Jump to content

Utopia (Björk album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Utopia (Björk song))

Utopia
Björk is in the middle of the album cover. Björk is holding a flute. Björk have a blue hair, a two hole in the middle of throat. In her neck there is a embryo looking bird. in her face a pearl lies in her face. she have a blush and a liptick but in the upper lips it is messy. Her eyes is blue and her undereyes is blue. Her forehead a pearl is in the middle surrounded by a two ears looking that lines her eyebrows up to her nose and her skin is mixed with a Blue, Green, Peach color.
Studio album by
Björk
Released24 November 2017 (2017-11-24)
Recorded2015–2017
Genre
Length71:38
LabelOne Little Independent
Producer
Björk chronology
Vulnicura Live
(2015) 		Utopia
(2017) 		Country Creatures
(2019)
Singles from Utopia
  1. "The Gate"
    Released: 15 September 2017
  2. "Blissing Me"
    Released: 15 November 2017
  3. "Arisen My Senses"
    Released: 21 March 2018

Utopia is the ninth[nb 1] studio album by Icelandic singer-musician Björk. It was primarily produced by Björk and Venezuelan electronic record producer Arca, and released on 24 November 2017 through One Little Indian Records in the United Kingdom and The Orchard Enterprises in the United States.[1] The album was acclaimed by music critics for its production, songwriting and Björk's vocals, and later received a nomination for Best Alternative Music Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, becoming Björk's eighth consecutive nomination in the category.

Background and release

[edit]

"I kind of like the fact that it's a cliché, that word [...] it has a fascistic, 'I want the world to be like this!' feeling about it, because it's a proposal (of) how we can live with nature and technology in the most optimistic way possible."

— Björk on the album's title[2]

Björk began working on Utopia soon after releasing Vulnicura in 2015. Upon winning the award for International Female Solo Artist at the 2016 Brit Awards, Björk did not appear as she was busy recording her new album.[3] In an interview published in March 2016, Björk likened the writing to "paradise" as opposed to Vulnicura being "hell... like divorce".[4] Speaking to The Fader in March 2017, filmmaker and collaborator Andrew Thomas Huang said that he had been involved with Björk on her new album, stating that "quite a bit of it" had already been written, and that the "new album's gonna be really future-facing, in a hopeful way that I think is needed right now."[5]

Utopia was announced via social media on 2 August 2017 with a handwritten note by Björk. The announcement coincided with Dazed's autumn 2017 cover issue with Björk which included the announcement of few song titles.[6][7] The lead single, "The Gate" was announced on 12 September for a digital release the following week but received a surprise midnight release on 15 September.[8] The same day of the single's release, Björk announced the album's title, Utopia, during an interview with Nowness, stating she had "a thousand name suggestions" and "couldn't think of anything better" but it was open to change.[9] The release date of 24 November and cover art were unveiled on 31 October. Jesse Kanda, Arca's frequent collaborator and director of Björk's "Mouth Mantra" music video[10] designed the cover, which incorporated a silicone mask designed by frequent collaborator and mask maker James T. Merry.[11] However, the makeup was done by Berlin-based drag queen Hungry. Jade Gomez of The Fader described the cover as "having a sense of eerily detached femininity."[12]

On 15 November 2017, Utopia's second single, "Blissing Me", was released as a digital download only,[13][14] accompanied by a music video, directed by Tim Walker and Emma Dalzell, was released the following day.

The album was released on 24 November 2017, with those who purchased the album receiving cryptocurrency in the form of 100 audiocoins (with a value of about $0.19), through a partnership with British blockchain startup Blockpool.[15][16]

While promoting Utopia, Björk revealed that she plans working on a live version of the album beginning in the spring of 2018. "There were a lot of flute things I didn't completely explore," she said, "like more soloists and mysterious kind of flute playing," and added "We have some additional flute songs and some different kind of angles."[17]

On 16 August 2019, nearly two years after the album was released, Björk announced the Utopia Bird Call Boxset as a way to celebrate the end of the Utopia era, a collection featuring 14 hand-carved wooden flutes that imitate various bird calls. Björk personally selected each type of flute, working with a French company called Quelle Est Belle, and the set comes with a booklet detailing how to use each flute and which bird it imitates. In addition to the flutes, the box set comes with a custom-made USB stick that features the music of Utopia, the Utopia music videos and remixes, and an exclusive unreleased instrumental track called "Arpeggio".[18] In a statement, Björk explained, "Utopia is so much about birdsong and sonically [sic] the mutation between synth/bird, bird/flute, flute/synth... so I got very excited when i found these handmade wooden flutes imitating precisely particular birds." The set is valued at £500 and was released on 3 December 2019.[19]

