Björk - Fossora

[xOJakeXo]

What a completely striking moment for her. The directness of the lyrics, while still being deeply poetic and affecting, combined with the gorgeous strings and harmonies, make the song itself highly moving. Combine it with the ritualistic video and you've got exactly what she set out to do. It's a beautiful tribute that I think will be even more stunning in the context of the album. I don't think I'd seek it out to listen to on its own, mostly because of how raw it truly is. I also found myself thinking of my own mother. I can't tell you the last time I listened to one of her songs and related like that.

 

[samosamosamo]

I recently lost my mother so I can relate to the lyrics. Despite this I really don’t care to come back to this. Even ovule sounds better then this song. I love and respect her but her music is becoming more and more boring for me. It’s not even about the Melodies. She’s repeating herself a lot.

 

[P'NutButter]

That last lyric with her looking straight into the camera is what set me off -

Translucent skin let go of
A cold palm embalmed

 

[soratami]

This campaign has really been excellently run so far. A steady stream of great music, visuals and other content that's done a fantastic job at building hype, with no faffing about or wasting people's time. Three music videos in less than three weeks and the album's out in just a week, less than a month and a half after being announced. Some of the other girls could really learn from this.

 

[Verandi]

Logo and a few nice pics from the video

Spoiler

 

[theincredibleflipper]

The depth of it all.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/Ciz8jcejR37/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Like they really put effort. The richness of all we got so far. I am overwhelmed. I been following her closely since Volta only but not a second I didn’t feel like she is something else. Yes there were moments that were questionable maybe. But she always made up for it with incredible tours and visuals and all.

Mother B.

 

[man.tis.shrimp]

Logo and a few nice pics from the video

Spoiler

The Midsommar tapestry vibes of that last image.

 

[Babylon]

‘Ancestress’ is stunning.

The end of each line in the verse melody reminds me a little of ‘Moon’ and the stop/start nature also makes me think of ‘Black Lake’ (fittingly, although this is a completely different stage of grief). The chorus (?) melody is absolutely beautiful in its own unique way though and sounds like a Björk staple. The lyrics are incredibly touching as well; some of my favourite of hers. I also love how the instrumental builds so elegantly and precisely throughout the song - beginning quiet and hesitant, ending dense and confident.

Wönderful.

 

[Rafa_el]

‘Ancestress’ is stunning.

The end of each line in the verse melody reminds me a little of ‘Moon’ and the stop/start nature also makes me think of ‘Black Lake’ .

Absolutely! I was about to say that about 'Moon'.

I love and respect her but her music is becoming more and more boring for me. It’s not even about the Melodies. She’s repeating herself a lot.

I totes feel you. 'Ancestress' has a stunning video, the lyrics are beautiful, but I don't like it that much. Atopos got me on board for something "different" this time, but I'm afraid we won't have it for now.

 

[theincredibleflipper]

Absolutely! I was about to say that about 'Moon'.


I totes feel you. 'Ancestress' has a stunning video, the lyrics are beautiful, but I don't like it that much. Atopos got me on board for something "different" this time, but I'm afraid we won't have it for now.

I get the point somehow but Björk is on her 10th album, 56 years old and still drives around listening to Shygirl, works with Gabber artists from Indonesia and approaches albums as deeply thought through conceptual pieces. But she also found her own beat and her way to deal with things.

This is not defending her to the point of blindly following. Her past projects had flaws. Lots of them in cases if you're critical. But she is still pushing her own boundaries and I hope when you listen to the whole album you will find surprising elements just as I did.

That said Atopos exists. Ancestress is a massive composition that I would find hard to pinpoint a similar thing in her back catalogue besides it remotely sounding like something. Yes parts of it resemble some old songs but she cooked up something new here. Plus personally I think the quality level is extremely high but that's just me maybe.

If she would do something completely outlandish there is a chance she would nail it as much as there is a chance people would just judge her for trying too hard to stay relevant.

I have no idea if this all makes sense I do not want to correct your point of view at all. It is just my personal impression that Björk has such an extremely high bar set for herself that people will be overly critical (not to say they should just eat everything up blindly). Plus there was a clear shift in the second half of her career which does not make it easier. I am super curious how things like the title track will go down here since it is such a glorious loud mess. As much as I am curious if other people will see the beauty I see in Freefall which is the exact opposite of Fossora and also something different.

Also as I said before I feel like she hasn't been this on point in ages. And the album may reform some opinions again too.

