Following the release of her 2015 album Vulnicura, which devastatingly chronicles her split from longtime partner Matthew Barney, Icelandic electronic musician Björk returns with Utopia. Björk once said that the follow-up to Vulnicura would be the paradise to Vulnicura's hell, so it makes sense that Utopia, which is arguably a synonym for paradise, is the title. Vulnicura's lyrical content deals with the ugly and raw emotion felt because of a broken heart, whereas Utopia's lyrical content deals primarily with healing, finally being whole again, and allowing one's self to experience love again. In some ways, in fact, Utopia functions as a sequel to Vulnicura, with its lead single, "the gate" (which I reviewed here) even alluding to it. Not only does Utopia deal with somewhat new subject matter, it is also different in sound, reminding me a bit of her 2001 album Vespertine. Vulnicura's strings and soft synths are largely replaced on Utopia by woodwinds and sound effects such as birdcalls, reminding us, as her 2011 album Biophilia did, of her intimate relationship with nature. Highlights on Utopia include "Blissing Me," the aforementioned "the gate," "Body Memory," "Losss," and "Claimstaker," with "Claimstaker" potentially even being my top favorite song from the album.
Utopia opens with "Arisen My Senses," an atmospheric song heavy in harp with a strange warbling sound at the beginning. Björk's vocal track throughout certain parts of the song are very loud and prominent, and although somewhat repetitive, the song speaks of allowing herself to open up (both emotionally and physically) to love and sex. The sexual references on the album are another reason why the album reminds me a bit of Vespertine. Although then referring to Matthew Barney, that album, like Utopia (which even features a photo in its booklet of Björk wearing a strap-on dildo), was not afraid of exhibiting sexual themes. (Songs/videos such as "Cocoon" and "Pagan Poetry" serve as prime examples.) The song makes reference to her new feelings being like a mixtape being created, which makes its transition into the second track on Utopia, the aforementioned "Blissing Me," a sensible one. "Blissing Me" is another song driven by harp, although it is a much softer and gentler song than its predecessor. It is lyrically very cute, as it speaks of falling in love with someone over your shared tastes in music (which is why I said before that it is a good follow-up to "Arisen My Senses"). Some fans have likened it to "Headphones," a song from her 1995 album Post, as that song refers to her love for music and its therapeutic power. "Blissing Me" is one of my favorite songs from the album because of its cute and innocent theme and its beautiful melody and harp accompaniment.
The song's third track is its first single, "the gate." I won't say much about this song because as already stated, I have already reviewed it, but I will say that I think that this song also could have worked as Utopia's opening track because its first line begins with "My healed chest wound...," a clear reference both to her experience that inspired Vulnicura and the album itself. (The album cover features Björk with a gaping hole in her chest, and songs on the album refer to her chest wound.) The fourth track on the album is the title track, one of the more unusual songs on the album. The song's accompaniment is composed primarily of flutes and strange birdlike calls, which makes sense because both play a part in the song's lyrics, as the song opens: "Bird species never seen or heard before, the first flute carved from the first fauna..." There are parts of the song which seem to refer to climate change, such as when, near the end of the song, Björk sings, "Huge toxic tumor bulging underneath the ground here. Purify, purify, purify, purify toxicity." I find the song very beautiful, but my only complaint with it is that, perhaps in deliberate juxtaposition with "Arisen My Senses," Björk's vocal track is quieter than the instrumental accompaniment and, at times, is drowned; it is sometimes difficult to comprehend the lyrics.
"Body Memory" is an ambient song reminding me of her 2005 soundtrack album Drawing Restraint 9; Drawing Restraint 9 features a strong Japanese influence, and a similar influence seems to be present here. The song also features sound effects such as birdcalls and catlike growling, and a little more than halfway through, a choir kicks in and steals the song, with Björk wailing dramatically on top. At nearly ten minutes long, it is the longest song on the album, and its lyrical content speaks to her relationship with nature. It is another song that works as a sequel to Vulnicura, however, as it makes several references to the split that inspired Vulnicura. She even brings herself back to how she felt - how the death of her relationship felt like her death overall (a feeling that she highlighted on the Vulnicura track "Notget"). "Do I accept this ending?" she sings here. "Will I accept my death...?" The way that I interpret this song is that it's about healing; she is saying that her love for nature and for the world around her is ultimately what helped her on her journey toward healing: "Then the body memory kicks in, and I trust the unknown. Unfathomable imagination, surrender to future." This, in other words, is a reminder to herself to not fear the future and the unknown but to embrace it (a theme also present on the album's closing track, "Future Forever"), and her reference to her "body memory" reminds me of how she said during the Vulnicura era that the grieving process is a biological one.
