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Everything, you suspect, that people hate about Björk is multiplied a thousandfold here. But by the same measure, to her fans, “Medulla” is an intimate, ecstatic wonder.
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Bits of Medulla sound similar to Vespertine, but there’s a marked distinction in the means of delivery and enough change to keep things interesting.
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A fractured LP, compelling and convincing in its intent, but just plain less satisfying than Vespertine or Post.
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It continues Björk's run of releases that sound nothing like their predecessors, yet is, as ever, particular to her.
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Björk shrouds Medúlla in mystery and darkness, but it's far from gloomy.
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To me, Medulla is an experiment in transforming the primal power of the human voice into a 21st century context. It's an amazing effort, and it's one of the best albums of the year.
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The luminosity of her performance counters the album's tendency toward dry formalism. [5 Sep 2004]
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The album, impressive in its scope and sense of adventure, is a further reinvention in Björk's already massive discography.
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Medulla may divide Björk's audience, but, combining intellectual rigour and sensual ravishment, it is brave and unique.
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Björk has transcended any pop plinth she may (incorrectly) have been placed upon, to become, probably, our greatest contemporary female vocalist since Diamanda Galas.
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Though hardly Björk's most pronounced statement, Medúlla is definitely a highlight of her already illustrious career.
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Björk weaves into Medúlla a palpable longing for a simpler world--a world predating smart bombs and collapsing towers, a world in which life revolved around the expressive raising of one’s voice, both solitarily and in concert with others.
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The most challenging work of Björk's career.
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Bjork’s great achievement with Medulla is in taking a self-imposed limitation and managing to craft a full-bodied, multilayered work from such a basic toolset.
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All in all, though, Medúlla is far too busy. Even when you're experimenting, the less-is-more rule still applies.
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Fans of the Icelandic wonder's more orchestral tunes might think there's something missing here. Well, unless they're too busy being totally blown away.
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This disc may have a wilder sense of love-and-adventure about it, and may offer the thrills of an unpredictable ride, but, in its capriciousness and incongruousness, the thing Medulla rarely feels like is an album.
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Especially when heard on headphones, Medulla is an overwhelming sonic bliss-out, Phil Spector’s wall of sound channeled through the voice box.
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The question is not whether Medúlla is brilliant; insofar as this can be objectively asserted, it most certainly is. The question is really, Do you like Björk? Do you like her a lot? Obviously, a Björk a capella album is going to be lost on you if you never really liked her vocal style in the first place.
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No matter how the sounds are made, it is with captivatingly sincere intent that they are never boring and, above all, always enjoyable.
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Those who are up for the challenge will find much to admire.
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Will frustrate as many fans as it enchants.
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This record is so far beyond anything that she has done in the past that it is absolutely certain to alienate the majority of the listening public and more than a few of her fans.
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Once its novelty factor fades, Medulla settles down as a stirring, nuanced album that takes a while to take hold.
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Where 2001's Vespertine was erotic, Medulla is reflexive and awestruck.
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While the album might seem to be a conceptual stunt, it finds gorgeous and startling new ways to extend Bjork's longtime mission: merging the earthy and the ethereal. [29 Aug 2004]
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Without a doubt the most challenging collection of music she has ever released.
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Under The RadarThe ice from Vespertine has melted, and Bjork's voice sounds reborn like a phoenix from the flame. [#7]
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New Musical Express (NME)A notch below the genius of 'Debut' or 'Homogenic' but precious nonetheless. [4 Sep 2004, p.73]
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MojoNot only the bravest record she's ever made, it's also one of the strangest and most uncompromising by a major artist to get a commercial release. [Sep 2004, p.93]
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Urb[A] powerful statement. [Oct 2004, p.101]
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BlenderIt's conceptually daring, but beyond a few ecstatic moments... the sound is familiarly Bjorkish. [Oct 2004, p.113]
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Q MagazineThe few electronic beats and textures are deft, discreet soundbeds for the lush intimacies of the vocals, which slip from soothing to strident. [Oct 2004, p.120]
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Rolling StoneBoth the most extreme record Bjork has ever released and the most immediately accesible. [16 Sep 2004, p.79]
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FilterDoubtless the closest she'll ever come to letting you dance in the madfields of her mind with her. [#12, p.94]
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Entertainment WeeklyOne of her best efforts. [10 Sep 2004, p.161]
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SpinIt's no mere gimmick. [Oct 2004, p.111]
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The WirePossibly the most daring record she's ever made... [but] Medulla is not a complete success. [#247, p.53]
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PlanetThe replay moments on Medulla are the tracks where Bjork reconnects with perennial producer Mark Bell. [#8, p.78]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 282 out of 316
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Mixed: 23 out of 316
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Negative: 11 out of 316
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Jul 18, 2014
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alandAug 31, 2004
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MGApr 22, 2007Triumph Of A Heart is great but the rest is very hard to stomach.