In 2001 Icelandic singer-songwriter, Bjork, attended the 73rd Academy Awards. She had scored (and starred in) Lars von Trier’s “Dancer in the Dark,” and her collaboration with Thom Yorke and premiere track, “I’ve Seen It All,” had received the “Best Song” nomination. Bjork arrived at the red carpet fashioning her trending swan dress, the neck of the graceful white bird wrapping around her own. The audience watched with curious awe at the bizarre yet beautiful display, with Bjork “laying” large golden eggs throughout her trip down the star-studded path.
Bjork later described the act as a symbol of fertility; she birthed the song for which she was being acclaimed and that was her way of demonstrating it. In a way, Bjork was summarizing her own career. If any artist has given to the music world in the last twenty years it is Bjork; her first solo release in 1993, Debut, is widely credited for being one of the first works to synthesize electronic-dance music with mainstream pop. Since then, she has not only produced complex and breakthrough tracks but an ever-evolving visual aesthetic as well.
Her most recent album, Vulnicura, is perhaps the most surprising “golden egg” to date. Dropped two months earlier than expected and even after Bjork more-or-less announced her retirement a few years ago, this ninth studio album comes as a welcome addition to the eccentric artist’s discography.
She poses on the cover in a shiny, skintight bodysuit which boats thin splinters with multi-colored fuzzy tips emerging from her arms, shoulders and head. The fuzzy-tipped spindles form a halo-esque shape, emanating the Virgin Mary. The religious imagery is interesting given the album’s context. As of 2013 Bjork and her long-time partner and father of her child, American artist Matthew Barney, were no longer together. Vulnicura has been described by Bjork herself as a “breakup album,” detailing the heavy intimacies of their separation. In a way the album is Bjork’s own immaculate conception, a musical creation without the presence of Barney.
In an interview with Pitchfork regarding the album Bjork stated, “When I did this album — it all just collapsed. I didn’t have anything. It was the most painful thing I ever experienced in my life. The only way I could deal with that was to start writing for strings.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkdAFJoPraw
The first track, “Stonemilker,” reflects this emotional ultimatum. It begins with melancholic orchestration that frames her heartbreaking and relatable plea for her lover, “What is it that I have / That makes me feel your pain / Like milking a stone / To get you to say it.”
The following track, “Lionsong,” continues on the theme of decrypting a difficult relationship and partner. This dark wistfulness is carried throughout the album, broken by delicate, purposeful synths accompanying the orchestra.
This intensity falters with “Family,” a somber, angry lament that begins with the lyrics, “Is there a place / Where I can pay respects / For the death of my family.” Though she describes her fractured family emotionally, the eight-minute track loses its poignancy in the monotonous beats and lyrics lacking any nuance, making it reminiscent of “Phantom of the Opera” mixed with emo poetry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICzu9aLsKO8
But the album bounces back with several impressive tracks that transcend this dark pitfall. The best of which is “Atom Dance,” a song I would recommend for those who have not listened to Bjork’s work before or have been put off by her eccentricities. With a pleasant progression of string plucking and a refreshingly positive spin, “When you feel the flow as primal love / Enter the pain and dance with me / We are each others hemispheres,“ Bjork exudes a celestial, distinct charm.
Despite a lugubrious slump in the middle, Vulnicura is a beautiful album that announces with full confidence that Bjork is back. It is an impassioned journey, one that will compel both loyal and new listeners.
In Bjork’s own words, “It’s been a strange album — the most painful one I’ve done, but also the most magical one.”
