Album Review: Bjork - Utopia

Fantastically eclectic, Bjork's albums have nevertheless been pretty consistently divided into two categories by cynics and fans alike - the Classics and the Experiments.

Bjork's last album (2015's Vulnicura) was a Classic. It was hailed as a return to the icy, string-led sound of fellow Classic 1997's Homogenic. Like 2011's Biophilia or 2004's Medulla, Utopia will probably be viewed as an Experiment; something to enjoy/endure until her next Classic.

This isn't really indicative of the album's quality. The divide is really just a silly lens that people tend to use to try and make sense of Bjork's singularly sprawling career. But, it is representative of its accessibility. Where Vulnicura's frozen heartbreak was immediate and visceral for even casual listeners, Utopia is protracted, luxurious and messy. While each song has its moments of immediacy (cerebral lead single The Gate's haunting instrumental hook, for example), the overall album will take listeners a while to assimilate and appreciate.

But, it is beautiful. Rooted in Bjork's rediscovery of love and joy after the dissolution of her marriage, it's filled with tiny fragments of joy and detail that linger in the heart and mind.