Björk's "Utopia" Takes You To A Distant World

Björk's music is best described as ethereal, capturing the sound of the feeling between reality and our dreams. With that in mind, Björk's Utopia will take you to a distant world like she never has before.

It's no mystery that Björk is a tortured soul. Her music is painfully beautiful, its gorgeous sounds always out of this world. Utopia is introduced by 'Arisen My Senses,' alien ambience bringing the record to a mysterious start. The instrumental is just glorious, sounding shiny and as if its praising something higher, or something within. Much of the album has this forest-like sound to it, really putting you in the headspace of a fairytale. 'Blissing Me' continues to enchant the listener, its sound aquatic by nature as it bubbles to life. This sound is what grabs you in for the entire album, including during the frantic orchestras of 'Paradisia' and the magical title track 'Utopia.'

Utopia is anything but magic, however. The record is laced with tragedy (as is every Björk album), and for much of the time, Björk is looking within to let her inner demons out. Utopia is a heartbreak album, but one unlike any you've heard before. Björk has a way of making the most obscure lyrics take up a world of meaning, such as in 'Features Creatures,' where lingering thoughts of someone leads her to ask, "Isn't it odd? / Isn't it peculiar? / These statistics of my mind / Shuffling your features / Assembling a man." There's an underlying anger in Utopia, as well, as Björk channels her emotions from her legal battle with her ex-husband over custody of their daughter. Most directly referenced in 'Sue Me' (naturally), she looks at things on a grander scale in 'Losss,' a tragic track about the very nature of loss. Through all of her personal battles hse expresses on the record, Björk ends Utopia optimistically with the enchanting 'Future Forever,' where she takes comfort in knowing the future is full of endless possibilities.

Björk's Utopia takes you to a distant world that may not be as far away as you think. The world Björk explores is her own mind as she comes to terms with the hardships she's faced with love through her life and still continues to battle. The future is not perfect, but is full of possibilities; Björk takes comfort in that idea, knowing that no matter what pain exists in the present, there is hope for the future yet.

Favorite Tracks: Losss, Features Creatures, Courtship, Arisen My Fate

Least Favorite Track: Paradisia

Rating:  84 / 100

Stream or buy Utopia on Apple Music: