Review: Björk – Biophilia

Björk’s unrivalled back catalog of avant-pop is well documented. Over the last decade so was her apparent creative lull, with many labelling Medúlla and Volta – her last two releases – as too self-indulgent, failing to satisfy her fans of earlier pop manifestos Debut, Post and to some extent Homogenic.

Enter Biophilia, her most elemental and spatial work to date. Brazen in its complete neglect of structured pop, especially as evidenced by the cookiecutter ToP FoRtY divas of late, Björk’s Biophilia is best consumed as a body of work, with songs that are intrinsically linked. Album opener Moon is a sweet and spooky piece, and is the perfect counterpoint to the pulsing and intense Thunderbolt which follows. Crystalline, the album’s most pointed Björkism and first single from the album, is educational, cool and catchy all at once – and the ending is as joyful as it is surprising.

Biophilia takes a six-song tempo downturn from Cosmogony through to Sacrifice, and the results are mixed. Released singles Cosmogony and Virus are stellar ballads, being both lyrically and melodically rich. Hollow is an incredibly strange suspense piece, with a tempo that ebbs and flows like an organism struggling – and thankfully succeeding – to live. Dark Matter is most certainly a “low point”; while it sounds like the space phenomena it describes, the song seemingly exists just to reference it. Mutual Core is definitely the highlight with its huge rhythms and soundscapes; it will also appease her fans of Homogenic, which is still seen as her best work by many.

Björk is back in a big way with Biophilia, not only with her signature attention to detail, but also her branching out to the world of touchscreen Apps (I was well pleased that the album holds up without the complement of the wildly imaginative iPhone and iPad interactive experience). Some may be confused by Biophilia, some may choose to zone out during songs which admittedly are challenging. But for those willing to take a space trip, Björk invites you to explore and re-explore her world. You may just end up being transported somewhere you didn’t expect.

8.5/10

Best Song: Mutual Core

Standout Lyric: “Like a flame seeking explosives, as gunpowder needs a war, I feast inside you – my host is you” (Virus)