Biophilia
A cosmic exploration of natural science and musicology. Custom-built instruments, choral arrangements, and sudden volcanic beat drops collide in a cold, crystalline space.
A cosmic exploration of natural science and musicology. Custom-built instruments, choral arrangements, and sudden volcanic beat drops collide in a cold, crystalline space.
Multimedia experiment
Plucked harps and cold, metallic chimes ring out like dripping icicles before a sudden, heavy bassline shakes the floor. You are suspended in a dark, cavernous space where digital glitching meets the warmth of a human choir. It feels like watching tectonic plates shift through the lens of a microscope.
A pristine stargazing atmosphere envelops the record, casting the listener into a vast, silent cosmos where scientific wonder feels deeply spiritual.
Celebrated for its ambitious fusion of nature, science, and technology, the album was widely praised by critics who found its complex themes beautifully grounded by powerful, soulful vocals and some of her finest songwriting in years. Although some reviewers cautioned that the challenging and unconventional arrangements do not make for an easy listen, most agreed that the demanding journey is immensely rewarding.
“Several tracks do reclaim some of Björk’s past glory and inspire a bit of wonder, but the majority of Biophilia meanders weightlessly into space”Read review
“By the disc’s end—and in spite of frequent flashes of celestial, awe-dropping grace—all that space accumulates to form an unfocused, almost suffocating absence of song”Read review
“So concerned as she and her co-creators doubtless were with the artistic and educational aspects ... they appear to have overlooked one small matter: enjoyment”Read review
“The hyper-composed Biophilia sounds stultified and endlessly fussed over, but oddly incomplete at the same time”Read review
“When Bjork’s supernatural voice soars in "Thunderbolt" – "Craving miracles" – soul easily trumps software”Read review
“Maybe one day app albums will be commonplace or maybe they won’t, but you can’t help but be blown away by the Björk R&D department on this one”
“Whilst the musical content here is unlikely to shock or surprise Björk’s loyal admirers, it sees her continue to pursue her own radical and individual path with unshakeable conviction”
“For an album ostensibly about the elements, there are some essential pieces missing here. As an innovator, she’s as vibrant as ever, but as a songwriter, she sounds tired”Read review
“You may not be whistling these songs or dancing to them, but Biophilia’s unsettling visions are compelling art”Read review
“Whatever happens with the technology and wherever the arguments over music, art and commerce drag themselves to next, it’s these songs that are the triumph here”Read review
“By turning hours of research on DNA, lunar cycles and gravity into sublime music, and having the grace to allow this to be shaped by the leading lights in application design, Bjork has created one of the boldest artistic statements of our time”Read review
“For all my rambling, I can say quite confidently that it is timeless. Not in the traditional Rolling Stones way, but in the way that it escapes any temporal context”Read review
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