For years Bjork has maintained the type of unpretentious weird that Lady Gaga can only aspire to. The Icelandic pop star will release her eighth solo record, Biophilia, tomorrow. She partnered with NPR's First Listen to allow fans to stream the entire album through their website.
It opens calmly with "Moon," which was released as a single. Dynamically and rhythmically varying, it's a powerful cosmic lullaby that sets the tone aptly for the rest of the album. The sound builds from there and by the end of the third song, "Crystalline," aggressive electronic elements sneak their way in. It leads to spurts of complicated polyrythmic drum programming akin to Aphex Twin or Squarepusher that contrast beautifully with Bjork's emotional singing style. "Sacrifice" is a prime example and a real highlight of this release.
The lyrics carry strong scientific and nature-inspired overtones including a brief history of the Universe on "Cosmonogy." The vast expanses of space and the shifting of plate tectonics are applied as interesting metaphors for human relationships especially on "Mutual Core" near the end.
It closes with "Solstice," which is very much a reprisal of the opener and again features single plucked notes as the only accompaniment to the vocals. It brings the listener completely around again to the calm darkness of a new moon. Wonderfully complex and balanced with heartbreaking simplicity, Biophilia is one of those well-constructed concept albums that aren't easily picked apart or separated into strong and weak tracks. Each song here is a crucial part of the whole that hypnotizes the listener until its conclusion. You can download it here starting tomorrow.
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