Björk

[Pluto 1,581]

Pre-ordered the Rough Trade peach vinyl 

[Solar Fields 4,163]

Not sure what to think about most of this but the CD design fucked me uppp

[June Gloom 1,787]

ugh i hope some stores will carry the cd copies on release day bc i dont think im gonna be able to order it online   shook @ the album cover tho serving alien homogenic style looks

 

edit: unrelated but joga is so beautiful.  i remember back when i first was getting into bjork and when i saw it had topped one of the recent discography rates as their favorite song i couldnt see it.  homogenic is honestly my favorite album of all time.

[jvcx 3,644]

 

There's a photo of the tracklist written in japanese floating around and people on 4um have tried translating it;

 

after doing some english to katakana translation, i'm next to positive:

track 11 is "claimstaker" (there isn't a pause character in the katakana translation, so it's one word)

track 12 is "paradisia" (it's a transliteration, to reflect how it's pronounced rather than what it means)

track 13 "saint"

 

which would make the unannounced-but-probably-official tracklist:

 

01 - 4:59 - arisen my senses*

02 - 5:05 - blissing me*

03 - 6:33 - the gate*

04 - 4:42 - utopia

05 - 9:46 - body memory*

06 - 4:46 - features creatures*

07 - 4:44 - courtship**

08 - 6:51 - loss*

09 - 4:57 - sue me**

10 - 4:42 - tabula rasa

11 - 3:18 - claimstaker

12 - 1:44 - paradisia

13 - 4:41 - saint

14 - 4:47 - future forever

 

 

*definitely confirmed titles

**semi confirmed titles, mentioned/rumoured earlier, supported by japanese titles

 

I'm not sure if there's been any discussion about a reddit post that was written by someone who somehow had heard the album already, but so far he's been correct with The Gate being the third track and there being 14 in total. This is not word-for-word and I don't remember it 100% but he also said something about the sound/storytelling of the album being divided like in a vinyl, and with these lengths the LP tracklist probably looks like this;

 

A

arisen my senses

blissing me

the gate

 

B

utopia

body memory

 

C

features creatures

courtship

loss

sue me

D

tabula rasa

claimstaker

paradisia

saint

future forever

[Solar Fields 4,163]

I’m so ready for this album

I feel more confident that I will like it now that I’m used to it more and have seen some more song titles

[Pluto 1,581]

"arisen my senses" and "blissing me" don't really make sense? then again it is bjork 

[jvcx 3,644]

Here's a short summa summarum about the record, with some excerpts from the Reddit guy's notes in case they haven't been shared here yet (LB is kinda slow for me today so I won't bother looking pages back lol) - read at your own risk. Not gonna go through much of the interviews for info this time but will update as time goes by and more info etc. surfaces.

 

 

 

 

Utopia

the new album conceived by björk & arca, out 11.24.2017

Formats: Digital, jewelcase CD with 12-page booklet, 6-panel digipak with 12-page booklet and a poster, double heavyweight black vinyl with download, double heavyweight peach vinyl with download (Rough Trade exclusive), luxury edition to be announced(/released) at a later date previously mentioned on OLI but now taken down

Album cover without sticker | CD design | LP design 

Tracklist

01 - 4:59 - arisen my senses

02 - 5:05 - blissing me

03 - 6:33 - the gate

04 - 4:42 - utopia*

05 - 9:46 - body memory

06 - 4:46 - features creatures

07 - 4:44 - courtship*

08 - 6:51 - loss

09 - 4:57 - sue me

10 - 4:42 - tabula rasa*

11 - 3:18 - claimstaker*

12 - 1:44 - paradisa*

13 - 4:41 - saint*

14 - 4:47 - future forever*
Total length 71:38

*semi confirmed titles supported by japanese translations

Cover: Jesse Kanda

Creative direction: Jesse Kanda, Björk, James Merry

Makeup: isshehungry

Hair: Raphael Salley

Silicone facepiece: James Merry
 

- - - - - -
Overall

- Five of the album’s songs have been co-written by Arca and one will include a writing credit for Australian composer Sarah Hopkins

- Description on Rough Trade: "Utopia is the ninth studio album from the iconic Björk via One Little Indian Records. It's an album about love, set in a world that is living in politically uncertain times. The new album is another classic from the good lady and her current crew of music makers. It takes in everything from piano and strings to drum machines, beats, bleeps, harps, flutes and samples. The perfect example of how future music can be made by always pushing the boundaries but never forgetting the song. It's another organic and mesmerizing album that unfolds with repeated plays. Simply outstanding - Björk always is."

- Vespertine is basically the closest thing to the record that she's done before; "Vespertine, Homogenic and Vulnicura mashed up with hints of Medúlla in some of the vocal elements (beatbox etc)"
- "As for sonics, the birdsong etc is largely between songs and as part of the textures in the background. Instrumentally lots of wood winds/flute/harp. There are still quite a lot of strings although they feel considerably less over bearing than vulnicura."
- "It feels like 4 distinct movements which is how the version I was listening to was split between vinyl sides."
- "It's definitely an easier listen than vulnicura although way too complex to really get a grip on after a couple of listens"
- "The gate definitely feels like a bit of a false start, weirder than much of what is around it"
- "Much less obvious arca on this than on the gate"
- "Some of it is very beatless. The tracks that do have beats are split fairly evenly between homogenic style skittering rumbles and the more vespertine style of intricate programming with a lot of power taken out. There was one track in particular that was quite choppy and breakbeaty but it had been treated in a vespertine way"
- "As far as poppy goes I wouldn't say much of it was instantly poppy there were a couple of tracks that were more in that direction but also a lot of long track lengths and slow builds"
- "It really depends on the track as far as the beats go."

