Fossora

Björk

I really wanted to like this. After all, the themes of family, mortality, and legacy are unquestionably endearing. Alas, I just found this record to be a bit of a slog to get through. I was reluctant to listen to it on any sort of consistent basis, and every time I picked it back up it was like hearing it fresh for the first time again. It's not the most catchy material, and therefore, not a whole lot stuck with me after many revisits. The instrumentation generally is fairly agreeable, and there are some moments I enjoy, like the rich bells on Ancestress, the choir vocal arrangement that forms Sorrowful Soil, the flute arrangement on Allow, and the punchy gabber kicks on the title track.

However, while I like certain elements, they don't necessarily pan out into impressive songs that I'm dying to come back to. I think a great deal of that has to do with Björk's vocal approach. As of late, I find her music to be very narrative driven, putting a heavy focus on the words rather than how they flow together or the melodic phrases she uses to deliver them. As a result, I find it really hard to lock in to the flow of these tracks. I will say though, I did enjoy the final track Her Mother's House. I find there's a pattern with Björk's closing tracks (this one included) as they tend to be more on the minimal side, very melodic, and have quite an affectionate tone to them that I think is quite heartwarming. Other than that though, I can't really see myself returning to any of the material here. It's just not for me.