The sixth track is titled "Creatures Features," a reversal of the term "creature feature" (or, in other words, monster movie). The song reminds me of her 2004 album Medúlla because a large portion of that album is a cappella, and much of the accompaniment in this song is provided by human chanting. The song also reminds me melodically of her cover of "Like Someone in Love" (found on her 1993 album Debut), which is probably not a coincidence because both songs are love songs and feature somewhat similar themes. Björk seems to once again be addressing her ex-partner Matthew Barney, as she says, "When I spot someone who is same height as you and goes to same record stores [once again accentuating her love for music], I literally think I am five minutes away from love. When I hear someone with same accent as yours, asking directions with the same beard as yours, I literally think I am five minutes away from love." It is my belief that she is, as previously stated, addressing Barney, saying that she, whether consciously or not, looks for traits in new prospects that are similar to his traits. This actually makes perfect sense because she was with Barney for thirteen years, meaning that that relationship is likely now her go-to model. I can completely relate to this because I was with the love of my life for five years, and I usually find myself attracted to people who, in general, have similar characteristics as he did/does. (I am looking at you, Keir Gilchrist. I am convinced that you are his long-lost brother.)
"Courtship" is very similar to the title track, featuring a similar musical accompaniment, similar not only because it is played on woodwinds but also because it is very similar melodically. The term courtship, of course, refers to a period in two people's lives in which romantic and sexual feelings develop, and it can also refer to a marriage proposal. Björk is likely yet again contemplating her ex-lover on this track, especially since some lyrics seem to run parallel to lyrics on Vulnicura. She opens "Courtship" with the following: "...His veins full of lead, he's left with loving what he lost more than what he has." The primary reason why I think that this might be a reference to Matthew Barney is that it reminds me of lyrics on Vulnicura such as these ones from "Black Lake": "I did it for love. I honored my feelings. You betrayed your own heart, corrupted that organ." Yet another line that comes to mind is from "Notget": "Will you not regret having love let go?" The similarity between "Courtship" and Vulnicura songs such as these two lies in the idea that she not only lost something but so did he, that he betrayed not only her but also himself. (This vividly reminds me of a line from a song called "Human Spirit" by Dolores O'Riordan, who coincidentally sadly passed away today: "Don't betray your lover; you will just betray yourself.")
Another highlight on Utopia is "Losss." (I have tried coming up with an answer, but I do not know or understand why the word is misspelled with an extra s.) This song could thematically be a song on Vulnicura, as it deals with almost identical subject matter, except in a bit more of a positive light: "I didn't allow loss... didn't harden from pain. The pain we have will always be there but the sense of full satisfaction too." The song examines loss and its role in our lives as human beings; it does have the potential to harden us and make us hateful, but it also has the potential to make us stronger, more self-sufficient, and more appreciative. "How we make up for it defines who we are," Björk asserts. I love this song and consider it a highlight on Utopia not only because of its positive and empowering message to which I wholeheartedly relate but also because of its beautiful sound, especially because of its haunting harp accompaniment. "Sue Me," although not necessarily one of my favorite songs from the album, is interesting because it takes the album in a new direction, a more electronic one as opposed to the organic one heard throughout most of the album. The song is likely an important one to Björk as it is about her and Barney's daughter and the custody battle that has followed their separation. She tackles the same subject matter that she did on the Vulnicura track "Family," which is that their separation has essentially destroyed not only a partnership but a family.