- - - - - -
Specific track descriptions etc.
- arisen my senses: "lots of almost old school stabs with a skittering beat on that one - definitely sounds very light and fluffy and different to the gate." Most likely was called allow earlier, since the descriptions for both named tracks match together - "one of the most straightforward, melodic songs", "illustrates the way that her relationship with Ghersi [Arca] has developed over time."
- blissing me: "reminds of aurora. Harp and vocals and then a gentle kick comes in halfway through which evolves into skittering patterns again. Submerged almost whale noises. Vespertine feel all over this." Has also been described as a folk-like one
- the gate: the album mix features the bird sounds and sound effects from the video intro, but does not feature the flute outro so far exclusive to the vinyl single release. Confirmed by iTunes preview.
- utopia: "opens with vocals wood winds and then in come strings, very orchestral and then gentle skittering beat and choral voices." 
- body memory: "basically a homogenic beat with flute and orchestration of vespertine." I read somewhere on the 4um that it's reportedly some sort of an opposite to Black Lake but with a lighter sound, don't take this for granted though bc I can't find it there anymore despite trying
- features creatures: on this one Björk has reportedly worked with Sarah Hopkins. About "the feeling of seeing someone with the same beard and same accent as a lover"
- loss: produced by Rabit who has described the track as "pure feeling"; "thoughts and ideas have wings; we talked about this a lot throughout the process. How force of will is the ultimate force - our ability to choose. I think that the world needs a reminder of that right now. That's what the song is to me, and why it's so necessary." Dazed described that "Rabit provides a crushing jackhammer rhytm" and Rabit himself said "honestly there's not enough wig glue in the world for this track prepare for decimation" on Instagram when the album release date and cover were announced
- tabula rasa: for those who haven't studied any philosophy, tabula rasa is a Latin phrase often translated as "blank slate" - it refers to the epistemological idea that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that therefore all knowledge comes from experience or perception. In Italian language the phrase apparently holds also another meaning, similar to "starting from scratch" - forgetting the past and starting again.
- - - - - -

 

 

New promotional pics by Santiago Felipe

 

 

 

 

[renaissance 8,329]

Fuck I am so excited for and intrigued about this record   Hoping she will release another song before the album releases because I cannot wait

[triangles19 2,454]

The cover is iconic. I can't wait, I love The Gate.
So happy the Vulnicura era is done.

[jvcx 3,644]

Fuck I am so excited for and intrigued about this record   Hoping she will release another song before the album releases because I cannot wait

Me too  I really hope we'd get at least a promo track before the album release date, I'm craving for the music so much

 

- -

Björk will be on BBC Radio 3 next Tuesday!

 

Rock royalty in the house. Idiosyncratic Icelandic icon Björk joins Nick to discuss her recently released new album Utopia, and to reveal the music that has been inspiring her work and outlook lately.

 

Björk's groundbreaking career has encompassed child stardom, chart success as a bandleader and solo artist, political activism, award-winning acting, and musical collaborations with Tricky, Thom Yorke, and Timbaland, among many others. Now well into the fifth decade of her public life, she shows no signs of slowing down. Her latest record is a blueprint for utopia inspired by current political upheavals, environmentalism, and the search for love.

[expandableclitoris 9,091]

 

 

the dick tho

[jvcx 3,644]

Télérama cover, from the same Maisie Cousins shoot as the Interview one a while back. Also it's now been confirmed that Arca has been credited as co-writer on 5 tracks and Sarah Hopkins on one. Apparently promos have already been sent to reviewers but hasn't been confirmed to be actually true - at least quite yet.

 

[Solar Fields 4,163]

I need a promo single, preferably Loss

[renaissance 8,329]

Only 3 weeks until the album is officially in our hands 

[National Anthem 9,904]

Yeah i am craving another single to get me excited again

[delreyfreak 5,341]

I finally realised what a lot of the visuals from this era remind me of, particularly the album cover...

 

[Solar Fields 4,163]

My ranking of the album covers

 

Post > Debut = Biophilia > Vulnicura > Homogenic > Volta > Vespertine = Medulla = Utopia

[Coney Island King 26,002]

This new album better be better than her last, that was literally just humming and clanking for an hour, so boring. GIVE US FUCKING MELODIES PLEASE.

[expandableclitoris 9,091]

This new album better be better than her last, that was literally just humming and clanking for an hour, so boring. GIVE US FUCKING MELODIES PLEASE.

 

say that to her fans that think even her farts sound like G minor

[Coney Island King 26,002]

I adore her, but I wish she would focus less on creating "soundscapes" and actually construct hooks and melodies and SONGS. I'm happy for her to go into weird places, she always has, but her last few albums have been hit and miss, for every Mutual Core, Black Lake or Crystalize we get a fucking Hollow, Atom Dance and My Juvenile. One of the songs on her new album is 9 minutes long? you just know its going to go nowhere the whole time.