The Icelandic icon has dropped her new album ahead of schedule
Björk’s latest album Vulnicura was dropped online unexpectedly last night, a month before its scheduled release on CD and vinyl. The decision was reportedly made after the album leaked over the weekend. Björk announced the early release via her Facebook last night, saying:
“i guess i found in my lap one year into writing it a complete heartbreak album . kinda surprised how thoroughly i had documented this in pretty much accurate emotional chronology …. like 3 songs before a break up and three after . so the anthropologist in me sneaked in and i decided to share them as such . first i was worried it would be too self indulgent but then i felt it might make it even more universal . and hopefully the songs could be a help , a crutch to others and prove how biological this process is : the wound and the healing of the wound . psychologically and physically . it has a stubborn clock attached to it .
there is a way out”
The Icelandic auteur’s ninth studio album, it features various production work from Arca and The Haxan Cloak, a series of “enchanted” collaborations that she went on to detail in her album announcement, writing:
“a magic thing happened to me : as i lost one thing something else entered . alejandro contacted me late summer 2013 and was interested in working with me . it was perfect timing . to make beats to the songs would have taken me 3 years ( like on vespertine ) but this enchanted arca would visit me repeatedly and only few months later we had a whole album !!! it is one of the most enjoyable collaboration i have had !
i then went ahead and wrote string and choir arrangements and recorded them in iceland
towards the end of the album i started looking around for a mixing engineer and was introduced by a mutual friend of ours , robin carolan to the haxan cloak . he mixed the album and also made a beat for one half of “family” . together with chris elms the engineer we kinda formed a band during the mixing process and this is the album we made !!!
i do hope you enjoy it”
Vulnicura is available to purchase now via iTunes. The cover features typography by M/M Paris and two portraits of Björk by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. The career retrospective book Björk: Archives, which features contributions from the likes of Icelandic poet Sjón, Chris Cunningham and Spike Jonze, is scheduled to be released 30 March via Thames & Hudson.
