• Home
  • News
    • Entertainment
    • Music
  • Music
    • Hear It First
    • Downloads
    • Staff Picks
    • Podcast
    • Tickets
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • Photos
  • Blogs
    • Hear, Say
    • TV Land
    • The Underground
    • 3rd Person
    • WTF?!?
    • Indieprensus
  • TST TV
  • TST Radio

Review: Björk – ‘Biophilia’

Posted in CD/DVD, Reviews | Tagged Album review, Biophilia, Bjork
By James Brightman on October 14, 2011
Tweet

Biophilia cover art

Björk, after 2007′s somewhat hybrid-like album, Volta – taking a soupçon from her pop albums such as Debut and combining  them with certain elements of her more ‘experimental’ work, such as 2001 masterstroke Vespertine – has taken yet another turn, introspectively, with eighth studio album Biophilia.

The world’s first “app album”, it was never going to be considered conventional in any sense. Partly composed on a tablet computer, Björk used various special instruments – such as a Tesla coil and a collection of pendulums that transmitted the earth’s movements to a harp…as you do.

Nevertheless, as with her previous work, there will always be a wealth of beautiful moments amongst all strange and intricate instrumentations. The most apparent on the first listen is within the inherently wistful and playful ‘Cosmogony’, which emits an array of vocal undulations that wash over you like the way the stars would as they pass by (I suppose that was the emotion she was trying to portray).

Other highlights include the deliberately understated ‘Moon’ and the disturbingly sexy ‘Virus’, which is probably not supposed to sound sexy at all, but I don’t think it would be out of place on Vespertine – the sexiest of all her albums.

Lead single ‘Crystalline’ could be considered a “Björk-by-numbers” kind of a song, with it’s plinking beat and catchy chorus, but when the last 45 seconds kicks in you’re presented with a masterly breakdown that turns your mind upside down – in a good way, of course.

To me, the album contains no sore thumb. There is nowhere that could be considered particularly weak. If you’re not a fan of the trademark “gibberish” that she puts into her songs, you might want to give ‘Dark Matter’ a miss because that’s basically all it is. That’s not to say that it isn’t a good song, but you probably wouldn’t want to make someone who has never heard of the Icelander listen to it. It wouldn’t win their heart.

Björk, possibly the most intelligent and profound songwriter in the world, can sometimes be dismissed as a bit of a ‘mad as a box of coconuts on race day’ kind of a girl. But if you do that, you miss out on some contorted crystals of brilliance.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

 

 

 

Don't forget to share

Related posts:

  1. Listen to Björk’s New Album (Full Album Stream)
  2. Music Video: Björk – Moon
  3. Bjork Contributes Song to
  • Pingback: Watch Bjork Perform Crystalline on Jools Holland | The Silver Tongue

Previous Entry: Lou Reed named ‘Most Overrated Lyricist’
Next Entry: Stone Roses to reform in 2012?

Advertisements

Most Popular News

  • Pics: Matisyahu’s New Look…BeardlessPics: Matisyahu’s New Look…Beardless
  • Biker Build Off: The Results are InBiker Build Off: The Results are In
  • Concert Review: Wale Fills The Tabernacle With AmbitionConcert Review: Wale Fills The Tabernacle With Ambition
  • Biker Build Off: One Talent and Two Immature A-holesBiker Build Off: One Talent and Two Immature A-holes
  • Listen: Drake – The Motto (feat. Lil Wayne) / “Take Care” TracklistingListen: Drake – The Motto (feat. Lil Wayne) / “Take Care” Tracklisting

Follow Us on Twitter!

Follow @thesilvertongue

Friend Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on MySpaceFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on RSS

Join Us on Facebook!

RSS Featured Site: TMZ

  • Kobe Bryant -- Not As Rich as You Think
  • Kobe Bryant Divorce -- Vanessa Gets The Mansion, Kobe Gets the Boot
  • Kobe Bryant Divorce -- You Be the Judge
  • TMZ's Last Minute Holiday Cards

Meet The Staff

AJ Rivera RSS feed, Allen Ross Thomas RSS feed, Bret Phillips RSS feed, Candice Arnold RSS feed, Carlos Reyes RSS feed, Courtnay Glatter RSS feed, Dylan St. John RSS feed, Erin Donaldson RSS feed, James Brightman RSS feed, Janey Criss RSS feed, Lianna Tedesco RSS feed, Maria Hartfield RSS feed, Mark Noisiri RSS feed, Matt Fox RSS feed, Michael Starr RSS feed, Rain Lucas RSS feed, Sam Wilson RSS feed, Scott Holder RSS feed, Sindy Lucas RSS feed, taqi RSS feed, Travis Phillips RSS feed, TST Staff RSS feed, Wes Powell RSS feed, Will Donelson RSS feed

Now on iTunes!

Now on iTunes!

Scan for Exclusive Content

Scan for Exclusive Content
  • about
  • privacy Policy
  • terms
  • rss feeds
  • contact us
  • staff
  • advertising
  • jobs

Copyright © 2008 - 2011 The Silver Tongue. All rights reserved · Designed by Syed Taqi H Z