BIOPHILIA

"Biophilia" is the tenth studio album from the unique artist from Iceland and the first since 2007's "Volta." The themes of the songs have a certain "sci-fi" feel to them, her early performances of the new material were described as "meditation on the relationship between music, nature and technology." It was also an "App" release with each track encompassing its own app, if you care about that stuff.

The sound is a retreat from the daring if uneven "Volta" and is probably closest to the "Vespertine" sound, with the occasional hint of "Medulla". Not a bad thing considering that Vespertine and Medulla are her two finest albums, however Biophilia does not get to the quality level of either of them. The new album would be closest to Vespertine as a basic description, with the wintry electronic sound replaced by a more serene, slightly warmer sound. Beats are toned down just a bit. Bjork's penchant for wildness and sometimes harsh sounds is toned down even more in favor of the natural beauty of her singing voice. Here she relaxes her vocal eccentricities perhaps more than ever, relying on the natural ability of her "normal" voice. And it is astounding how well her voice has held up compared to other vocalists of her age bracket. She has command that really has not diminished from what it was 20 years ago. She also incorporates choir vocals beautifully here in tracks like "Hollow", similar to what she did on Medulla. "Cosmogony" is my favorite track, a very simple melody with Bjork discussing the origins of the universe. The album has a flow and very organic feel that she attributes to "clearing the decks" and approaching her songwriting from scratch. This is a successful album which should be heard by lost fans who got off the bus a few albums ago. You might be pleasantly surprised. Above 3 stars, but not quite 4.

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