At a time when music critics are putting the finishing touches on their year-end best-of lists, one album oddly underrepresented is Icelandic singer Björk’s eighth studio album, Biophilia.
For whatever reason, Björk has always had a bit of a lackluster following in North America. Even at her height in the trip-hop-heavy days of Post, she remained difficult for some to stomach. Many of you will remember her appearance at the Oscars in 2001—in which she wore a dress resembling a swan—and the media backlash that followed. (Yet years later when Lady Gaga wore a dress made out of meat, people just thought she was trying too hard.)
But through all the ups and downs, critics have always responded favourably to Björk’s experimental songwriting. Why, then, did so few pay attention to her latest record when it is arguably her most creative album yet?
Recorded in part on an iPad, Biophilia is one of the most easily digestible records we’ve heard from Björk in a while. The compositions are electronically minimalist, usually involving sparse strings and blips and bloops alongside the singer’s unique voice. “Crystalline” recalls late 1990s Aphex Twin with its staccato drumming (a welcome change considering this year was dominated by the sounds of dubstep). Meanwhile “Dark Matter” has the singer crooning over multi-layered vocals and sounding like a final stage in Final Fantasy IV.
But the enjoyment of Biophilia doesn’t only come from listening to the album on CD or vinyl. Apple users are able to download video games and multimedia applications online that allow the user to interact with the album while listening to individual tracks.
A creative album by a creative artist that will shed some light on her too often misinterpreted mind.
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