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Rating:
Sorry if I keep hammering on, but (as long as I can) I want to allow myself the luxury of expressing a modest opinion on what I consider valid or not by "exposing" the works that I consider mostly "artistically lacking" or copied or banal or "unremarkable," in short, we understand each other. And it's the turn of the much-hyped Björk, now "prophet" of experimentation tout-court for over 10 years and true "priestess" of us humble listeners with ears never sated of novelty. Well, what does our illustrious, celebrated, beloved (I'm not joking, I was among her ardent supporters) pull out of the hat? A soundtrack for an outlandish and pretentious movie (according to many Cannes critics, not me since I haven't seen it) by the director husband. Analyzing piece by piece, let's sit in religious silence and enjoy this "effort."
It starts with bells, harps, and a bewildering and disarmed male voice ("Gratitude") to move to "Pearl," a true tribute to voices, sighs, moans, whispers, and cries, orgasms, embellished with accordions and mellotron. But the music? Okay, let's move on. A little good luck scratch, and off we go. It takes the third track, "Ambergris March," to hear the first drum, among spinets, percussion, bells... still nothing from Björk. With "Bath," the Divine gives us a couple of breathed, ethereal, and suspended phrases that dissolve and project us into smoky and inconsistent landscapes suspended between nothingness and something unknown. The track "Vessel Shimenawa" starts like a sort of trombone march to approach Morriconian territories retracing paths I would dare say already beaten by traditional soundtracking (still void of voice). "Storm," to which the title refers, is a flock of voices, a play of vocal reverberations and experiments held together by our ever-fragile singing which becomes increasingly emotional and crystalline, a scattered song among echoes, noise loops, distant echoes, and distorted sounds of water, wind, and whatever else you can think of. "Holographic Entrypoint" offers us an almost theatrical Japanese NO piece, echoing its sound and classic presentation (almost a piece I would see well in a Tarantino film). I have to say my nerves are slightly frayed, and simultaneously my eyelids close with extreme ease (it lasts almost 10 minutes and I challenge you to reach the end lucidly). We proceed cheerfully and lively with the... little bells of "Cetacea" with a cheerful and sunny song (come on, I was joking but compared to before it's not much missing...) of Our Blessed Muse, almost a "classic Björk" where the voice reaches the highest levels. And we close in "beauty" with "Antarctic Return," a very slow suite of over 4 minutes that would even lay out Enrico Ghezzi, with no voice, no rhythm, no breath, with nothing and that's all.
What can I say? There Are Two Cases: A) our artist is scraping the bottom of the barrel, citing and redoing music widely sifted with Vespertine and Medulla B) Our artist did a quasi-sellout for cinema or for love, which in this case coincide, playing with minimal, silence, experimentation, "just a little," I add, giving us a deeply dull, rarefied, and I dare say vacuous album. Too vacuous. It would have been a clever move BEFORE Vespertine or Medulla, it would be bold sounds played "then," but not now. Now it's done, more than five years have passed, my dear, pull yourself together, come on, we're waiting for you on the next round and we will still be there (maybe) to wait for you... So I gather my nerves, wrap them around my neck like a scarf and head out with my CD in hand to try to place it on some stall, because once you say "Björk" they take it with their eyes closed. Just like I did, damn it...
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Gratitude (04:59)
(Vocals : Will Oldham)
July 13, 1946
Dear General MacArthur,
With your permission
I offer wishes of good health
During this heat
That burns anything
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
Recently, fulfilling
Your heart's desire
You removed the whaling
Moratorium.
Your gesture brings
A much needed food
To our community
And families
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
A million year old fossil
I send to you
This comes from my family
And the ancient sea
A prehistoric impression
Of the modern krill
She feeds the noble whale
And offers you longevity
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
Finally, please take good care in the heat.
Sincerely yours,
Shizuka
04 Bath (05:07)
alt sem ma lae duu, ....awaaa,
Oll Birtan alt sem a lae duu...
awaaa, (esk skii)
anerwa..(oll birtan)
meh haen....(haaa wa ) alt sem alae duuu
rolaraa an waaaa!!...
meh aen hayyy...(birtan) e aaawww weay
ahh, kinleof a man..
kiff rrrolerf fa
meh haen
que bean
kevineof man
histim mayy
auknan (....kan)
sarsen leof pin ....lalika
saaaa...
kevinleofa a
histemah
an fagan flaa
lo man duuuuuuuu......
an fagan haen
lo man duuuuuuu.............
kinda kindu
an fagan haen lo man duuuuuuuuu....
awknan (mephagan kelofe)
aww sem sosa ahhh....
auk du cree........
stand du
an fagan fill lo man duuuuuuu...
ahhh..,ahhhhhh...ahhhhh........ahhhhhh............
(kenda, alt du kend)
08 Storm (05:32)
*shipping noises*
scolanscolan scolanscolan scolanscolan scolanscolan scolanscolan
SCANSCANSCAN SKSKSKSKSKSKSsksksksksksk
Brrbrbrbbbrbrehheee
Im Gibberish
Over
A tear
Eran tibble err
Your charms are aleeeyha
Im sane!
Ohrwaaa
Ohwaa waa waa wa wa wa wawawawa
Ideedeedoo yehaaa
Unsenononah
Ya cant tell la le ha
Ya cant tell la leeee
Aheeeeee
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeEE
HowwwOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEeeeeee
GEEEEEheeheeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Amweee EEEE - EEEE - EEEE - EEEeeee
HowwwwWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
HeeeeheeeeeEEEeeee
OwwOOOOOOEEEEEEiOiOEEEE
AH How
Im a carten
After you kneel on me
A soul in sahkahhh
Fanta
Air
Im coming frawww
OhTUUUUekeah
Into a key yahhh
HandEEEEEEEEy
SEEEEEoohEEEEEE
Im gibberish
After you cant sit on ME THERE
HoWWEEEEEEEEEE
HoWWEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeee
(badoop badoop badoop badoop)
HoWWEEEEEEEEEE
HoWWEEEEEEEEEE
(badoop badoop badoop badoop)
HoWWEEEEEEEEEE
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
(badoop badoop badoop badoop)
EeeEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeee
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
(badoop badoop badoop badoop)
owah owah owah owah owah ow ow ow owowowowowowowahhhh
*thunderclap*
10 Cetacea (03:12)
Into pattern
Flowing blood
Giving form
In every part
The whole you see
Into pattern
Flowing blood
Giving form
From the moment of commitment, nature conspires to help you
From the moment of commitment, nature conspires to help you
From the moment of commitment, nature conspires to help you
Nature conspires to help you
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Other reviews
By KaratekaVHappy
Drawing Restraint 9 is a soundtrack signed and produced by Björk, but by no means her album.
The record is dark, ominous, melancholic, resigned... oppressive.
By The_dull_flame
"Drawing Restraint 9 is not just a musical homage to the film... it's a true album that works even without the film's delusional images."
"The first notes of the harp in 'Gratitude' are enough to be enthralled: a dark, deep, and intangible song with a charming chorus of Japanese children at the end."
By tetsuoironman
This soundtrack is much more than just a simple record. It is a treasure chest of secrets that must be discovered fully before being appreciated for its intensity.
"Storm" is the masterpiece of the album: indefinable electronic outbursts, devastating sound waves, thunderstorms, sound storms confront Bjork’s restless voice.
