User:Fabrictii/Biophilia

Biophilia is the eight studio album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk. It was first released on October 5, 2011, by One Little Indian Records and distributed by Nonesuch Records in North America and by Universal Music Group for the rest of the world. The album, composed during the 2008–11 Icelandic financial crisis, is considered a concept album, with references to the linking points between nature, music and technology. The album was announced as a multimedia project, being released alongside a series of application softwares that linked the themes of the songs, which deal with nature, to musicology concepts. Drawing inspiration from the singer's childhood dream to open a music school, the album and its accompanying tour were followed by a series of educational workshops in four continents.

An electronica album in its pure definition, Biophilia features influences of avant-garde music, alternative dance and experimental music in most of its tracks. The album, billed as the first "app album", received critical acclaim for the scope of the whole project, moreover appreciating the composition and the blending of electronic and acoustic instruments. Hence, it was included in different year-end lists as one of the best albums of 2011. Despite the warm critical reception, Biophilia became the first studio album of Björk's career (barring her eponymous 1977 album, considered juvenilia) to not peak in the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart. Nevertheless, the album debuted in the top 40 of every single worldwide chart it entered, topping the chart in Taiwan and peaking in the top 5 of Iceland, France and Denmark. Biophilia garnered, among others, two nominations at the 55th Grammy Awards in 2013, winning in the Best Recording Package category. In 2014, it was announced that Biophilia would become the first downloadable app to be included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Four singles were issued before the release of the album. "Crystalline", co-produced with English dubstep duo 16bit, was released as the lead single on June 28, 2011, and was accompanied by a music video directed by longtime collaborator Michel Gondry. "Cosmogony", "Virus" and "Moon" were released in the following months, and out of these, Björk produced only the music video for "Moon". The singer promoted the album with the Biophilia Tour, which debuted at the Manchester International Festival in June 2011, coming to an end in September 2013. Further promotion came from the release of two remixes series in 2011 and 2012, which were collected in the remix album Bastards (2012), along with the production of two music videos for two album tracks, "Hollow" and "Mutual Core". The recording of the album was chronicled in the 2013 documentary When Björk Met Attenborough, while the tour was documented by the concert film Björk: Biophilia Live, which premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.

Background
In 2007, Björk released her seventh studio album, titled Volta, which comprised collaborations with regional musicians like Toumani Diabaté and Min Xiaofen, along with producers such as Timbaland and Danja. The album was followed by the 18-months Volta Tour, a production which featured electronic musical instruments like the ReacTable, the Tenori-on and the Lemur, which were all played by Canadian music producer Damian Taylor, who previously collaborated with Björk as a sound engineer on Selmasongs (2000) and Vespertine (2001). Both the tour and the album were well received by critics and public alike, with Volta becoming Björk's highest charting album on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 9. During the second leg of the tour in 2008, Björk, along with fellow Icelandic band Sigur Rós, organised a free concert, billed as the Náttúra concert, to raise awareness on the exploiting of Iceland natural resources through Aluminium melting plants. The special concert was the largest live event held in Iceland, with more than 30.000 people showing up, nearly 10% of the total population.

Following the end of the tour in August 2008, the singer retreated to her home in Reykjavík to rest. There, she become interested in Iceland political situation, as the nation was undergoing a serious financial crisis. She founded the organisation "Náttúra", which aimed to promote Icelandic nature and grassroots industries. The singer also released a single to promote the organisation. The song, aptly called "Náttúra", was released on October 20, 2008. A week later, Björk wrote an article for The Times discussing the state of the Icelandic economy and her thoughts on the proposed use of natural resources to get the country out of debt. She, in collaboration with Audur Capital, set up a venture capital fund titled "Björk" to support the creation of sustainable industries in Iceland. She also wrote the foreword to the English translation of the Icelandic bestseller by Andri Snær Magnason titled Dreamland: A Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation. Björk got involved once again in the Icelandic political situation when she got into an altercation with the renewable power company Magma Energy. In 2010, the company acquired 98.5% of shares in the Icelandic geothermal power company HS Orka. This deal created an opposition in Iceland. On May 21, 2010 Björk wrote an open letter in the newspaper Reykjavík Grapevine, calling on the Icelandic government to "do everything in its power to revoke the contracts with Magma Energy". The deal was ultimately approved by the Icelandic Government, but the singer subscribed a petition asking the government to consider revoking the takeover. She promoted the petition against Magma Energy by giving a press conference along with a performance at the Nordic House in Reykjavík on July 19, 2010. On June 30, 2010, Björk and Dirty Projectors released a joint EP called Mount Wittenberg Orca only as a digital download album, which proceeds were destined to the creation of marine protected areas. On August 30, 2010, she received from the hands of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden the Polar Music Prize. She also penned a song with Sjón as the title theme for the 2010 movie Moomins and the Comet Chase. The song, titled "The Comet Song" was released as a charity single on September 6, 2010 and all the benefits were donated to the victims of the 2010 Pakistan floods.

