Herald rating: * * *
The good news is that Bjork's new album isn't quite as freaky as that outfit she's wearing. This is some of her most innovative work but it's not as austere as her more experimental stuff of late. Featuring everyone from Timbaland to rock drummers Chris Corsano and Brian
Chippendale, kora player Toumani Diabate and an Icelandic brass section, it's no surprise to find the tone lurches between tribal electronica, wistful balladry and futuristic world music.
The bad news is that it can still feel fractured, frustrating and at times unfinished. The problem lies in the loose structure of songs like Wanderlust, the sense of vagueness that pervades when the bass fails to kick in until it's too late.
If there's one defining feature that does work it's the brass section. Whether it's fog horn blasts at the end of the opening track, loping Hitchcock-esque staccatos on Vertebrae by Vertebrae or long, eerie notes on Pneumonia, the horns create a murky, cinematic mood that suits Bjork's psychedelic nature.
Singing over such an unorthodox backdrop seems like second nature to the singer, whose familiar vocal tics and emotional phrases contribute to the songs' impromptu feel. While that's her trademark, it can also be a bit much, particularly her shapeless singing on Vertebrae by Vertebrae and angry ranting on Declare Independence. Sometimes her vocals sound oddly dislocated from their backing tracks and the songs come off feeling empty. That's a shame because lyrically it's intriguing stuff, particularly the way she uses anatomy to tell a story.
She's at her best riffing on the more focused musical ideas, which happen to be Timbaland's contributions, Earth Intruders and Innocence, songs that hark back to her 90s dance sound while still sounding fresh.
She's also quite lovely on the lusty ballads, particularly the moving The Dull Flame of Desire with her male equal, Antony Hegarty from Antony and the Johnsons. The other is I See Who You Are, a beautiful ode to sex adorned by rippling Chinese pipa strings.
The result is an album that is mostly weird, occasionally wonderful and overwhelmingly wishy-washy.
Label: Polydor
Verdict: Icelandic freak's wonky, worldly ride
