Could Björk get weirder? Throughout her nearly 30-year solo career, she seems to have explored every corner of the avant-garde, from groundbreaking techno and dance music to orchestral chamber pop. At this stage in her career, it feels like Björk can’t continue to push the boundaries of her music, but her latest single and music video, “Atopos,” shows that Björk is still outside the box. It shows that you can get out easily. While she is a challenging and engaging listener.
Musically, “Atopos” is a difficult listening that does not adhere strictly to the musical principles of any genre. So typical Björk. Her meandering sopranos and her vocals sound as dreamy and familiar as they always do, but the musical texture of this song is dominated by the sporadic, accented drums of her machine kicks and clarinet chants. Composed almost entirely of corps. Anxiety executed. Wherever you look for “Atopos” you will not find any logical direction. It’s not in the atonal clusters of her chords, the irregular and unpredictable rhythmic pulses of Björk’s abstract lyrics.
The music video for “Atopos” expands on the chaotic nature of the song. Despite the video’s dark color palette, Björk’s colorful outfits and make-up burst from visual textures and showcase her boundless creativity, but Björk’s extravagance is set against a beautifully composed cave theme. It doesn’t distract from the set design and the playful costumes of her musicians back in the day. The video works in harmony with the song, erasing any doubt that Björk is slowing down artistically as she nears the release of her tenth studio album on September 30. .
Daily Arts writer Jack Moeser can be reached at jmoeser@umich.edu.
