There is something about this particular Icelandic singer/producer/actor/goddess that seems, well … different. I’d say it’s the gigantic swan dress or the music videos that have plagued my nightmares since I was a wee lad watching MTVHITS way past my way too early bed time (if you’re reading this, yes I’m still complaining Mom). But it’s a bit more than that. In one sense, it’s her staying power. With a name that started before she hit puberty, and only one “rebirth” of her career (eat your heart out Michael Jackson), her eclectic and eccentric records and videos have not only captivated audiences for decades but kept their attention spans, too.
And Biophilia is no different. Her vocal prowess is front and center in an album that could literally be from any other artist. I’m serious, while it is nothing short of amazing (see: expected), her musical intellect spans jazz, breakbeat, throat singing, punk, classical and everywhere in between, and this album is a reflection of that. It is clearly Björk’s work, though, because there is an intimacy she shares with her work that any listener can feel, and few other artists can replicate.
It’s just that intimacy that Björk gives us in the first single from the album, “Crystalline.” There is a nursery opening, with an oddly comforting accented conversation going on between Björk and her own voice as the back up singers. Then cracked electronic, break beat patterns jump in to mature this track a bit more. That’s when this track starts to feel like puberty. Seriously. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out and you can finally talk about it to your snarky hipster friend, it totally transforms into a different song. Then you really think you’ve got it figured out as the song comes to a close…wham! Hormones! Or just the craziest drum and bass outro since Daft Punk last called themselves “experimental.” But it’s her experiment, and no one is doubting what she can do with it. As her track record shows, she can take this experiment and turn it into a beautiful album, which she has. Just as puberty has turned me into…well we’re still waiting on the consensus for that. But the consensus is in from the critics, and this album is definitely worth the listen.