Composition

[edit]

Utopia is an avant-garde[20] and folktronica[21] album. With fourteen tracks in total, the album clocks in at 71 minutes and 38 seconds, making it the longest of Björk's studio albums to date. The first comprehensive media coverage on the album came from an article published by Dazed.[22] Björk stated that the album is an exploration of utopia, with its writing process coinciding with her own personal, political and environmental concerns. She made headlines by describing the record as her "Tinder album".[23][24] She later clarified her comment, saying that the album would cover a different emotional terrain than her last record which she constantly referred to as her heartbreak album.[25]

"I obviously saw a gigantic musician in [Arca], and I felt that [s]he had gone into my world with such elegance and dignity and interpreted it, helped me [with] what was there, that I wanted to meet on a more equal basis. Of course it is my album for sure... but just as a pure musician, we decided to enter this other world and this other island which is the Arca/Björk overlap."

— Björk on her collaborative process with Arca on Utopia[2]

The Dazed article revealed just how involved Arca, co-producer on Vulnicura, was on Utopia. Unlike their previous collaboration where Arca came on board after all the songs and string arrangements were written, the new album saw them collaborating from the start. Arca had encouraged her to pursue a direction she'd hinted at on obscure cuts like "Batabid", a "Pagan Poetry" B-side, and "Ambergris March" from Drawing Restraint 9. According to Björk, their collaboration was "a musical conversation that was cross-generational, cross-Atlantic, h[er] encouraging me to go into this area that I sort of suggested years ago, but didn't necessarily go all the way".[22]

Björk said that air was a conscious, stylistic choice for the album after frequently composing for strings arrangements in her previous work: "I started a 12 piece Icelandic flute section and spent a few months recording and rehearsing with them [...] We decided to have synths that have a lot of air sounds in them and flutes that sound synthy."[2] She said the melodies were composed while out walking in the Icelandic wilderness, and once she had completed the melodies, she wrote the flute arrangements, later superimposing melodies. The lyrics were the final element in the songwriting process.[26] The Dazed article went on to reveal that the tranquil sounds of bird calls bridge a number of the tracks together, a similar flourish to her 2007 album, Volta. These sounds came from original field recordings by Björk herself but were also sampled from Jean C. Roché's 1973 album, Oiseaux du Vénézuéla, which Björk considers as one of her favorite albums.[22]

The Dazed article revealed many song titles including lead single "The Gate".[27] "'The Gate' is essentially a love song," says Björk, "but I say 'love' in a more transcendent way. Vulnicura was about a very personal loss, and I think this new album is about a love that's even greater. It's about rediscovering love – but in a spiritual way, for lack of a better word."[28] Two additional song titles were released by Dazed, "Losss" and "Features Creatures". "Losss" was co-produced by Texas-based producer Rabit, who stated that the song was his first outside production work, and that the song serves a reminder of "how force of will is the ultimate force". "Features Creatures" talks about seeing someone with the same accent as a lover.[22]

In an interview with Harpcolumn.com, harpist Katie Buckley revealed that the songs "Arisen My Senses" and "Blissing Me" were recorded over two years before the album's release, and she was not even sure those songs would appear on the final record. "The final harp part on 'Losss' was recorded this past summer," she revealed, and it was not until "Blissing Me" was released as a single a week before the album's release date that she got to hear the finished song. "I was completely surprised and quite excited by how exposed the harp was! When you're just recording with click track, you really just have no idea. I have done a lot of wonderful things here in Iceland, but this is one of the coolest!" She said that Björk composed all the harp parts and Buckley's work was predominately as performer but also editor, revealing that originally "Blissing Me" was written for a harp trio but she suggested that a harp quartet would better capture what Björk was trying to accomplish.[29]

In an interview published on The Creative Independent on 14 December 2017, Björk revealed that there were initially two different versions of the studio album, one without birdsong and with each song separated by silence as in a traditional studio album and the final version as released with birdsong and many of the tracks cross-fading into each other.[30]

Promotion

[edit]

Singles

[edit]

By the end of 2017, two singles had been released from the album, both prior to Utopia's 24 November release date. The first was "The Gate", released digitally and on limited edition single-sided black vinyl. The single version is slightly different from the final album mix, with the bird song that accompanies the flute and vocal intro absent. The vinyl version is different still, with an additional 54-second flute instrumental outro added at the end of the song.[31]

