Bjork's new album, "Medulla," is as ambitious and beautiful as the artist herself, that is to say its charm lies in its peculiarity. The Icelandic performer's last full-length, "Vespertine," was roundly criticized by fans of her previous work because she didn't do as much - instrumentally - with her voice. Nevermind that Rolling Stone named "Vespertine" one of the top 50 albums of all time. Some people fear change.
"Medulla" is in the same vein as "Vespertine;" less dance-y and upbeat though it's difficult to say that anything Bjork does has a single atmosphere. It's different, though, in that "Vespertine" was simply Bjork at work with her talents. "Medulla" finds her joining forces with artists like noise savant Mike Patton and rapper Rahzel of The Roots.
Rahzel is more prevalent than any other guest. His inimitable style of beat-boxing is wonderfully confusing, and remarkably, according to his biography on Bjork's Web site, he did most of his work in one take, earning the nickname "One Take Man."
The total number of guests - counting choirs or orchestras as one entity - is 27 (the number expands to 65 with the inclusion of individual members). An inclusion of so many sources would normally make an artist's work sound different than ever before and, in a way, less like themselves. But with Bjork it somehow serves to make it sound more "her" than ever before.
A great example is Patton's work on the album. He uses his voice in a few of the same ways he has used in both Fantomas and Tomahawk, but Bjork's construction around it on "Pleasure Is All Mine" serves to make it not only novel, but hers as well.
Patton's inclusion should open the door to Bjork for many people who would normally ignore her. His almost cult-like following seems to double every year, whether it's because of the defunct Mr. Bungle and Faith No More or living projects like Fantomas and Tomahawk.
A gracious person would estimate that less than one out of every 100 Patton fans under the age of 25 liked Faith No More during the band's heyday in the early '90s. The truth is that 95 percent of Patton fans pretend they've been Faith No More fans their whole lives.
Similarly, Rahzel's name should open more doors and artists like Shlomo and Kelis - yes, the "Milkshake" genie - could generate enough interest to make up for the stubborn fans who refuse to acknowledge that a change can do just fine.
Coupled with her spellbinding performance of album track "Oceania" at the Olympics' opening ceremony, Bjork could have a whole new audience.
