Björk has been called many things, but perhaps the most apt and deserved adjective used to describe the Icelandic songstress is innovative.
From her pop dance beginnings to Medulla’s vocal based concept and the very tribal Volta, Björk has consistently pushed an envelope that has failed to ever contain her. Biophilia, her latest, is pushing those edges even further. While in sound, singles like "Crystalline" and "Cosmogyny", sound much like the music box inspired Vespertine, it’s the accompanying app that’s doing something brand new and impressive.
Donning the same name as the upcoming album, the Biophilia App acts as a kind of universe, containing each song as its stars. Currently, only "Crystalline" is available as an in-app purchase, but the plan is to release each song as a special audiovisual feature leading up to the album’s release on September 27. Admittedly, this does beg the question, how much will it all cost once you factor in the app and album costs. For purists’ sake, however, I will say the app is well worth its price tag.
Developed by a combination of award winning designers, animators and programmers, the Biophilia App is beautiful and engrossing. Its intro, narrated by naturalist David Attenborough, calls it a combination of music, nature and technology. It’s also a revolution. While at this point, “video killed the radio star” has become an adage of our times, what does an app do to music? The Biophilia app not only presents Björk’s latest numbers in a visual format, but lends to its users an interactive experience.
The Biophilia app is just one of a five part series. There’s the Biophilia album release September 27, live shows, a re-launch of bjork.com and a documentary to look forward to.
Sarah McBride is a self-proclaimed pop-culture enthusiast. Her thoughts on music, film, lit and life can be found at sarahism.com. You can follow her on twitter @sarahism.