Bjork

One of the earliest words attached to Bjork’s music was “experimental”—a dubious category that includes artists as disparate as John Cage and Frank Zappa. Often, the experimental label is attached to describe the indescribable, in order to market the unconventional to consumers. Despite enjoying success and a major label platform for this quasi-genre, Bjork has transcended the “experimental music” classification with Biophilia and instead created a musical experiment, a multimedia collection comprised of iPad apps, a physical album release and a concert series.

Partially recorded on the iPad, Biophilia is available on the device through a suite of apps that correspond to each of the ten songs on the album. In the app for the lead single “Crystalline,” the user can explore the relationship between space and music through a game that follows a crystal through a series of tunnels; the “Thunderbolt” app features a soundmaker that reproduces the sounds of lightning and electricity over the original song.

Unlike the Gorillaz’ recent album recorded entirely on an iPad, Bjork harnesses the technology to effectively further her specific vision. Each song is a careful meditation on the exploration of nature, and the varied apps promote Bjork’s objective of combining music, nature and technology. More importantly, the project creates an interactive experience that has the innovation and creative force to potentially usher in a new way of experiencing music: visually as well as aurally.

With Biophilia, Bjork has produced another concept album, one that focuses on the dichotomy of simplicity and complexity: nature is reflected in the sparse beats and intermittent vocals, while the apps constitute a realization of modern technology. Though the album is more irregularly paced than some of Bjork’s previous releases, Biophilia sounds precise and cohesive, effectively invoking nature through songs like “Moon” and “Solstice.”

Though the album is a strong addition to Bjork’s discography, its importance and brilliance lies in how it engages the listener in a new way. Bjork is a visionary, and her talent and penchant for testing the boundaries of creation make her an ideal artist for the digital age.