just Phenomenal.!

I proclaim Bjork's release of Medulla a true saviour to this year's music scene, the saving grace. After months of enduring indistinuguisable trash (mainly of R&B and rap type), this is the album any music connoisseur should and need to appreciate.
Bjork lets vocals do all the talking here. Vastly understated musical arrangements and instruments, the highlight here is the voice. In that ever child-like voice along with several talented individuals and the choir, Bjork creates magic. From the vocal beats on Pleasure Is All Mine to the perfect harmony on Submarine and the flawless church choir on the heartwarming Vokuro (in Icelandic) and Sonnets, the wonders of human voice are perfectly showcased and felt in return.
Bjork takes a leaf out of each of her previous works but present them in a whole new perspective. Take a listen to the funky Where Is The Line and my favorite Who Is It. Oceania, as performed on the Olympic Opening Ceremony, is even better here with Bjork's and Mark Bell's trademark electronic throbs and masked lightly under Bjork's tumultuous voice.
It's amazing how Njork betters herself with each album and manges to steer further away from commercialism yet gets her way with it but still manges to captivate her discerning fans. Definitely my album of the year! The pleasure is all ours!