 | Tracklist:
1. Pleasure Is All Mine
2. Show Me Forgiveness
3. Where Is The Line
4. Vökuró
5. Öll Birtan
6. Who Is It (Carry My Joy On The Left, Carry My Pain On The Right)
7. Submarine
8. Desired Constellation
9. Oceania
10. Sonnets/Unrealities XI
11. Ancestors
12. Mouth's Cradle
13. Miðvikudags
14. Triumph Of A Heart
| Ranking: #174 for 2004 | |
| | other reviews | piero (4.5)
Medulla succeeds as both moving, avant-garde invention and an intriguing commentary on the ever more... |
On 30 Lists
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| Summary: that black, 5,000 year-old blood that’s inside us all; an ancient spirit that’s passionate and dark, a spirit that survives. |
3 of 3 thought this review was well written
That is the inspiration for Björk’s 5th studio album, Medúlla, the medical term for bone marrow. To Björk it is more then that: “not just you're [sic] bone marrow, but marrow in the kidneys and marrow in your hair, too. It’s about getting to the essence of something. And with this album being all vocals, that made sense.” The album is not entirely without vocals. There are synthesizers and percussive elements (contributors include Matmos and múm), but traditional instruments and their traditional uses are replaced by voice and more voice. Vocal techniques range from throat singing to beatboxing, and guest appearances include Mike Patton and Robert Wyatt. The adjective a cappella may summon to mind the choral, spacey arrangements of Eric Whitacre, or music more for show then aesthetics, but Björk avoids entering into either traps.
The spotlight is of course on the Icelandic diva. Collaborators aside, her voice is the entrée, slicing through harmonies and hazy ambience with wild appoggiaturas and fiery intensity. Yet, some of the album's most dynamic moments are her tranquil expressions. and you hear how am I going to make it right? she whispers on "Desired Constellation" after a series of lines almost painful in their violence.
The album is passionate. The "marrow" idea was a partial response to the "stupid American racism and patriotism" emblematic of post-9/11 America.
I need a shelter to, to build an altar /
Away from all the Osama's and Bushes she sings on "Mouth's Cradle". There is veracity in seeing through faux-emotions grounded in tragedy and shock, and Björk’s stressing of the "essence" of life beneath all the stupidity is refreshing.
Written and released at a time when Björk was not short on commercial recognition, (single "Oceania” was commissioned by the International Olympic Committee and Björk performed it at the 2004 opening ceremony) Medúlla avoids the all-too-common slip in creativity and experimentation of artists at the peak of their acceptance. Instead, Björk went and made one of the most passionate, political, and boundary-extending albums of her career. And for all its eccentricities, it is a consistently appealing batch of songs, with a number of outstanding ones like the aforementioned, cathartic, “Desired Constellation”, and the buoyant "Who Is It", the second single off the album. Medúlla showcases an artist doing what all good artists should: showing sensitivity to aesthetics while exploring his or her imagination.
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Nice soundoff lol
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album cover is gay.
| | | Album Rating: 4
lol it needed a review. i really only wanted to say how amazing "desired constellation" and there was no comment thread
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This album is really good. There are a lot of heavy guitar riffs. I like it more than A Boy Named Goo. The singing is really good. That's basically all I have to say. I don't know why, but I just really like this. Therefore, I chose to give it a rating of a five. Let's put it this way, I think it's pretty good.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Bjork can get away with any kind of reidiculous artowrk. Great review, I dont have this Bjork record yet.
Digging: Botanist - I: The Suicide Tree / II: A Rose From the Dead Digging: Botanist - I: The Suicide Tree / II: A Rose From the Dead | | |
ill probably :in depth: review this
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Im surprised this didn't have a review. Ridiculous cleavage on the artwork.
Digging: The Flaming Lips - The Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends | | | Album Rating: 4
HOW AM I GOING TO MAKE RIGHT?
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wait if this is "mislabeled" as "medulla" instead of with the accent should someone fix it / can someone / whatever?
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Ridiculous cleavage on the artwork.
mmm
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I have nothing to say for this review as it is two paragraphs haha. I'm trying to decide whether I should give Bjork a try, the last time I heard her I didn't like it, but that was a while ago now. what album should I start with?
Digging: Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself Digging: Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
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my personal favorite is homogenic
but post is really good too
| | | Album Rating: 4
i love this album
Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music | | | Album Rating: 4
i made it longer. : /
don't know why the length was an issue
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/6439250/review/6450451?utm_source=Rhapsody&utm_medium=CDreview
| | | Album Rating: 1.5
Decent review, I just really hate this album. And I love Bjork. I just felt if you're gonna take out all the music and put so much focus on the vocals, the vocals should blow you away. But for me, this had the worst vocals with bland melodies that almost sounded like she was making up as she went. The beatboxing didn't do anything for me either as I'd much rather hear an awesome groove or drum machine pound something out. Typically I just need to listen to something a few times to "get" it, but nothing ever clicked with me or suddenly became appealing except maybe Where is the line or Who is it. And for anyone considering getting into Bjork, Do NOT start with this album. Get Homogenic or Post.
Digging: John Talabot - Fin Digging: John Talabot - Fin | | |
yea but it's rolling stone that writes like ~75-word blurbs about albums
they're reviews but not really haha
short reviews are fine but not when they don't say much / aren't indepth
| | | Album Rating: 4
negger have any critique to offer?
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Declare Independence!!!!!
Digging: Britney Spears - Blackout | | | Album Rating: 4
where is the line with you where is the line with you where is the line with you where is the line with you where is the line with you where is the line with you bomp bomp bomp b b b bomp
| | | Album Rating: 4
I've yet to hear this....(enter frowning face here)
but Oceania is an amazing song
Digging: Paloma Faith - Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? Digging: Paloma Faith - Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? | | | |
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