Medúlla
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| Medúlla | |||||
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| Studio album by Björk | |||||
| Released | August 30, 2004 (UK) | ||||
| Recorded | Greenhouse (Iceland), Estúdio Ilha Dos Sapos (Brazil), La Hoyita Studios (Spain) |
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| Genre | A cappella, Beatboxing, Folk, Alternative | ||||
| Length | 45:40 | ||||
| Label | US: Atlantic Records, One Little Indian | ||||
| Producer | Björk, Mark Bell, Valgeir Sigurðsson | ||||
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| Björk chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Medúlla | |||||
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Medúlla, meaning "bone marrow" in Latin, is an album by Icelandic singer/songwriter/musician Björk, which was released on 30 August 2004 (see 2004 in music).
The album is almost entirely a cappella and constructed with human vocals; only few musical instruments are featured: a bass synthesizer on "Who Is It", piano on "Ancestors" and a gong on "Pleasure Is All Mine". However, the vocals are sometimes processed or sampled: for example, the atmospheric haze that dominates "Desired Constellation" was created from a sample of Björk singing the phrase "I'm not sure what to do with it" from "Hidden Place" on her previous album, Vespertine.
The album features beatboxing, choral arrangements and throat singing, as well as guest appearances by such artists as Mike Patton, Robert Wyatt, Tagaq, Rahzel (formerly of The Roots), Shlomo and Dokaka.
All songs were written by Bjork, except the lyrics for "Sonnets/Unrealities XI" which was based on a poem by E. E. Cummings, and the song "Vökuró", originally by Jórunn Viðar.
Björk received two Grammy Award nominations for Medúlla, including Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Oceania", and Alternative Music Album. This album is also featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
The album reached a position of number nine on the UK Albums Chart, number 14 on the U.S. Billboard 200 (her highest position until Volta 2007 debut at no.9), and number one in Estonia, France, Iceland and Belgium (Wallonia).
The album was originally released both on CD and on DVD-Audio in 5.1-channel advanced resolution.
The album was re-released in 2006 as a DualDisc including a lower-quality DTS 96/24 version of the original advanced resolution 5.1 mix. The DualDisc also formed part of the ( surrounded): box set.
Medúlla as since sold 235,000 copies in the U.S. and more than a 1 million worldwide.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Björk unless otherwise noted.
- "Pleasure Is All Mine" – 3:26
- "Show Me Forgiveness" – 1:23
- "Where Is the Line" – 4:41
- "Vökuró" (Sigurðardóttir, Viðar) – 3:14
- "Öll Birtan" – 1:52
- "Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)" – 3:57
- "Submarine" – 3:13
- "Desired Constellation" (Björk, Olivier Alary) – 4:55
- "Oceania" (Björk, Sjón) – 3:24
- "Sonnets/Unrealities XI" (Björk, Cummings) – 1:59
- "Ancestors" (Björk, Tagaq) – 4:08
- "Mouth's Cradle" – 4:00
- "Miðvikudags" – 1:24
- "Triumph of a Heart" – 4:04
- "Komið" (Japanese bonus track, iTunes release) – 2:02
[edit] Performances
"Oceania" was commissioned by the International Olympic Committee and performed at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games, in which Björk's sea-blue dress expanded to cover nearly the entire stadium.
On October 8, 2004, Björk performed at the BBC Studios for the Jonathan Ross Show. She performed "Who Is It (Bell Choir Mix)" with Rahzel and the Bell Choir.
On October 15, 2004, Björk performed a set of six songs for a French television show called Album de la Semaine at the Canal studios in Paris, France.
Setlist:
- "Desired Constellation"
- "Pleasure Is All Mine"
- "Show Me Forgiveness"
- "Sonnets/Unrealites XI"
- "Vökuró"
- "Who Is It"
On July 2, 2005, Björk performed in Tokyo, Japan at the Makuhari Messe for Live 8. Accompanied by Matmos, the Japanese String Octet, and Zeena Parkins, she performed a set of nine songs.
Setlist:
- "Pagan Poetry" (Instrumental)
- "Pagan Poetry"
- "All Is Full of Love"
- "Desired Constellation"
- "Jóga"
- "Hyper-Ballad"
- "Generous Palmstroke"
- "Bachelorette"
- "It's in Our Hands" (Soft Pink Truth Mix)
On January 7, 2006, Björk performed in Reykjavík, Iceland at the Stórtónleikar. The major concert in Iceland was announced in the Icelandic Morgunblaðið for the support of Icelandic Nature preserve. The artists playing were Ham, Magga Stína, Múm, Sigur Rós, Hjálmar, KK, Rass, Björk, Ghostigital, Damon Albarn and Egó. Björk was accompanied by Zeena Parkins on harp and she performed 3 songs.
Setlist:
- "Vökuró" (Harp version)
- "Show Me Forgiveness"
- "Generous Palmstroke"
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentinean Albums Chart | 4 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 17 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 6 |
| Belgium (Flanders) Albums Chart | 4 |
| Belgium (Wallonia) Albums Chart | 1 |
| Brazilian Albums Chart | 33 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 6 |
| Czech Republic Albums Chart | 13 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 2 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 20 |
| Estonian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 4 |
| French Albums Chart | 1 |
| German Albums Chart | 5 |
| Greek International Albums Chart | 3 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart | 71 |
| Icelandic Albums Chart | 1 |
| Irish Albums Chart | 22 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 2 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 10 |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 2 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 35 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 3 |
| Polish Albums Chart | 2 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart | 5 |
| Singaporean Albums Chart | 6 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 6 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 7 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 3 |
| UK Albums Chart | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Electronic Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard European Top 100 Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums | 7 |
| United World Chart | 2 |
[edit] External links
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