Utopia's second single, "Blissing Me", was released a week before the album released. A month later, on 13 December 2017, a two track "Blissing Me" remix EP was released featuring two new mixes, the first of which was a collaboration with Brooklyn singer Serpentwithfeet who contributes new lyrics and beats to the track. Björk had previously praised the singer in a September 2016 article with The Guardian.[32] The second remix was a "Harp Only" version of "Blissing Me" which has been described as "heavenly" by Consequence of Sound.[33] A limited edition turquoise vinyl version of the "Blissing Me" remixes was released in February 2018.[34]

The third single "Arisen My Senses" was released on 21 March 2018, with a remix EP featuring three remixes from Lanark artefax, Jlin and Kelly Lee Owens.[35] A vinyl release of the EP was released on 25 May.[36]

On 6 September 2019, two remixes of "Features Creatures" were released as digital singles, one by Fever Ray and the other by the Knife. Both remixes, as well as Björk's own remix of Fever Ray's 2017 song, "This Country", are collected in a limited-edition 12-inch EP titled Country Creatures, released on 1 November 2019.[37]

Music videos

[edit]

The first two music videos from Utopia accompanied the album's first two singles, "The Gate" and "Blissing Me". "The Gate" was directed by Björk's frequent collaborator Andrew Thomas Huang and debuted to critical acclaim, eventually being named the best music video of 2017 by Pitchfork.[38] Of the video, Huang said, "'The Gate' picks up where 2015's Vulnicura left off. It is the first glimpse into Björk's utopia. The doorway lies within the wound from Vulnicura, which now appears transformed into a prismatic portal channeled between the chests of two lovers. Not lovers in the quotidian romantic sense, but in a broader cosmological way... "The Gate" is a declaration of hope sung by a woman refracted and re-formed into a luminous whole". He went on to describe the experience as the "culmination of my five-year collaboration with Björk".[39]

"Blissing Me" was directed by Tim Walker and Emma Dalzell. Critics noted the video's simplicity when compared to the VR experiments of the Vulnicura videos and heavy reliance on CGI on "The Gate".[40] Fashion magazine Vogue praised this quality, declaring it "one of her most restrained moments in recent memory... despite her Gucci platforms". In addition to her yellow Gucci shoes, Björk wears a ruffled, blue semi-sheer tulle jumpsuit by British designer Pam Hogg. James Merry, frequent Björk collaborator/mask maker, adorned her braids with flowers and other delicate ornaments.[41] Björk's makeup was the work of Berlin-based drag artist Hungry, who also collaborated in the album's cover art.[42]

A third music video, "Utopia", was released on 8 December 2017.[43] It was directed by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones and features Björk "in yet another one of her fantastical worlds, this one populated by flutes and blue birds and soft pink viscera."[44] In comparing the video for "Utopia" against the album's previous two videos, Hanna Flemming of Paste said, "Björk finally gives us what is most nearly the living room or gathering valley of this (utopian) realm, fully-fledged, realized and picturesque."[45]

The fourth music video from Utopia was of the album's opening track, "Arisen My Senses". It depicts Björk's rebirth with "the singer emerging from a womb, before entering a fantasy world as a fiery, feathered, winged creature" and has been described as "artfully disturbing".[46] The video was made in close collaboration between Björk, director Jesse Kanda, with whom the Icelandic singer had collaborated on the video for Vulnicura's 2015 music video for "Mouth Mantra", and Arca, Utopia's co-producer. The video was presented by WeTransfer and debuted on their site on 18 December 2017.[47] It was described as "her hottest (music video) to date" by Paste[48] but Arca's appearance in the video was criticised by her fanbase. Both Björk and Arca addressed the controversy, with Arca writing on Instagram, "so many comments from ppl saying i should stay away from björk, ruined the arisen video by appearing or whatever .. when i've clicked thru to ur profiles i've only found faces that look sweet, soft body language and tender eyed selfies! to you: i send a soft kiss back" [sic]. Björk replied to Arca's message later, comparing Arca's appearance in the video to the late British musician Mark Bell's appearance in her 2008 video for "Declare Independence", both of whom co-wrote the respective songs: "I am surprised why some of my fans have a difficulty with this," and asked fans "be open minded to the complexities of musical union between generations and different sexual orientations. Making this video with Jesse Kanda was a precious signage for us to recognize collaborations across all those."[49][50]

On 10 May 2019, Björk released the music video for "Tabula Rasa". It was directed by Tobias Gremmler who created the digital back drops and projections for her 2019 tour Cornucopia. Gremmler offered some description on his concept, saying, "The visual transformation of Björk into faun-like flowers and mountainous landscapes embodies the utopian concept of a harmonious coexistence between nature and human based on empathy."[51] In a social media post, Björk revealed her "sublime gratitude for (her) 18 months of work" with Gremmler and "the ambiguity of that meeting point between a song and a moving image."[52]