"Tabula Rasa" (Latin for "blank slate") returns the album to a more organic sound, driven almost entirely by woodwinds. It is potentially the first time that Björk has delved into the reasons why her relationship with Matthew Barney ended. Vulnicura brutally dealt with her feelings on the matter but not really with the reasons. "Tabula Rasa," however, tells us that "we are all swollen from hiding his affairs" and that "he led two lives." This probably tells us that Barney was likely unfaithful in the relationship. She once again refers to her daughter in this song, telling her that "my deepest wish is that you're immersed in grace and dignity... I hoped to give you the least amount of luggage." Here Björk is essentially writing a love letter to her daughter, telling her that she hopes that what her father did and what the consequences of that were haven't negatively impacted her too indelibly, that she can still continue to grow in "grace and dignity." "Oh, how I love you," she reminds her. "Embarrassed to pass this mess over to you." "Tabula Rasa" functions as a reminder of how brutally honest that Björk is through her music. Similarly to how Vulnicura made some of us (myself definitely included) feel, some of the songs on Utopia feel so intensely personal that hearing them and/or reading their lyrics feels like voyeurism. This song, after all, comes across as an extremely personal love letter written to her daughter. The bravery exhibited by baring her soul in such a way is immensely admirable.
Finally moving away from the subject of her separation, Björk takes us almost seamlessly into "Claimstaker" (likely stylized in such a way so as to be read as both "claim staker" and as "claims taker"). Although the lyrics to "Claimstaker" are very brief (only fourteen lines), the song runs at over three minutes long because of how drawn out most of the notes are. As I mentioned before, this is probably my favorite song on the album primarily because of how drawn that I am to its electronic energy and drive. It is carried heavily by swirling synths and, like "Body Memory," touches upon Björk's intimate relationship with nature. The song is then followed up by a short instrumental piece played on woodwinds, a piece called "Paradisia" (which, of course, means paradise, another word for utopia); it's absolutely beautiful and lush and features the birdcalls from "the gate" and "Utopia." "Saint" is somewhat of a low point on the album for me. Another song driven by woodwinds, it stays pretty stagnant without really developing. My opinion regarding this song could always, of course, one day change, as music sometimes takes a while to grow on me, but one aspect of this song that I definitely do love is its closing statement: "Music heals, too. I'm here to defend it." This reminds me of a statement that she made following the release of Vulnicura, about how she hoped that the songs on Vulnicura would act as "a crutch to others." They most certainly did for me; I give Vulnicura, at the very least, half of the credit for my eventually coming to terms with losing my ex. It helped me heal immensely.
Utopia's closing track is "Future Forever," ending the album on an incredibly hopeful and positive note. The song, a very quiet and peaceful song driven by what sounds like the light chimes of an organ (although I could be mistaken), encourages listeners to stop living in the past and to start looking at what the future might have to offer: "Imagine a future, and be in it," she advises. "Feel this incredible nurture; soak it in. Your past is on loop; turn it off. See this possible future, and be in it." The song makes an effective conclusion to Utopia, and I, overall, really love this album. As previously mentioned, it is, once again, intensely personal, and I applaud Björk for such bravery. It is quite clear that music is something that she needs and even feeds on, which creates a mutual core (See what I did there?) for both her and most of her listeners because even though I obviously cannot speak for anyone else, Björk's music is therapeutic for me, having helped me through some of the most difficult periods of my life. I will say, however, that I hope for a return to high energy in the future, as I would love to hear more tracks like "Crying," "There's More to Life than This," "Violently Happy," "Army of Me," "Mutual Core," etc., but I will take Björk in just about any format that she has to offer.
Icelandic electronica musician Björk has finally followed up on her 2015 release Vulnicura with the haunting single "the gate," which will be found on her upcoming album Utopia (due to be released in November). (Read my review of Vulnicura here.) Björk said quite some time ago, probably last year in fact, that the new album would be the paradise to Vulnicura's hell, which makes sense because Vulnicura could definitely be described as a sort of hell, as it very closely chronicles the pain experienced right before, during, and after her split from ex-partner Matthew Barney. Utopia promises happier and more uplifting themes, and its lead single definitely seems to be an indicator. Even though "the gate" is sonically eerie and dark, its lyrics speak of the love (possibly even self-love) that comes from healing. Even on Vulnicura, a genius album nothing short of devastating, Björk offers hints of hope, seeming to offer the idea that pain makes us stronger: "Don't remove my pain; it is my chance to heal," she sings on the track "Notget." The cover art of Vulnicura shows us Björk with a hole in her chest where her heart should be (which is also imagery found in the "Lionsong" music video), representative of how the break-up made her feel emotionally. Some song lyrics referenced this feeling, as well. On the opening track, for example, she sings, "All that matters is who is open-chested and who has coagulated." It should come as no surprise, then, that Utopia's lead single features lyrics that reference her "healed chest wound." "the gate" and most likely most of Utopia are likely to show us the paradise that can oftentimes follow a hell.
