It is a little bit ironic for an artist like Björk that her return to form, which this album surely is, would be an album like
Vulnicura. This level of quality was not expected. Björk is an incredible artist, but unlike
Vulnicura, her past two albums have missed the mark.
Volta was inconsistent, containing stunning songs like “Wanderlust” and “Vertabrae by Vertabrae” but at the same time containing songs with questionable production such as “Innocence” or “Declare Independence”. Next came
Biophilia, which was easily her worst project to date, with a concept that ultimately proved to be a lot more interesting than the final musical execution of it. Moving on, the irony here is that
Vulnicura has two aspects that were not present in any past Björk releases. The first being that, as many have pointed out, this album is by far the most personal, revealing, and lyrically literal album Björk has ever put out. This is not to suggest that everything she says on this album is literal, but it is very direct, especially during the first half. There are many lyrical metaphors and similes of course, but gone is the science of
Biophilia or the supernatural stories of things like “Isobel”. Here we find Björk singing about her relationship and eventual break up with Matthew Barney, demanding “emotional respect” (“Stonemilker”), questioning if “he will come out of this loving me” (“Lionsong”) and wondering if there is anywhere to “pay respects for the death” of her family (“Family”).