Björk continued to work on her next project until the end of the year, when she first publicly confirmed that she was working on a new album. In an interview published on Fréttablaðið the singer stated that the project was midway through the completion and that she hoped to go on tour before the end of 2011. On January 6 2011, she started a three-day public karaoke marathon to protest against the Magma Energy deal and the accompanying petition was ultimately signed by 47,000 people. Following that, the petition was welcomed by Iceland prime minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir. The app Solar System, made by Touch Press, came out in January 2011, and featured a new instrumental track by Björk as an introduction. The demo track was confirmed to be a part of the upcoming Biophilia project. The details of the project were announced when the first Biophilia live show was announced to take place at the Manchester International Festival in June 2011. Biophilia was stated to encompass music, apps, internet, installations and live shows.

Concept and development
The writing process for Biophilia started in 2008. At some point during 2009, Björk attended the National Geographic convention, where she attended various lectures on nature and science. Around this time, Björk read British-American neurologist Oliver Sacks's book called Musicophilia, whose title inspired her to name her project Biophilia, as she intended the term as 'the love for nature' (The word actually means love of life or empathy with living things). The singer spent hours watching documentaries by English broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough, who she lists as the major inspiration for the whole project.

Björk then discovered nodules on her vocal chords, caused by the singing technique she's been using throughout her career, which obliged her to undertake music lessons to solve her problems without undergoing surgery. The singer has stated that she had doubts whether she would have been able to sing again. Moreover, she also suffered from candidiasis that required her to start a specific diet. Seeking a certain level of air humidity to cure her chords, Björk went to Puerto Rico for seven months, where she started composing her album. She was assisted by her assistant James Merry and Damian Taylor, who shared with her an interest in composing music on touchscreens, to make the process more intuitive than academic. There, they bought a Pipe Organ on eBay and experimented by plugging different tools like a ball or a cardboard box, and even a gamepad, instead of using a keyboard. Another experiment included using a Wii Remote to play the Organ. By improvising with these new methods, the singer composed different songs: "Moon", "Hollow", "Dark Matter" and "Crystalline" were all created during this period.

Being out of all record deals after the Volta Tour, Björk wanted to break out of her habits and was willing to release her music in an unconventional way. She initially conceived the project as a house in which every room would represent a song, which was in turn related to a musicology element and a natural element. This idea was changed when National Geographic contacted the singer to sign her to their new record label. But when the company knew about her concept, not knowing how to pratically realize it, they proposed to change it into a musical 3D film experience. Hence, Björk contacted French director and long-time collaborator Michel Gondry to work on the film and they start working on the script with Icelandic poet Sjón. In the film every song would now be represented by a scene. Björk was

They worked into the project until a certain point where, because of the director conflicting schedule with the editing of The Green Hornet, the project had to be scrapped.

Release and artwork
When the first details about Biophilia emerged, the album was expected to be released around the beginning of the residency at the Manchester International Festival in June. Eventually, the album was confirmed for a Fall 2011 release. The album was originally announced for a September 27, 2011 release in the United States. Pre-order for the album started on July 19, 2011. Along with the standard edition album, who would be available in physical and digital formats, three additional editions were announced. The first, the deluxe edition, available in digipak format in its physical form, would contain three additional tracks. The second special edition, billed the Manual edition, was announced to include the standard edition of Biophilia and a bonus disc, both contained in a "48-page, full-color, hardbound, cloth-covered, and thread-sewn book, tipped on lenticular panel to the front cover, with foil-blocked spine and back cover". The last edition, called the Ultimate Art Edition, included the Manual Edition of Biophilia in a wooden box, which was filled with 10 chromed tuning forks, each one adjusted to the tone of a Biophilia track, covering a complete octave in a non-conventional scale. Differently from the standard and deluxe edition of the album, those two latter editions were available to pre-order until August 12, 2011. Moreover, the Ultimate Art edition was limited to only 200 copies, each one numbered and made to order. The singer was criticized for the cost of this latter edition, which was around 500 pounds. Björk unveiled the track listing for Biophilia on August 19, 2011. It was later confirmed that the second disc included in the Manual edition would include a live recording of the Biophilia show in Manchester. On May 10, 2011, Björk relaunched her official website. Using a HTML5 constellation designed by M/M Paris, the website shifts around as the visitor moves the cursor. In June 2011, the singer started posting photos of different minerals and crystals on her Facebook official page. One of those images, which was accompanied by the comment "...introducing" was used as a placeholder cover art for the pre-order of the album and mistaken for the official album cover. Eventually, Björk unveiled the cover for the album on August 17, 2011. The cover artwork, designed by M/M Paris and shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, features Björk, wearing a Iris van Herpen haute couture brown and golden dress, taken from the designer's Synesthesia 2010 collection, along with a "harp-belt" made by Threeasfour, and a red wig, resembling a nebula, created by British hairstylist Eugene Souleiman, holding an orange crystal while being surrounded by the Biophilia constellation which appears in the app. According to the singer, she was inspired by the protagonist of British-Mexican surrealist novelist Leonora Carrington's book The Hearing Trumpet to create the persona of a "frustrated music teacher" which always has her "head in the clouds" to explain her concepts to people around her, an attitude she thought she had while explaining her idea for Biophilia to her collaborators, and that's why she decided to wear wigs throughout the whole Biophilia era and promotion.

On September 1, 2011, the singer announced a postponement of the album's release date, pushing it back two weeks after the former date. This was because of Björk's dissatisfaction with the final mastering of the album. Björk explained in a statement published on her Facebook page that she felt the album version needed more depth than the version featured on the app. The singer called long-time collaborator Leila Arab to work on the tracks, and in turn Arab recommended her mastering engineer Mandy Parnell and drum & bass artist Current Value. Parnell flew to Reykjavík to work on the record in Addi 800's mastering studio, where she spent different hours with Björk discussing the changes to made on the album. At the end, Parnell remastered all of Biophilia songs, while Arab added beats and sonic sculpting to "Crystalline", "Thunderbolt", "Dark Matter" and "Virus". Current Value added beats to "Sacrifice", which was originally played completely acoustic during the Manchester residency. Björk also decided to use a live recording of "Solstice" instead of the studio version. Three weeks before the supposed release, the album was leaked on the internet. Björk called the leak "frustrating but predictable". NPR officially offered a streaming of the album on October 5, 2011, the same day in which it was first officially released in Japan. Biophilia was worldwide released in the following days, most notably on October 10 in the United Kingdom and on October 11 in the United States.