On 6 August 2019, the music video / digital projection for "Losss" premiered on YouTube, again directed by Gremmler, which Rolling Stone called "mind-bending". Björk stated that, "No one captures digital sensuality like (Gremmler), elegant and expressive!" and added that the visuals were based "on the conversations between our inner optimist and pessimist. When I recorded this I tried to sing in a deeper tone for one of them in the left speaker and a higher optimist in the right. And if you listen on headphones it will match the imagery." The video was originally conceived for multiple screens for the live Cornucopia show.[53]

Tours

[edit]
Main articles: Utopia tour (Björk) and Cornucopia (Björk concert tour)

On 30 October 2017, Björk was announced as one of the headliners for the All Points East music festival in London.[54] She is scheduled to perform on 27 May 2018, her first confirmed live gig of the Utopia tour. On 2 November, another live date was announced, this time at the Aarhus in Denmark as part of the Northside Festival, to be held on 7 June 2018. Björk first performed at Aarhus on 9 September 1993, the third night of her first concert tour as a solo artist.[55] The Utopia tour began, however, with two special dress rehearsals in Reykjavík, Iceland on 9 and 12 April 2018,[56] which opened to positive reviews from the Icelandic press.[57]

11 months after the final Utopia tour concert, Björk unveiled her new live show Cornucopia at New York's brand new Hudson Yards venue, The Shed, where she continued exploring Utopia's live potential with the same musicians that joined her for the Utopia tour in addition to the renowned Icelandic choir Hamrahlíðarkórinn plus a series of visual and theatrical artists that included graphic designer Tobias Gremmler and Argentinian film director Lucrecia Martel. Björk's Cornucopia opened on 9 May 2019 to positive reviews.[58]

Promotional appearances

[edit]

Björk appeared on the BBC television series Later... with Jools Holland on 22 May 2018 after a break of six years from performing on TV. Her last television appearance was during the second year of the Biophilia tour in 2012 when she appeared on The Colbert Report[59] and sang "Cosmogony", the second single from Biophilia which was released eight months prior to the show's taping. Björk last appeared on Later on 22 November 2011 where she performed a set of three songs from the then just released Biophilia.[60] An extended hour-long broadcast of the show on 26 May featured two additional songs, "The Gate"[61] and "Blissing Me".[62]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.5/10[63]
Metacritic82/100[64]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[65]
The A.V. ClubA[21]
Chicago Tribune[66]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[67]
The Guardian[68]
NME[69]
The Observer[70]
Pitchfork8.4/10[71]
Q[72]
Rolling Stone[73]

Utopia was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 82, based on 35 reviews.[64] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.5 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[63]

Reviewing Utopia for The Boston Globe, Terence Cawley found that the "both resolutely avant-garde and absolutely beautiful" album showcases Björk and Arca "pushing each other to create something entirely unique".[20] In The A.V. Club, Kelsey J. Waite wrote that Arca's presence does not detract from the album's "seamlessness" with Björk's past work, while noting that "the duo's experiments never come off as indulgent; they feel like physical, necessary expressions of the album's elemental emotions".[21] Kitty Empire of The Observer stated that Utopia largely eschews the "austere, extreme" themes of Vulnicura and instead "harkens back to the nature love of older albums such as Biophilia and Vespertine, and the default lust for life Björk has exhibited throughout her long career",[70] while Will Hermes of Rolling Stone remarked that it "radiates playfulness and pleasure".[73] Heather Phares of AllMusic found that lyrically, the album is not "quite as idyllic as its title implies, but its mix of idealism and realism makes it an even greater success as a manifesto for radically open love and as a document of thriving after loss."[65] Spin's Winston Cook-Wilson called the album "full-on music-theater unlike anything Björk has yet attempted" and credited Björk for managing to "surprise with unforced and meaningful reinvention".[74]

Describing Utopia as "almost completely a sensory experience", Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly was more reserved in her praise, remarking that the album's focus on soundscapes rendered it less accessible than Björk's 1990s and early 2000s output, despite commending Björk's continued artistic reinvention.[67] The Daily Telegraph critic Neil McCormick found that the album lacked the emotional focus of Vulnicura, adding that its concept of "women fleeing patriarchy to form an eco-island community" was largely indecipherable from the lyrics.[75] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian felt that despite the "enormous amount of thought and care... expended on the sound of the album", it lacks strong melodies to anchor several of its tracks.[68]

