Bjork - Medulla

With her haunting humming in the first song to the beat box medley at the end, Medulla does not cease to impress.

What attracts most people to Bjork? Is it her mysterious beauty? Her voice? Or is it the fact she's from Iceland? The answer is of course, all of the above. Although her outfits may attract one eye or another, it is her devilish voice and cryptic words that make Bjork one of the biggest attractions in music. She may not be considered underground, but the lack of play she receives on MTV has her fans mum about her success. With her haunting humming in the first song to the beat box medley at the end, Medulla does not cease to impress.

Bjork brings new meaning to Gregorian music. Her second song "Show Me Forgiveness" includes nothing more than her voice. No beat, no rhythm, no music, but Bjork tainting the history of the Catholic Church. As she sings the words "Show me forgiveness / for having lost faith in myself / and let my own interior up / to inferior forces / the shame is endless / but if soon start forgiveness / the girl might live," she retreats into my heart and crushes the true beauty that I seek within her music. Her voice alone can produce a song on its own, musical instruments seem unnecessary for her.

In the fourth track "Vokuro" (in English "Vigil"), Bjork throws away her synthesized sound for the simplicity of an orchestrated background. She did not write this piece, but is a lullaby from her native Iceland. Differing from the previous song "Show Me Forgiving," she sings about the Earth and the joy of seeing someone smile. On a scale different from Bjork's, "Vokuro" easily could become a hit within the sad-hearted. And in with Medulla, she is able to reveal the simplicity of her sound as well as the complexity of her soul. Upsetting as it is, she does not lack in musical background all together. As stated, her voice gives much leverage to the disappearance of guitars and violin solos, and is enough for any band.

(Elektra Records)