Description
The Biophilia app consists of a series of 10 separate apps, one for each song, all included in a "mother app" which contains a menu made up by a three-dimensional constellation which the user can shift, zoom and orbit by swiping his fingers to open the apps. The first time the app is opened, an introduction by David Attenborough describes the application and the project itself. This introduction was also used to open the Biophilia Tour residency concerts. On the up left corner, the "musical compass" icon serves as a home button to return to the menu. If the icon is touched when the user is already facing the menu, a list of the application, including two pages for "how to navigate" and "credits", would appear. Every app is named after the corresponding song and includes different options, along with a description of the song and application. This short description link to an essay written for each song by Nikki Debben. The first option in the apps is to play the app, the second is the score, in which the user can look at the composition of the song, use it as a karaoke machine as the score has got no vocals in it, or turn off the music and use it as sheet music. The animation option links to an animation of the song created by Stephen Malinowski, in which different forms of different colors, linked to a specific instrument in the song, including Björk's voice, zoom in or out depending on whether they starts or fade. The fourth option shows the lyrics of the song, which are not available in the "Dark Matter" app as it is sung in gibberish and thus has no lyrics at all. The last option is to scroll the credits, which name the people who have worked in the app. The "mother app", "Cosmogony", is the constellation that includes all the other applications, and thus contains no particular game or instrument to play. Nevertheless, it contains two other options, which are the possibility to replay the intro narrated by Attenborough and to play the song in its entirety. When the user plays the song, whether they would click on the compass icon they would return to the main menu immediately. Tapping in an empty space of the constellation would also make the user return to the main screen. The apps are roughly divided into two kinds: the ones in which the user play a sort of games, and the other ones that work like a musical instrument.

Gameplay
The application called "Moon" works as a music sequencer, using a string of little pearls linked to a central spine topped by a moon, the user can decide whether to play the original version of the song or to modify it by rotating the pearls to adjust the notes. Rotating the moon would instead modify the number of notes that are played in the sequence. The user can then decide to save the composition, to load one already saved beforehand, to reset the song or to play the original version. Similarly to the "Moon" app, the "Solstice" application works as a instrument, in which the user can pull strings out of a central sun, create orbits around the sun and rotating planets by touching the screen and using the planets to pluck the strings like it was a harp. The user can also change the direction and speed of the planets and create multiple layers of orbits. The instrument can also be played in "tree" mode, where the system would stretch to become a tree. The "Sacrifice" app features a keyboard that allows the user to type letters linked to different snippets of the song. Both these two latter applications allow players to save or load their composition. In the "Thunderbolt" app, the user can create electric sparks by tapping his fingers on a black screen, or create an arpeggio, depicted by an electrical line, by using two or more fingers at the same time, to compose arpeggios while Björk sings the song or indipendently. The player can also adjust the fade time and the drawing lenght of the lightnings.

The other apps work like more conventional video games. In the app for "Virus" the user shall protect a cell from the attack of various bacteria that try to infect it, as the song plays in the background. But if the player prevents the infection, the song plays in a loops, so the user must lose the game in order to make the song continue. The instrument mode in the "Virus" app let the player use the Cell nucleus and the bacteria as percussion by tapping and jolting them. In "Dark Matter", the actual song plays in part until it stops and the user must mimic the pattern of lighting of some orbs to continue in the song, while in the instrument mode the orbs let the user play different scales. The "Mutual Core" app features a video game in which the player arranges geological layers in the same way as an accordion to play chords. During the verses, the player tries to unite the hemispheres, because the energy keeps them apart while during the chorus the app shifts to a cutaway of a planet, and the player can touch the layers of the planet's interior to open it up and touch the core. The player may also change the resistance of the chords to increase the difficulty. "Crystalline" features a video game in which the player, in the form of a crystal, travels through different tunnels, depending on where the player tilts his device, with each tunnel corresponding to a part of the song. The player may decide to repeat the same part of the song endless times if he goes through the same tunnel. As the crystal travels through the pipes, the player can catch other crystals scattered around, and in the end save the resulting crystalline formation. The "Hollow" presents a video depiction of the body interior, starting from the blood tissue descending into showing the DNA and the replisome. The "Hollow" instrument let the user tap different enzymes depicted in the background to play time signatures and build a drum machine.

