September 30, 2022
One Little Independent
1xLP (Black and Dark Green Vinyl)
The Icelandic experimental-pop luminary, myth, legend has returned for her first album in five years and the first following the 2018 death of her mother and her move back to her home country. The influence of returning to her isolated, rustic home island and the reflection that comes with the death of a loved one are perhaps the two biggest shaping forces of this record.This is the closest thing Björk has made to a folk album with acoustic instruments like the bass clarinet echoing throughout and underlining the drum machines and synthesizers that have historically shaped her music. Lyrically the lyrics focus on life cycles – whether they be involving humans or the natural world they inhabit – life, death, and rebirth are the big themes here and make for yet another affirming statement from one of music’s most enduring and uncompromising auteurs.