I have seen some fans affectionately call "the gate" Vulnicura's tenth track because of how it seems to complete, or at least continue, its story. I agree; however, "the gate" is both sonically and thematically different from most of what a listener would hear on Vulnicura. Much of Vulnicura is made up of strings, whereas "the gate" is heavily composed of woodwinds and synths. Vulnicura deals with separation, and "the gate" deals with unity. The song, which features reverberating vocals that provide an atmospheric and dreamy effect, speaks of a wound becoming a passage through which love can pass, and throughout the chorus, Björk sings that "I care for you" as synths and strings waver eerily. This has not been confirmed, but I think that the song also references her well known 1995 hit "Army of Me." "Army of Me" was a demand that the receiver stop being so needy, to start becoming independent. Its second verse asks for "self-suffience please," and in "the gate," Björk sings in the third verse, "Didn't used to be so needy... Proud self-sufficiency." I believe this to be a callback to "Army of Me" because in "Army of Me," Björk, in the song's chorus, warns that "if you complain once more, you'll meet an army of me," and Vulnicura, in keeping with those words, is essentially a giant complaint. Björk is now saying that she better understands that neediness because of her painful experience but that getting herself through it made her stronger. I love "the gate" and cannot wait for Utopia to arrive. Björk is one of a very select few artists who can successfully pull off an eerie and somewhat dissonant song that still manages to be beautiful and harmonious. I am really looking forward to discovering what the album's overall sound is.
Björk is a musician to whom I once paid little attention, but I am so glad that I gave her the chance that she rightfully deserved when I found myself attracted to the beauty of the Biophilia album cover and gave it a listen (sometimes, I guess that you can judge something by its cover). I immediately fell in love with the sheer beauty of songs like "Moon" and "Cosmogony" and came to love the energy of "Mutual Core." The rest of her discography didn't disappoint, either, as countless songs put me in a trance and practically took me to another world full of beautiful waterfalls and pastoral fields full of fairies and unicorns. Vulnicura is quite different than Biophilia in that it lacks the high-end production and variety of instruments and replaces it with more simplicity - mainly strings. Vulnicura is quite possibly the most personal project that Björk has ever delivered, as the entire album chronicles the breakup with her longtime partner (American artist Matthew Barney). The album title itself means "cure for wounds," and it tells the story of a woman with a broken heart who eventually heals. Every "you" on the album is replaceable with her partner, and the album, as it should, sounds raw and painfully tragic. Especially through the heart-wrenching lyrics, one can hear a person in real pain, and Björk has even choked up a few times in interviews when she begins to touch upon the subject matter.
"Stonemilker" is one of my favorites from the album, opening the album with beautiful but very morose strings that sound almost like they are weeping. Björk's first words on the album are "a juxtapositioning fate, find our mutual coordinate." It is clear that the song is set before the breakup, as the lyrics suggest that even though she is fearful that it is not possible (hence the title of the song, as a stone cannot be milked), she longs for her and her lover to feel the same way about each other and be honest with each other, hence her demand, "Show me emotional respect." I just can't get over the strings on this song; the song is so tragically beautiful and is one of the most beautiful songs that Björk has ever released. The second track on the album is "Lionsong" (which features an interest music video that is in keeping with the cover art). The beginning of the song features Björk's vocals in multiple layers, reminding me very much of her 2004 album Medúlla, which is an album that features vocals at the forefront of the production, so much so that the album is nearly entirely a cappella. "Lionsong" reminds me of that production style, especially because of its introduction, and the song seems almost like the bargaining stage of the grieving process: "Maybe, he will come out of this loving me."