Release and availability
It was firstly released on July 19, 2011, when the "Cosmogony" and "Crystalline" apps were released. On the same day, Björk teased the release of the app by posting a video in which the introduction by Attenborough can be heard. The other app were added later, with "Virus" being added on August 9, "Moon" on September 6 and the rest of the apps were released alongside the album on October 10, 2011. The application was originally made available only on Apple devices. Björk refused to undertake a partnerships with Apple so the company only accorded her the availability of a page on the iTunes store that would show the app and the singles extracted from the album all on the same page and Apple did not fund the project. Scott Snibbe commented that he was not sure if the project would be ported into some other platforms. Björk stated she hoped pirates would crack Biophilia into other platforms. The app was effectively cracked into a virus by cyber criminals from eastern Europe, that tried to spread a malware into Android devices that would download the fake application. A holiday edition of the "Solstice" app, with different sound samples and colors, was released on December 21, 2011. The same special edition was offered for free during Christmas 2012. On January 17, 2012, Björk updated on her YouTube channel a series of videos in which she and Snibbe explain the contents of the different apps and offer a tutorial on how they work.

Björk expressed her will to transport Biophilia on other devices by using a crowdfunding initiative. On January 28, 2013, Björk started a crowdfunding on Kickstarter to port the Biophilia app on Android and Windows 8 platforms. The singer also released a video in which she explained the reason behind the funding and thanked for the help. The crowdfunding was canceled on February 7, 2013, after only £15,370 were collected out of the £375,000 goal. While this was early interpreted as a sign of failure of the initiative, the singer later explained that the team had find a cheaper and faster way to transport the apps on Android thanks to a company named Apportable. The apps were ultimately released on Android devices on July 17, 2013.

Appearances and interviews
Björk promoted Biophilia extensively by giving different interviews on music criticism websites. Most notably, she explained the concept behind the project during interviews with Stereogum, Drowned in Sound, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. She was featured on the cover of the 200th issue of Dazed & Confused, for which she also served as a guest editor. The volume featured behind the scenes and interviews with Björk's collaborators in the project, including the choir Graduale Nobili, 16bit, Scott Snibbe and Stephen Malinowski. The singer was also featured on the cover of the Billboard magazine. Björk also gave various radio interviews with BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, XFM, The Strand, CBC Radio and Studio 360. She restrained from giving televised interviews but she filmed an interview for Associated Press which was published on YouTube. On November 22, 2011, she appeared on BBC2's show Later... with Jools Holland to perform "Crystalline", "Cosmogony" and "Thunderbolt". These two latter performances were broadcast on November 25. The three performances were later included in the reissue of Björk 2003 DVD Later with Jools Holland, that was released on June 18, 2012. On January 31, 2012, the singer performed "Cosmogony" on Comedy Central's late-night satirical program The Colbert Report, where she also answered some questions from the show's presenter Stephen Colbert. On May 22, 2012, Björk made an appearance at the New York Public Library, alongside Scott Snibbe and Curver, to announce the Biophilia educational workshops at the Library and at the Children's Museum of Manhattan, and to answers some questions. On May 16, 2013, it was announced that Björk would serve as one of the speakers at the Wired 2013 Conference, where the singer was interviewed by Jefferson Hack on October 18, 2013. The singer also attended the premiere of Björk: Biophilia Live at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2014, where she took part in a Q&A alongside the film directors Peter Strickland and Nick Fenton.

Singles and videos
"Crystalline" was released as the lead single from the album. The single release was preceded by two video teasers; the first, entitled "Road to Crystalline", featured Björk driving on her van through a road in Iceland while playing an excerpt of an en early version of the song, and was released on May 27, 2011. The second one, released on June 13, 2011, showed the gameleste, the celesta-gamelan hybrid created for the Biophilia project. The single version of the song, namely the Serban Ghenea mix, leaked onto the Internet on June 25, 2011. The single was officially released on June 28, 2011. The music video, directed by French director Michel Gondry, was released on YouTube on July 26, 2011. After "Crystalline", three songs on were released in iTunes as singles beside the expansion app. The second single-app released was "Cosmogony" on July 19. On the same day, the "mother app" and the application for "Crystalline" were released. The next singles were "Virus", released on August 9, and finally "Moon", on 6 September, after being leaked on August 22. Both accompanying apps were released on the same day. A music video for "Moon", directed by Björk alongside M/M Paris, Inez & Vinoodh and James Merry, recorded during the photo sessions for Biophilia, was released on September 23.

