ALBUM REVIEW
BJÖRK – DRAWING RESTRAINT 9- ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
[ONE LITTLE INDIAN]


For many, 2004’s Medúlla probably seemed like the furthest off the deep end that Icelandic songstress Björk could possibly leap. Others following more closely however, upon hearing of her upcoming collaboration with her equally eccentric life partner, Matthew Barney, may have held suspicion that that last album was just the beginning. Those suspicions have proven true as Björk’s soundtrack to Barney’s latest opus, Drawing Restraint 9, raises the bar of weirdness once again.

This is easily the most abstract work of Björk’s career. Though it is at times extremely challenging, there are still several moments of undeniable beauty including the opening track “Gratitude,� which features Will Oldham reciting a Japanese man’s letter to General MacArthur from 1946, the Medúlla-like throat singing of “Pearl� and the quiet, yet shimmering brilliance of instrumentals “Ambergris March,� “Shimenawa� and closer “Antarctic Return.� The three tracks that Björk lends her voice to, “Bath,� “Storm� and “Cetacea,� are standouts as well. There are limits though to just how much weirdness most of us can take and I’ll be willing to bet most will crumble under the sheer madness that is “Hunter Vessel,� “Vessel Shimenawa� and the ten-minutes of “Holographic Enrtypoint.�

If you’re looking for a return to pop stay far away from this one, but if you loved Medúlla and are willing to put in the necessary listens then be sure to pick up the latest addition to Björk’s stellar catalogue.

4/5

I've tried really hard, but I can't understand why people would take bjork seriously.

Is it her voice? I could see that being/getting annoying. However, I've always been a fan, going all the way back to the Sugarcube days. I can remember wishing pain and death on whoever that guy was that used to fuck up all their songs with his bad lyrics and shite voice. I was the happiest kid in school when she went solo. My favorites: 'Big Time Sensuality', 'Possibly Maybe', 'Hidden Place', and basically everything else on Vespertine.

Tell me if I'm nuts or not Chris, but I could never stomach 'It's Oh So Quiet'.

this from someone who is naming The Game at #7 on his recent favourites.

the reasons are quite simple. Björk has one of the most unique and amazingly beautiful voices ever. her lyrics are equally unique and often incredibly insightful and emotional in their simplicity and delivery. her music is endlessy interesting and she is always pushing boundries and exploring new ground. in her solo career, not only has she never put out a bad record, but all five of her albums and her two soundtracks are all spectacular. she is easily one of the greatest and most unique artists of her time.

well, you might be nuts, but that track is somewhat of an anomaly to her catalogue so icould see it being a lesser favourite for some fans- it is a great song though and perhaps closer attention to the lyric would help- its a beaute.

totally agree about the hate for Einar Benediktsson- no one could ever ruin a song quicker than that idiot. Björk's decision to go it solo was quite obviously the greatest move of her career and we're all so much better for it.

The Game >>>> Bjork

right.... that might go down as one of the most wrong statements of all time- right up there with "the world is flat" and "the sun revolves around the earth."

I skip that one all the time. It wrecks the flow of Post. The song itself I don't mind, it just didn't belong in slot #4.

Of course I'll check out this album, because it's Bjork, but I do so with a grain of salt. The Sugarcubes had great moments, and I still spin their last album on occasion. Bjork's first 3 albums are very important 90's Alt-Rock documents, and Homogenic is one of my most treasured albums of all time (aside from being in that decade's upper echelon). But I didn't like Vespertine as much, and I hardly liked Medulla at all. Sometimes self indulgence is incredibly interesting; other times it's simply self indulgence, and you wonder if you needed to be in the room with her when she was recording to appreciate it.

id probably agree with you about "It's Oh So Quiet" and its placement in the tracklisting on Post, but ilov the song enough thaqt ican overlook the fact that it doesnt fit in at all. imean it doesnt really fit anywhere musically- lyrically/thematically its a perfect fit though.

as far as her nameless decade albums, Vespertine and Medúlla are definitley more challenging and iwouldnt reccomend them to many casual fans, but if yure a longtime fan you should really try and spend some more time with them cos they really grow and you eventually come to realize their beauty. ididnt get them at first at all, especially Vespertine (iwent into Medúlla very open-minded and still found it a real challenge but warmed to it quicker than Vespertine ithink becos ihad less rigid notions of what a Björk album should sound like than idid coming off Homogenic, which is still my favourite of her albums). theyre are still a few tracks on each of those records that are pretty imediate like "Hidden Place", "Pagan Poetry", "Pleasure Is All Mine" and "Who Is It?" that help to open things up and soften the blow. they are great albums though and you should really giv them a second chance, probably before you try on Drawing Restraint 9. Selmasongs will help ease you in some too.

I've been listeining to Bjork and the Sugarcubes longer than many people here even knew who she was. I have all the albums you mentioned. I've heard them many times. To boot, I am far more open to experiments than I am to pop music, even as I appreciate Bjork's offerings on both counts. Thanks for the advice, though I don't actually have a use for it. You are right about one thing, though: it has indeed been a while since I dusted off either of her last two albums.