The third track is titled "History of Touches" and is one of the most emotional tracks on the record. The song opens with synths, making it sound almost like a ballad from the eighties. The lyrics are what makes the song one of the most emotional, such as "I wake you up in night feeling this is our last time together" and "every single fuck we had together is in a wondrous time lapse..." While most of the tracks on Vulnicura have rather long running times (with the longest coming in at 10:09), "History of Touches" is the shortest with a running time of only three minutes. The song is then followed by the longest track on the record, "Black Lake." "Black Lake" is probably the saddest song on the album, relying very heavily on mournfully wining strings and Björk's vulnerable and weeping vocals. Most of the song is very quiet, but it does pick up the noise a bit as it progresses and the strings get louder and more intense. The song is also joined by a light, almost tribal sounding beat. Standout lyrics on the song are Björk asking the painful question "Did I love you too much?" and also her assertive, almost angry statement that "family was always our sacred mutual mission, which you abandoned." These types of lyrics are brutally honest and are why I say that Vulnicura is quite possibly the barest that Björk has ever been as a musician.
"Family" is the fifth track on the album and is, in my opinion, one of the few tracks on the album that are a bit weaker. The track starts on a very dark, eerie string note quickly followed by bulleted beats and dissonant ambience that reminds me of the introduction to "Cosmogony" from Biophilia. The song is a good follow-up to "Black Lake" because it follows up on some of what "Black Lake" has to say about family. She points out that she needs to grieve because "there is the mother and the child; then, there is the father and the child but no man and a woman, no triangle of love." On this track, Björk is not just mourning the loss of her significant other but the death of her titular family. The sixth track is titled "Notget" and is one of the first tracks that caught my attention on the album, mainly because of its interesting circusy instrumental. Some of my favorite's lyrics from the album are in this song: "If I regret us, I'm denying my soul to grow. Don't remove my pain; it is my chance to heal." I love this song because of its production and its strong lyrics and melody. Björk creatively (because creative is what she does best) makes up the word notget to stand in for that which has happened to her. She states, "I will not forget this notget." In other words, because she is no longer loved, she no longer gets what she wants and needs out of life, something that she will carry with her for the rest of her life.
"Atom Dance" is where Vulnicura's story starts to turn towards healing. Beautifully plucked strings lead into swirling strings that, in combination, call for some sort of Pagan dance. Lyrics such as "Let this ugly wound breathe" and "Most hearts fear their own home" show a broken heart finally seeking to be healed. The song features guest vocals by Antony Hegarty, frontman of the band Antony and the Johnsons, who has collaborated with Björk twice in the past on her Volta album. The eighth track is "Mouth Mantra," a song that instrumentally sounds like a dark classical piece with a light modern beat. Lyrically, the song speaks of pain silencing you and taking away your voice but finally taking it back. I don't know for sure, but I wonder if the song hints at Björk feeling reluctant to document something so painful and personal on this record because I would imagine that in a lot of ways, her music is her voice. Vulnicura closes with "Quicksand," another shorter song in comparison to most of the album's songs. The song is one of the more energetic tracks on the record, more beat-driven than most of the other tracks. It doesn't, to me, sound like a proper conclusion to the album. When I get to the end of the song, my reaction tends to be somewhere along the lines of, "Where's the rest of the album?" However, the song does reference the earlier track "Black Lake" and also speaks of reaching the healing stage: "Hackle this darkness up to the light..." "When I'm broken, I am whole, and when I'm whole, I'm broken" is perhaps my favorite line from the song.
Vulnicura is, overall, one of Björk's best albums to date, mainly because of how real and emotionally raw that it is. If you are a Björk fan, then this is one that you might find yourself listening to on repeat. In my case, I find myself addicted to the album not only because of how good that it is objectively but also because its subject matter is quite close to my heart, and the album has really been a crutch for me on a personal level. It could quite possibly be considered a concept album because from start to finish, it tells a story, a very tragic but human story of what leads up to a broken heart and then the aftermath of it, the eventual healing process. The album's message makes it clear that as a person, Björk will never again be the same because of all that she has lost but that she has been able to and will continue to find ways of moving forward and living with her pain. Once a brokenhearted listener gets to the end of the album, one concept stands out above all else - hope. As Björk has said herself, "...hopefully the songs could be a crutch to others and prove how biological this process is: the wound and the healing of the wound. Psychologically and physically. It has a stubborn clock attached to it." She is absolutely right, and I know that for me personally, the album has proven a lot to me, and it has really helped me heal and evolve. Björk is a truly special musician to me.
