Medúlla (translated from Latin. - “Brain”) - the fifth solo studio album of the Icelandic singer Björk , released in 2004 . Contains songs in English and Icelandic. The peculiarity of this album lies in the fact that almost all music is complex vocal parts processed on a computer, forming a polyphonic structure. Of the usual instruments, Björk left drums and piano in one of the tracks. [one]
| Medúlla | |||||||
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| Studio Album Björk | |||||||
| Date of issue | August 30, 2004 | ||||||
| Genre | experimental music , avant-garde , and cappella | ||||||
| Duration | 45:40 | ||||||
| Producer | Björk , Mark Bell | ||||||
| Label | One little indian | ||||||
| Chronology Björk | |||||||
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With the song “Oceania,” Björk performed at the opening of the Athens Olympic Games. [2]
Content
- 1 Concept
- 2 Creation
- 3 Release
- 4 Reaction
- 5 Olympic performance
- 6 singles
- 7 List of Songs
- 8 Notes
- 9 References
Concept
Medúlla as a medical term refers to the bone marrow, but also it is translated from Latin as the core, the essence. Björk wanted to give the album a deep, “primitive” sound. “Something in me was striving to leave civilization, rewind life until the moment when everything was just beginning and find out,“ Where is the human soul? What will go wrong if we act without relying on civilization, religion and patriotism? ”First I wanted to name the album“ Ink ”because I wanted it to be like the blood of our ancestors that flows in each of us; to the spirit of ancient peoples, unbridled and deep, a spirit that continues to live ” [3] .
In the early stages of recording, experimenting in the studio, Björk found that the effect closest to the desired one occurs if all tracks except the vocal are drowned out. After that, she came to the concept of an album consisting entirely of human voices [4] .
Creation
In addition to the leading vocal part, some of the sounds also represent the voice of Björk, which is highly processed on the computer. The Icelandic choir and several guest vocalists and beatboxers also took part in the recording.
Robert Wyatt took part in recording at least two songs from this album. Also in the recording of the tracks “Pleasure Is All Mine” and “Where Is the Line” Mike Patton , best known for collaborating with Faith No More , took part.
The process of creating the album was captured in the 50-minute documentary The Inner Or Deep Part Of An Animal Or Plant Structure.
Release
The album was released both in standard formats on CD and vinyl, and in six-channel high-resolution sound on DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD . [one]
In 2005, a special dual DVD edition was released, including audio in 5 different formats, two documentaries and clips. [5]
Reaction
| Reviews | |
|---|---|
| Cumulative rating | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100 [6] |
| Critics' ratings | |
| Source | Rating |
| NME | 8/10 [7] |
| Pitchfork | 8.4 / 10 [8] |
| Entertainment weekly | A [9] |
| Spin magazine | B + [10] |
| Stylus magazine | A [11] |
| Allmusic | [12] |
| The guardian | [13] |
| Rolling stone | [fourteen] |
| Tiny mix tapes | [fifteen] |
The album was very well received by critics. On Metacritic , the album's rating is 84% based on 39 reviews, which means universal recognition.
Despite being close to avant-garde music, the album reached first place on the charts of several countries, as well as on the pan-European chart. [16]
Medúlla was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Alternative Album" and the song "Oceania" for "Best Female Vocal Performance" [17] . Björk was nominated for the Brit Awards for Best International Artist (her fifth nomination) and for the MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Alternative Artist . At Icelandic awards, the artist was nominated for “Singer of the Year” and “Album of the Year” [18] . From the Q Awards, Björk received the “Inspiration Award” [19] . At the World Music Awards, the artist was nominated in the Boundary Crossing category [20] . Clips for the album were also noted: “ Triumph of a Heart ” (a famous clip with a cat from which the Internet meme “I have to ...” came from) received the nomination for “Best Video” from the Antville Music Video Awards. Oceania and Who Is It claimed Best Video in Iceland (first clip won). Desired Constellation was honored at the Design and Art Direction Awards.
The album was included in the almanacs “A Thousand and One Musical Album That Is Worth Listening to Before You Die.”
According to the results of 2004, the Russian music magazine “Play” announced Bjork “Singer of the Year” for the album Medúlla . [21]
Olympic performance
Björk's song "Oceania" became the official anthem of the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. The International Olympic Committee asked Björk to write a song specifically for the opening ceremony . The song was written from the point of view of the ocean surrounding the continents and for millions of years observing the evolution of living beings and man, who once came out of his bosom. For the ocean, boundaries, race and religion are not important, which is precisely the unifying beginning of the games. [22] In her speech, Björk portrayed Mother Oceania. During the song, her dress gradually unfolded and at the end covered the entire stadium, turning into a huge map of the world.