To feed the repetition narrative though Ancestress reminded me of Black Lake in a way of it being a massive and long but absolutely captivating song and both videos were her in the wild. Both things feel very distinctive to me though. And again: I can't see her constantly reinventing still and I also see her most hilarious outfits and styles in ages.

 

[man.tis.shrimp]

The way she modifies the pronunciation of "realm" so it rhymes with "psalm" and "embalmed." In the same song describing her mother's idiosyncratic approach to language. Carrying on her ancestress' legacy. My heart.

 

[craiggci]

Oh, I wasn’t ready for this half-awake this morning. Absolutely beautiful, heart wrenching and strangely hopeful. The scene where she cradles the dancer while oil is poured into their mouth—I am unwell!

You're not the only one. What a beautiful song and the video is just breathtaking.

 

[Cutlery]

The song and video both hit home very closely as I lost my grandpa, who lived in our home for over ten years, to pneumonia at the beginning of the summer. What Björk describes in her mother despising doctors and hospitals, my grandpa was the same, and the verse

When you're out of time
How you look back changes
Did you punish us for leaving?
Are you sure we hurt you?
Was it just not living?

takes me back to the day of his hospitalization due to just how low his oxygenation got, and it was unbearable to hear him struggle for air and constantly shout our name out, asking for painkillers because of how bad his headaches got. But the thing is, he had always said he wouldn't want to be hospitalized. And because of the virus, it was impossible to see him at any point during his hospital stay, and not even after he passed, as he was cremated right away.

I am grateful I got to hug him, give him a blessing and tell him that things would go well as he was leaving with my parents and uncle, and especially that the doctors kindly let my mom say her goodbyes on our behalf through a video, but I did mourn the inability to properly have a goodbye to his physical presence... and through Ancestress and the procession that's equal parts the making of Björk's imagination, and tradition, grief and celebration, I feel like I am there with my mom, carrying his ashes and biding him farewell with my own words. And now that I have this gorgeously orchestrated, lively, generations-spawning ode to a loved one coming at the right time for me to feel understood and healed by it – thank you, Bee.

 

[theincredibleflipper]

I secretly watched Ancestress twice at work and now that I am home I finally had the time to really put it on the big screen and with all love of people saying she is repeating herself this video/song combination is outstanding. It is simple yet striking, it is artsy but not fartsy. It is Björk at her best. At least for me.

 

[dodoriazarbon]

Ok this era is hitting after my wobble to begin with. Ancestress with the visuals is very powerful.

 

[BootedGay71]

3 out of 3 for me. I adore all 3 songs. The visuals are divine and Móðir B is delivering on every level. I think Fossora is going to be a rollercoaster ride of emotions and take us on the most incredible journey. I cannot wait to hear the album in full and discover where the 3 songs we have heard appear in the Fossora experience.

Only 7 more sleeps!

 

[Maki]

A lovely song and a lovely music video, it's all very striking.
Someone mentioned it reminded them of another song, and I got "Wanderlust" vibes from this. It sounds melancholic yet also triumphant in a way. All three songs so far being notably different both in terms of sonic approach and topics/lyrical content, despite being a bit disorienting, definitely piques my interest for the album even more.

 

[Euphoria]

I'm into it, but I'm also... staying out of it, if that makes sense?

Each song seems to go in a different direction sonically, so the overall vibe of the album I'm finding somewhat confusing right now. I think I just want to save most of my listens and attention for the album as a whole, so I can fully immerse myself into the world she's built. Bjork is more of a full album experience for me, I've realized.

 

[Rafa_el]

I'm into it, but I'm also... staying out of it, if that makes sense?

Each song seems to go in a different direction sonically, so the overall vibe of the album I'm finding somewhat confusing right now. I think I just want to save most of my listens and attention for the album as a whole, so I can fully immerse myself into the world she's built. Bjork is more of a full album experience for me, I've realized.

I'm with you. I no longer yearn for a return of "the old Björk", but I say again that I'm very confused about what she's doing right now.

 

[bonnieetclyde]

This campaign has really been excellently run so far. A steady stream of great music, visuals and other content that's done a fantastic job at building hype, with no faffing about or wasting people's time. Three music videos in less than three weeks and the album's out in just a week, less than a month and a half after being announced. Some of the other girls could really learn from this.

This.

It feels very 'old school' in a way but also so refreshing in these modern times to have such a fast turnaround. I honestly can't bear it when an album is announced and the pre-orders are 3-6 months away.