Björk
Vulnicura (One Little Indian)
When Björk’s ninth studio album leaked all over the internet two months early, we patiently waited to see how the Icelandic singer would react. Instead of erupting like the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, she did what any savvy businesswoman would do. Keep calm and rush-release it with the grace only one with 30 years in the music industry could possess.
Vulnicara is nine tracks of explosive emotion, exploring the process of a breakup: the tears, the fear and the recovery period. She opens her wounds in opening track "Stonemilker", where her voice kneads around the lyric, “We have emotional needs”, recalling her 1997 love letter to Iceland “Joga”.
As the album progresses, we settle into the melodrama and revel in the heartache. She sings, “My shield is gone, my protection is taken”, pulling us into the metaphorical deep end of “Black Lake.” By the seventh track “Atom Dance”, you get the feeling you’re sitting in on a therapy session with Björk as she wades through the stages of heartbreak like an open heart surgeon. The mood elevates, the heart begins to beat again, and by the end track “Quicksand”, there is relief.
Raw, vulnerable and slightly carnal, she is a warrior of repressed emotion. Vulnicara is Björk is at her best, when she becomes a reflection of all of us.
Rating: ★★★★★