In the future, the song repeatedly fell into the lists of the best Olympic performances. Most commentators note that this was the strangest and most original anthem of the games, while at the same time calling Björk's number “subtly beautiful” and “magical from beginning to end.” [23] [24]
Singles
Two full singles, “Who Is It” and “ Triumph of a Heart ”, were released from the album Medúlla. On both compositions clips were shot. Oceania was only released as a promotional single, and Where Is The Line was canceled, but clips were also made for both songs. All of them were included in the special Medúlla Videos DVD, where there is still a Desired Constellation video. The last three videos have not been shown on television.
List of Songs
| No. | Title | The words | Music | Producer | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| one. | "Pleasure Is All Mine" | Björk | Björk | Björk | 3:26 |
| 2. | "Show Me Forgiveness" | Björk | Björk | Björk | 1:23 |
| 3. | " Where Is the Line " | Björk | Björk | Björk, Mark Bell | 4:41 |
| four. | "Vökuró" | Jakobína Sigurðardóttir | Jórunn viðar | Björk | 3:14 |
| 5. | Öll Birtan | Björk | Björk | Björk | 1:52 |
| 6. | “ Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right) ” | Björk | Björk | Björk | 3:57 |
| 7. | "Submarine" | Björk | Björk | Björk, Mark Bell | 3:13 |
| 8. | "Desired Constellation" | Björk | Björk, Olivier Alary | Björk | 4:55 |
| 9. | " Oceania " | Björk, Sjón | Björk | Björk, Mark Bell | 3:24 |
| 10. | Sonnets / Unrealities XI | Björk, EE Cummings | Björk | Björk | 1:59 |
| eleven. | " Ancestors " | Björk | Björk, Tagaq | Björk | 4:08 |
| 12. | Mouth's Cradle | Björk | Björk | Björk | 4:00 |
| 13. | "Miðvikudags" | Björk | Björk | Björk | 1:24 |
| fourteen. | " Triumph of a Heart " | Björk | Björk | Björk | 4:04 |
| fifteen. | Komið (Japanese / iTunes bonus track) | Björk | Björk | Björk | 2:02 |
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Reviews: Björk: Medulla (DualDisc) . iXBT.com (November 1, 2006). Date of treatment February 12, 2016.
- ↑ The official song of the Athens Olympics will be performed by Björk . Newslab.ru (August 12, 2004). Date of treatment February 12, 2016.
- ↑ Björk: Passions in a cold climate . Independent (August 12, 2004). Date of treatment October 10, 2016.
- ↑ Björk's 'Medulla' (unreachable link) . Electronic Musician (October 1, 2004). Date of treatment October 10, 2016. Archived March 9, 2016.
- ↑ Björk - Medúlla - Special Double DVD Edition . discogs.com. Date of treatment February 14, 2016.
- ↑ Medulla by Björk . Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Date of treatment January 1, 2015.
- ↑ September 4, 2004, p. 73
- ↑ Leone, Dominique Björk - Medulla . Pitchfork (August 29, 2004). Date of treatment February 21, 2016.
- ↑ Willman, Chris . Medulla (September 10, 2004). Date of treatment February 21, 2016.
- ↑ Harris, Keith Björk - Medulla . Spin magazine (October 13, 2004). Date of treatment February 21, 2016.
- ↑ Heumann, Michael Björk - Medulla . Stylus magazine (September 3, 2004). Date of treatment February 21, 2016.
- ↑ Phares, Heather Björk - Biophilia . AllMusic. Date of treatment February 21, 2016.
- ↑ Peschek, David Björk, Medulla . The Guardian (August 27, 2004). Date of treatment February 21, 2016.
- ↑ Walters, Barry Medulla . Rolling Stone (September 16, 2004). Date of treatment February 21, 2016.
- ↑ P, Mr Björk - Medülla . Tiny Mix Tapes. Date of treatment February 21, 2016.
- ↑ Billboard Eurocharts . Date of treatment February 12, 2016.
- ↑ 47th Grammy Awards - 2005 . Rock On The Net. Date of treatment February 12, 2016.
- ↑ Íslensku Tónlistarverðlaunin - Fyrri verðlaunahafar unopened . Íslensku Tónlistarverðlaunin . Date of treatment February 12, 2016.
- ↑ Winners Q awards 2005 . Daily Telegraph (October 11, 2005). Date of treatment February 12, 2016.
- ↑ Nominees - World Music Awards 2005 . Date of treatment February 12, 2016.
- ↑ No. 2 (57) of January 19, 2005, p. 29
- ↑ Bjork Kicks Off Olympics . NME (August 16, 2004). Date of treatment February 21, 2016.
- ↑ Top 10 Olympic Songs . Shortlist Date of treatment February 21, 2016.
- ↑ Top 10 Olympic Games Songs . Listverse (July 1, 2012). Date of treatment February 21, 2016.