Accolades

[edit]
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
AllMusic Best of 2017 —
[76]
Baeble Music Top 30 Albums of 2017
11
[77]
Dazed The 20 Best Albums of 2017
7
[78]
Drowned in Sound Favourite Albums of 2017
15
[79]
Crack Magazine Albums of the Year 2017
24
[80]
Mixmag Top 50 Albums of 2017
12
[81]
The Wild Honey Pie Top 30 Albums of 2017
4
[82]
Under the Radar Top 100 Albums of 2017
31
[83]
The Quietus Albums of the Year 2017
31
[84]
Diffuser Top 25 Albums of 2017
14
[85]
God is in the TV Top 50 Albums of 2017
20
[86]
NOW Magazine The 10 Best Albums of 2017
6
[87]
The A.V. Club 20 Best Albums of 2017
15
[88]
Spin 50 Best Albums of 2017
29
[89]
The New Yorker Amanda Petrusich's Ten Best Albums of 2017 —
[90]
Earbuddy 100 Best Albums of 2017
30
[91]
Tiny Mix Tapes Favorite 50 Music Releases of 2017
21
[92]
Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2017
27
[93]
The New York Times Jon Pareles' Best Albums of 2017
5
[94]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2017
20
[95]
The 405 Top 20 Albums of 2017
16
[96]
Rough Trade Best Albums of the Year 2017
3
[97]
Slant Magazine The 25 Best Albums of 2017
11
[98]
Double J The 50 Best Albums of 2017
24
[99]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2017
28
[100]
Albumism 50 Best Albums of 2017
8
[101]
The Vinyl Factory The 50 Best Albums of 2017
50
[102]
Slate Best Albums of 2017 —
[103]
Les Inrockuptibles 100 Best Albums of 2017
48
[104]
Radio X The 30 Best New Albums of 2017 —
[105]
The Genius Community 50 Best Albums of 2017
28
[106]
FACT 50 Best Albums of 2017
40
[107]
Junkee 10 Best Albums of 2017
7
[108]
BrooklynVegan Top 50 Albums of 2017
42
[109]
Vinyl Me, Please The 30 Best Albums of 2017
21
[110]

Chart performance

[edit]

Utopia peaked at number 75 on the Billboard 200 chart in the US. It debuted at number 25 in the UK and at number 48 on Japan's Oricon Weekly Albums chart with 1,593 copies sold in its first week of release in Japan.[111]

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics written by Björk; all tracks produced by Björk and Arca, except where noted.

Digital and CD editions

[edit]
Utopia
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Arisen My Senses"
  • Björk
  • Arca
4:59
2."Blissing Me"Björk5:05
3."The Gate"
  • Björk
  • Arca
6:33
4."Utopia"Björk4:42
5."Body Memory"Björk9:46
6."Features Creatures" (producer: Björk)
  • Björk
  • Sarah Hopkins
4:49
7."Courtship"Björk4:44
8."Losss" (producers: Björk, Rabit, Arca)Björk6:51
9."Sue Me"
  • Björk
  • Arca
4:57
10."Tabula Rasa"Björk4:42
11."Claimstaker"
  • Björk
  • Arca
3:18
12."Paradisia" (producer: Björk)Björk1:44
13."Saint"Björk4:41
14."Future Forever"
  • Björk
  • Arca
4:47
Total length:71:38
Utopia Bird Call Boxset bonus track
No.TitleMusicLength
15."Arpeggio" (producer: Björk)
  • Björk
4:15
Total length:75:53

Vinyl edition

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Arisen My Senses"4:59
2."Blissing Me"5:05
3."The Gate"6:33
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Body Memory"9:46
2."Losss"6:51
Side three
No.TitleLength
1."Utopia"4:42
2."Saint"4:41
3."Courtship"4:44
4."Sue Me"4:57
Side four
No.TitleLength
1."Tabula Rasa"4:42
2."Claimstaker"3:18
3."Paradisia"1:44
4."Features Creatures"4:49
5."Future Forever"4:47
Total length:71:38

Note: "Features Creatures" includes an original composition by Sarah Hopkins called Kindred Spirits, Music for Harmonic Whirlies (1996).[112]

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Utopia.[113]

Musicians

[edit]
  • Björk – vocals, digital flute, flute arrangements, vocal arrangements, choir arrangements, cello arrangements
  • Arca – electronics, synth melodies, beats
  • Flute section
    • Melkorka Ólafsdóttir (solo), Áshildur Haraldsdóttir (solo), Berglind María Tómasdóttir (solo), Steinunn Vala Pálsdóttir, Björg Brjánsdóttir, Þuríður Jónsdóttir, Pamela De Sensi, Sigríður Hjördís Indriðadóttir, Emilía Rós Sigfúsdóttir, Dagný Marinósdóttir, Sólveig Magnúsdóttir, Berglind Stefánsdóttir, Hafdís Vigfúsdóttir
  • Katie Buckley – harp
  • Hamrahlíðarkórinn – choir
  • Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir – choir conduction
  • Robin Carolan – the fifth ear
  • Júlia Mogensen – cello
  • Hávarður Tryggvason – contra bass

Technical personnel

[edit]
  • Heba Kadry – mixing (tracks 2, 5–8, 11)
  • Marta Salogni – mixing (tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12–14), vocal mixing (tracks 2, 8)
  • Bergur Þórisson – engineering, flute recording engineering, choir recording engineering, harp recording engineering
  • Bart Migal – engineering
  • Chris Elms – engineering, harp recording engineering
  • Mandy Parnell – mastering

Artwork

[edit]
  • Björk – creative direction, cover character
  • Jesse Kanda – creative direction, cover art, photography
  • James Merry – creative direction, facepiece
  • Raphael Salley – hair
  • Hungry – make-up
  • Juliette Larthe – production
  • Ken Kohl – avian fetus photography
  • M/M Paris – creative direction, typography, digital illumination

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Utopia
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[114] 22
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[115] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[116] 18
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[117] 34
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[118] 40
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[119] 29
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[120] 40
French Albums (SNEP)[121] 31
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[122] 26
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)[123] 3
Irish Albums (IRMA)[124] 31
Italian Albums (FIMI)[125] 34
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[126] 48
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[127] 3
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[128] 10
Scottish Albums (OCC)[129] 27
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[130] 24
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[131] 28
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[132] 12
UK Albums (OCC)[133] 25
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[134] 10
US Billboard 200[135] 75
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[136] 4
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[137] 3
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[138] 2

