Björk Reflects On Musical Works In New Podcast

Legendary musician Björk is launching a new podcast reflecting on her unique musical works in a retrospective conversation. The new series launches in September 2022 and will give insight into the creative process and in-depth musical analysis into her ever-evolving sound that has kept her at the top of the music business for many years.

Björk: Sonic Symbolism

The triple threat musician will be joined on the podcast by Oddný Eir, who is a writer and philosopher, as well as musicologist Ásmundur Jónsson to dissect an album per episode with Björk. The first three episodes will be available from 1^st September and will focus on the albums Debut (1993), Post, (1995), and Homogenic (1997).

Speaking to announce the upcoming podcast, Björk explained:

“When I get asked about the differences of the music of my albums, I find it quickest to use visual short cuts. That’s kind of why my album covers are almost like homemade tarot cards. The image on the front might seem like just a visual moment, but for me it is simply describing the sound of it. I try to express it with the color palette, the textures of the textiles, with what I am holding, the posture I am in, and the angle of it shows its relationship to the world.

Also, the emotion of the mouth tries to share the overall mood of the album. Perhaps you can call it some sort of a sonic symbolism? Most of us go through phases in our lives that take roughly three years, and it is not a coincidence this is also how long it takes to make an album or a film. This podcast is an experiment to capture which moods, timbres, and tempos were vibrating during each of these phases.”

The podcast series comes at an interesting time, as Björk is releasing her 10th studio album, Fossora, (the feminine version of the Latin work for digger), will be released this autumn. The overarching themes of the new record will focus on Björk’s recent loss mourning her mother, as well of feeling like an empty nester, and her experience through the pandemic lockdown. Speaking to The Guardian in anticipation of Fossora, the musician explained:

“I feel, as a singer-songwriter, my role is to express the journey of my body or my soul or whatever, and hopefully I will do that till I’m 85, or however long I live. I try to keep the antennas up and read where my body is at.”

Sonic Symbolism isn’t just a podcast about the Icelandic genius’ incredible career, it’s a podcast made by that very genius, examining her catalogue in her own words — with assistance from a couple of her closest confidantes.

There’s no better way into Björk’s enigmatic world than through the artist herself, who walks you through her creative and personal processes one album at a time, where Björk discusses the textures, timbres, and emotional landscapes of each of her albums.

New instalments will continue to come out album by album, each running 40-50 minutes, on a weekly basis through to 13^th October.

Sonic Symbolism

Also by Michelle Sciarrotta: