Vulnicura

For 10 minutes now I've been trying to think of the right way to start this review, but I can't find anything that fits well enough, so I'll just get straight to the critique.

"Vulnicura" is heartbreaking. After the end of Björk and Matthew Barneys' 13 year long relationship in 2013, Björk clearly spent the time between then and the release of this record reflecting and thinking. The result is a nearly 1 hour long concept album documenting the end of her relationship and, subsequently, the decay of her familys' relationship as a whole.

This is Björks' most emotionally driven vocal performance since "Vespertine". Funnily enough, that record was very much about the feeling of being infatuated with someone and falling in love, while this is all about the downfall of that love. It is clear that Björk thrives on these very intense, very human emotions.

The instrumentation here is stunning, with a very beautiful orchestral sound all across the record, and heartbreaking string arrangements. While it definitely works perfectly for the narrative of the album, I'd personally prefer if the instrumentals here had a bit more flavor and complexity.

The writing here is devastating and Björks' delivery of these lyrics is drenched in pain and sadness. There are moments of reflecting over the great times in the relationship and also moments of hatred and vengefulness towards the opposing character. Björk manages to nearly perfectly capture all the emotions and stages a person goes through during a breakup, especially one of such significance.

This being her longest record yet, you'd expect it to drag, but no. Every aspect about Björks' music on this project is so engaging. You simply cannot spare to direct your focus elsewhere while listening to this. It is a very demanding album, and thankfully it manages to remain consistently entertaining from start to finish.

My only big complaint is that the record does not feel very rewarding. Of course it's a great experience but for an album of its' length I think it should have left me more satisfied by the end of it.

Incredible. Heartbreaking, painful, and sad; yet there are still moments of glimmering hope and beauty to be found throughout.

Favorite tracks: Stonemilker, History of Touches, Family
Least favorite track: Mouth Mantra