Published by Mason Oldridge, 2 October 2022
Icelandic singer and musician Björk gets back in touch with her homeland with her tenth album Fossora.
Clarinets, trombones, strings, drum beats and even a timpani all feature on Fossora to truly recreate a avante-garde pop sound which is heard throughout Fossora. The album was produced during lockdown when Björk returned to Iceland and touches upon the country’s folk origins too.
The album opens with Atopos, the lead single and the highlight of the record. Clarinet sounds support Björk’s powerful vocals set to a militant drum beat before a sinister closure. This artistic approach continues throughout the album yet with less force, becoming a concept that grows tired upon progressing through the tracklist.
There are other positive elements past the first track however; Ancestress is a lengthy tribute to her mother following her passing in 2018 and stands strong on its own and there is welcome techno included on the title track as many of the songs end with a more abrupt, heavier beat than the harmonic piece they start with.
Overall, Fossora is a unique piece of avante-pop with impressive talent, though misses variation between tracks.
6/10