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Utopia is officially considered to be Björk's ninth album. However, this is the tenth solo album if her self-titled 1977 album is included, or her eleventh album if her 1990 jazz album Gling-Gló with tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar is also included.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Utopia by Björk on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Sphères, prismes et Utopia pour le nouvel album". Bjork.fr. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Bjork Wins International Female Solo Artist At Brit Awards: This Is The 'Best Title Ever'". Hollywoodlife.com. 24 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  4. ^ "The Full Interview: Björk and Julia Davis". Another Magazine. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Perfume Genius's "Slip Away" Video Is A Camp Masterpiece". The Fader. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Björk Announces New Album 'Coming Out Very Soon' With Mysterious Teaser". Billboard. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Björk announces new album is "coming out very soon"". Consequence of Sound. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  8. ^ Yeung, Vivian (14 September 2017). "Björk to release new single 'The Gate' at midnight". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Björk Reveals New Album Title". Pitchfork. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Björk Goes Inside Her Mouth for Jesse Kanda-Directed "Mouth Mantra" Video". Pitchfork. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  11. ^ "Björk Reveals New Album Release Date, Stunning Cover". Pitchfork. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  12. ^ Gomez, Jade (21 November 2017). "Hungry is the trippy avant-garde drag queen responsible for Bjork's Utopia cover". The Fader. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Listen to Björk's new single, 'Blissing Me'". Crackmagazine.net. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  14. ^ "Watch the stunning video for Björk's new single 'Blissing Me'". NME. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Q&A: Blockpool's Kevin Bacon talks Björk, blockchain and cryptocurrency". musically.com. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  16. ^ "Bjork's new album Utopia will come with cryptocurrency". Theverge.com. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  17. ^ "Björk Plans To Release Live Version Of Utopia With More Flutes". Stereogum.com. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  18. ^ "Björk's 'Utopia' Boxset Will Contain Birdcall Flutes, Obviously". Mixmag. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  19. ^ "Björk is releasing a Utopia boxset with 14 handcrafted birdcall flutes". Dazed. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  20. ^ a b Cawley, Terence (22 November 2017). "On the luminous 'Utopia,' Björk approaches perfection". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  21. ^ a b c Waite, Kelsey J. (22 November 2017). "Utopia finds Björk at her best: Full of love". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  22. ^ a b c d "Björk on finding paradise and her ecstatic return". Dazedigital.com. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  23. ^ "Björk describes new record as her 'Tinder album' - NME". NME. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  24. ^ "Bjork on Her New Record: "It's Like My Tinder Album"". Spin.com. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  25. ^ "Björk: Milczenie jest teraz groźniejsze od sztuki [WYWIAD]". Cojestgrane24.wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  26. ^ "Jo talks to Bjork and Fleetwood Mac is the Vinyl Revival, Jo Whiley – BBC Radio 2". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  27. ^ "Björk's Gucci Dress for New Video Took 870 Hours to Make". Pitchfork. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  28. ^ Aswad, Jem (5 September 2017). "Bjork to Release New Single, 'The Gate,' Sept. 18". Variety.com. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  29. ^ "Q and A with Katie Buckley". Harpcolumn.com. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  30. ^ "Björk on creativity as an ongoing experiment". Thecreativeindependent.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  31. ^ "Björk – the Gate (2017, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  32. ^ Godfrey, Alex (2 September 2016). "Björk on her inspirations: a drag queen, a videogame, a knitwear prodigy and more". Theguardian.com.
  33. ^ "Björk shares heavenly harp remix of "Blissing Me": Stream". Consequence of Sound. 13 December 2017.
  34. ^ Helfet, Gabriela (7 February 2018). "Björk releases 'Blissing Me' remixes on limited aqua 12". The Vinyl Factory.
  35. ^ "Arisen My Senses - Single by Björk on Apple Music". Apple Music. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  36. ^ "Arisen My Senses (Remix EP)". shop.bjork.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  37. ^ "Listen to Björk, Fever Ray and The Knife remix each other". NME. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  38. ^ "The Best Music Videos of 2017". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  39. ^ "ABCD". Nowness. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  40. ^ "Video: Björk – 'Blissing Me'". Spin.com. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  41. ^ "In 'Blissing Me' Video, Björk Addresses Her Crush". Vogue.com. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.|
  42. ^ Gordon, Arielle (31 October 2017). "Björk Announces Utopia Release Date, Shares Cover Art". Spin. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  43. ^ björk: utopia. Björk. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017 – via YouTube.
  44. ^ "Björk – "Utopia" Video". Stereogum.com. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  45. ^ "A Vision of Björk's "Utopia" in New Video". Paste. 8 December 2017. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  46. ^ "Björk Documents Her Own Birth In "Arisen My Senses" Video". Exclaim!. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  47. ^ "WeTransfer presents: 'Arisen My Senses' a video by Bjork and Jesse Kanda". Wetransfer.com.
  48. ^ "The New Björk Video "Arisen My Senses" is Her Hottest to Date". 18 December 2017. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  49. ^ "Björk Addresses Fans Who Are Upset That Arca Is In Her New Video". Stereogum.com. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  50. ^ "Björk Responds to Fans Getting Upset over Arca Appearing in Her New Video". Exclaim!. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  51. ^ "Björk Shares "Tabula Rasa" Video". Stereogum. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  52. ^ "i am sooo o o o o o sublimely grateful for my 18 months of work with the incredibly talented..." Retrieved 10 May 2019 – via Facebook.
  53. ^ "Watch Bjork Morph in Psychedelic Abyss in 'Losss' Video". Rolling Stone. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  54. ^ "Björk, LCD Soundsystem For All Points East". Clashmusic.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  55. ^ "Björk to perform in Aarhus for the first time in 25 years at NorthSide Festival". Crackmagazine.net. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  56. ^ "Björk Is Back To Reykjavík With An Opening Concert For Utopia Tour". Grapevine.is. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  57. ^ "Utopia Found: Björk's Lush New Live Show Reviewed". Grapevine.is. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  58. ^ "How Björk created her Cornucopia". 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  59. ^ "Bjork discusses 'Biophilia,' elves on 'Colbert Report'". Ew.com. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  60. ^ "Watch: Björk Performs "Crystalline" on "Later ... with Jools Holland"". Nonesuch.com. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  61. ^ Björk performs The Gate live on Later... with Jools Holland. BBC Music. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018 – via YouTube.
