Björk - Biophilia | Deluxe Edition | Review

release date > 10 Oct 2011
label > One Little Indian


This review is only about music. So no app, no multimedia, no live performance. Just only music. 
First what you hit on your eyes are again is fantastic cover of CD with Björk stylished as red hair diva suited in some kind of harp clothes. It's promise to calm, warm and airy sound of the album. I can imagine how wind fluff up that her gorgeous red hair. So it's original cover as always from Björk. But I attached some another beautiful image of Björk here.
Second what you hit but on your ears is as extraordinary music with brilliant lyrics. I know it sounds like a cliché but not in case of Björk.
One side of her music here is about inner energy and tension following the eruptions of joy and on the other side there is minimalism structures of some songs and calmness of wide space around your ears/head. Conclusion of that is perfect conceptual album which is still in category avant-garde but very amiable avant-garde. Still it's Björk and I love her for that. Maybe it's not a record for a first listening (thanks god) but it's a grower in the best meaning of that word. The music slowly growing inside of me. Björk also breaks the typical 4/4 time signature structure for many of the songs on Biophilia. For example, "Solstice" features 7/4 and 6/4 times bars; "Hollow", 17/8 times bars; "Moon", 17/8 times bars and "Mutual Core", 5/4 times bars. So enjoy :)


But we can take all song per song:


Moon | minimalist repetitive (but not boring) harps with gentle voice bring you almost to the Moon and I can agree with Björk that "now I'm all rejuvenated and rested" after a couple of listenings of the Moon. And anothe my nod with "to risk all is the end all and the beginning all". Truly great the beginning of the album.
Thunderbolt | Synth organs in background starts with her voice than it's changed for tick and heavy running bass (I love this sound really) which decelerate nicely at the very end with lyrics: "may I, can I, should I or have I too often craving miracles"
Crystalline | First single of Biophilia released early in Summer. And it's piece of music which you lull to sleep (or dream) at the beginning but that it comes impressive drum kicks and you are in reality in a second. I was shocked when I hear it because I didn't expect anything like this I mean jungle (or drum'n'bass) thunder.
"Crystalline internal nebula (crystalline) / Rocks growing slow-mo (crystalline)
I conquer clautrophobia (crystalline) / And demand the lights."Pure beatiful lyrics... 
Cosmogony | "In this song, Bjork is a story-teller, telling us the stories of how the universe came to be.
In the first verse, she is telling us about the theory of creation from Miwok mythology. In this story, Silver Fox and Coyote created earth by dancing and singing, as before there was only water.
In the second verse, Bjork references the myth of Pangu which is Tao in origin. What Bjork didn't mention was that Pangu's body parts became components of the world as we know after his death (his eyes became the sun and the moon, his muscles the earth, and so on).
In the third verse, she gives us some insight into The Dreaming, which forms the core of Australian Aboriginal culture. In this one, ancestral beings shaped the landscape from a formless land during an era known as Dreamtime.
And the final verse is of course the conventional Big Bang model." BIG thanks to user cactuar | 07-25-2011 | songsmeanings.net
And I can only add for this song: everytimes it makes me wonder. That's what I loved and what I love again on her songs. She makes you wonder.
Dark Matter | hypnotic dark minimalist piece and you are falling more and more to the deep space of your thoughts and feelings.
Hollow | the organ skitters around wildly like a steam locomotive little bit disharmonic but in a while it takes a pace and you are completly into its own space. Be patient and take a couple of listenings.
Virus | Probably most intimate songs. As lyrics like "I see protein transmutate / I knock on your skin / And I am in" suggest, the music is already under your skin, it takes roots in your brain.
Sacrifice |  immerse into sound of Sharpsichord, a huge pin-barrel harp developed by Henry Dagg between 2006 and 2010. Spiced by drill drums by Tim Eliot aka Current Value. Nice contrast.
Mutual Core | excellent powerfull song which you will love since the first listening. And listen what beautiful verses there are:
"I shuffle around / The tectonic plates / In my chest / You know I gave it all / Try to match our continents / To change seasonal shift / To form a mutual core". Second part gets you like an eruption of volcano when start uncompromising sharp beats.
Solstice | Only harps and voice. Calm and peacefully beautiful ending of this record. An you can see "Flickering sun flame" everywhere. The End.


Extra tracks > 
(Following three pieces you can find on the Collector's/Deluxe edition)
Hollow Original 7 minute version | just a longer version of Hollow but still beautiful.
Dark Matter with choir + organ | yes, organ instead of synth sound and with celestial choir in a back. Sublime version.
Náttúra | impressive synth-drum eruptions in the bonus track 'Nattura,' which features Thom Yorke (hardly identifiable) on backing vocals. By the way it's dedicated to famous Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull (you can hear sounds of eruption I guess at the beginning).
The Comet Song (in the Japan edition) | Co-written with Icelandic poet, Sjón and lyrics summarizes a plot of a brand new Moomins film.
Comet! Oh, damn it! / The comet comes hurtling down / On a precious plot of earth.


Full tracklist > 1| Moon | 05:45 || 2| Thunderbolt | 05:15 || 3| Crystalline | 05:08 || 4| Cosmogony | 05:00 || 5| Dark Matter | 03:22 || 6| Hollow | 05:49 || 7| Virus | 05:26 || 8| Sacrifice | 04:02 || 9| Mutual Core | 05:06 || 10| Solstice | 04:41 ||
in collector's edition plus :
11| Hollow Original 7 minute version | 07:07 || 12 Dark Matter with choir + organ  | 03:25 || 13| Nattura | 03:50 ||
in japan version plus:
14 | The Comet Song | 02:23 ||