  62. ^ Björk performs Blissing Me live on Later... with Jools Holland. BBC Music. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via YouTube.
  63. ^ a b "Utopia by Björk reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  64. ^ a b "Utopia by Björk Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  65. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Utopia – Björk". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  66. ^ Kot, Greg (22 November 2017). "Review: Bjork seeks 'Utopia' after heartbreak". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  67. ^ a b Greenblatt, Leah (21 November 2017). "Björk's Utopia is a fantastical sensory experience: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  68. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (23 November 2017). "Björk: Utopia review – romance, angst and troublingly thin tunes". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  69. ^ Cooper, Leonie (23 November 2017). "Björk – 'Utopia' Review". NME. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  70. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (26 November 2017). "Björk: Utopia review – a lush, airy fresh start". The Observer. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  71. ^ Larson, Jeremy D. (27 November 2017). "Björk: Utopia". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  72. ^ Lynskey, Dorian (January 2018). "Feels Like Heaven". Q (380): 108.
  73. ^ a b Hermes, Will (27 November 2017). "Review: Björk Paints Fractured 'Utopia' With Cutting-Edge Co-Producers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  74. ^ Cook-Wilson, Winston (29 November 2017). "Review: Flutes Lead Björk Into Paradise on the Stunning Utopia". Spin. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  75. ^ McCormick, Neil (24 November 2017). "Björk's Utopia is befuddling, dazzling and irritating – review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  76. ^ "AllMusic Best of 2017". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  77. ^ "Baeble's Top 30 Albums of 2017". Baeblemusic.com. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  78. ^ "Ranked: The best albums of 2017". Dazeddigital.com. 13 December 2017.
  79. ^ "Drowned in Sound's Favourite Albums of 2017". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 23 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  80. ^ "The Top 100 Albums of 2017". Crackmagazine.net.
  81. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2017". Mixmag.net.
  82. ^ "Top 30 Albums of 2017". Thewildhoneypie.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  83. ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2017". Under the Radar. 30 December 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  84. ^ "The Quietus - Features - Quietus Charts - Quietus Albums Of The Year 2017, In Association With Norman Records". Thequietus.com.
  85. ^ "Diffuser's Top 25 Albums of 2017". Diffuser.fm.
  86. ^ "GIITTV's Top 50 Albums of 2017 - God Is In The TV". Godisinthetvzine.co.uk. 13 December 2017.
  87. ^ Ritchie, Mark Streeter, Chris Rattan, Richard Trapunski, Kevin (12 December 2017). "The 10 best albums of 2017". Nowtoronto.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  88. ^ "The A.V. Club's 20 best albums of 2017". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  89. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2017". Spin.com. 18 December 2017.
  90. ^ Petrusich, Amanda (12 December 2017). "My Ten Best Albums of 2017". Newyorker.com.
  91. ^ "Earbuddy's 100 Best Albums of 2017 - Earbuddy". Earbuddy.net. 11 December 2017.
  92. ^ "2017: Favorite 50 Music Releases". Tinymixtapes.com.
  93. ^ "Gigwise's 51 Best Albums of 2017". Gigwise.com. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  94. ^ "The Best Albums of 2017". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  95. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Pitchfork. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  96. ^ "The 405's Top 20 Albums of 2017". Thefourohfive.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  97. ^ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  98. ^ "The 25 Best Albums of 2017 - Feature - Slant Magazine". Slantmagazine.com. 6 December 2017.
  99. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2017 - Double J". Doublej.net.au. 4 December 2017.
  100. ^ Stereogum Staff (5 December 2017). "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Stereogum. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  101. ^ "ALBUMISM SELECTS: The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Albumism.com.
  102. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2017 - The Vinyl Factory". Thevinylfactory.com. 6 December 2017.
  103. ^ Wilson, Carl (26 December 2017). "The Music Club, 2017". Slate.com.
  104. ^ "Nos 100 meilleurs albums de l'année 2017". Lesinrocks.com.
  105. ^ "The 30 Best New Albums Of 2017". Radionx.co.uk.
  106. ^ "The Genius Community's 50 Best Albums of 2017". Genius.
  107. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2017". FACT. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  108. ^ "The 10 Best Albums Of 2017". Junkee.com. 20 December 2017.
  109. ^ "BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2017". BrooklynVegan.
  110. ^ "The 30 Best Albums of 2017". Vinyl Me, Please. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  111. ^ "2017年11月20日～2017年11月26日 オリコン週間 CDアルバムランキング 41～50位". Oricon.co.jp.
  112. ^ "Composer Sarah Hopkins, Björk and the beauty of a co-writing credit". APRA AMCOS. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  113. ^ Utopia (Media notes). Björk. One Little Indian Records. 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  114. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Björk – Utopia". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  115. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Björk – Utopia" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  116. ^ "Ultratop.be – Björk – Utopia" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  117. ^ "Ultratop.be – Björk – Utopia" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  118. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 49.Týden 2017 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  119. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Björk – Utopia" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  120. ^ "Björk: Utopia" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  121. ^ "Lescharts.com – Björk – Utopia". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  122. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Björk – Utopia" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  123. ^ "Plötutíðindi". Archived from the original on 12 December 2017.
  124. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Björk". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  125. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Björk – Utopia". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  126. ^ ユートピア | ビョーク [Utopia | Bjork] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  127. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  128. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Björk – Utopia". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  129. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  130. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Björk – Utopia". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  131. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Björk – Utopia". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  132. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Björk – Utopia". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  133. ^ "{{{artist}}} | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  134. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  135. ^ "Bjork Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  136. ^ "Bjork Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  137. ^ "Bjork Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  138. ^ "Bjork Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Utopia_(Björk_album)&oldid=1258541956"