Even though it wasn't released as a single, a live performance of "Thunderbolt" from the Manchester International Festival was released as a music video on Spotify on November 2, 2011. On March 6, 2012, a promotional music video was released for "Hollow", directed by biomedical animator Drew Berry. The video, previously used in the "Hollow" app, features a three-dimensional exploration of Björk's molecules and also a molecular complex based on Björk's headscan, influenced by the works of Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo. A music video for "Mutual Core" was commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and has been directed by Andrew Thomas Huang. The video was released on November 13, 2012 on the museum's YouTube channel.

Remix series
Leading up to the album release, Björk issued a series of remixes of "Crystalline" and "Cosmogony", titled The Crystalline Series. The remixes were released on digital download, LP and in a limited CD edition. The first part, which contained the two single versions of the songs by Serban Ghenea, was released on July 19, 2011, coinciding with the digital release of "Cosmogony". The second part included two remixes of "Crystalline" and "Thunderbolt" by Syrian musician Omar Souleyman, alongside an original song by the musician, called "Mawal", was released on July 26. This release was anticipated by a video teaser, which showed Souleyman during the recording sessions for the remix of "Crystalline". The third and fourth parts, containing remixes of the two tracks by British electronic musician and producer Matthew Herbert, were released on August 2, 2011.

On March 6, 2012, One Little Indian announced the upcoming release of another eight-part series of remixes. Billed as the Biophilia Remix Series, each part was announced to come out starting on April 16, 2012, each every two weeks after the other, on digital download, CD and LP. The deluxe edition of each release consisted in a limited edition package with micro textured blue minerals papers and embossed foil lettering, designed by M/M Paris. The first entry featured remixes of "Crystalline" and "Solstice" by Current Value. The second part, released on April 30, 2012, included remixes of "Thunderbolt" and "Sacrifice" by experimental hip hop band Death Grips. On the third part of the series, Hudson Mohawke remixed "Virus" and El Guincho reworked "Cosmogony"; this entry came out on May 14, 2012. The fourth part once again featured remixes by Current Value, who this time remixed "Thunderbolt" and "Hollow", and was released on May 28, 2012. The fifth entry was released on June 11, 2012, including a King Cannibal remix of "Thunderbolt" and a remodel of "Dark Matter" produced by Alva Noto. Matthew Herbert remixed "Virus", "Mutual Core" and "Sacrifice", and his remixes were included in the sixth entry, released on June 25, 2012, while the seventh part consisted of two remixes of "Mutual Core" and "Hollow" by 16bit. The eight and last part of the series was delayed for unspecified reasons. It was ultimately released on November 13, 2012, and included a remix of "Moon" by The Slips, and a remix of "Mutual Core" by These New Puritans.

On October 8, 2012, Björk announced Bastards, a collection of remixes of Biophilia tracks which were previously included in the two series. Every remix was remastered by Mandy Parnell. The compilation was released on November 19, 2012.

Social activity
Björk increased her activity on Facebook and Twitter following the release of Biophilia, willing to make people more aware of her project. Through her Facebook page, she engaged her followers in different contests. In October 2011 she launched a contest to win a ticket to a Reykjavik concert. In 2012 she proposed a contest in which the competitors had to write an additional verse of "Cosmogony" which would be sung at a New York concert. The contest was won by ???. In summer 2012 she started in collaboration with Beatport a contest in which "Mutual Core" had to be remixed. The winner was announced on ???? and the single was released exclusively on Beatport on ???

Preceding the beginning of her residency in Richmond, Björk published on YouTube a series of behind the scenes video following the process of preparing the Biophilia show. Consequently, she opened an Instagram account which has posted various photos of her performance throughout the Tour, behind the scenes and setlists from the shows. In April 2014, the singer opened a website dedicated to the film Björk: Biophilia Live, in which it was asked where the film could be screened.

Critical response
Biophilia received very positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 79, based on 36 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Critical acclaim came from BBC Music's Mike Diver, who described the album as "mesmerizing" and "an amazing, inventive and wholly unique eighth album from an artist without peer", praising both her voice as a "controlled presence" and her composition work: "Björk has crafted sounds which are entirely hers alone". Möhammad Choudhery of Consequence of Sound praised the "asteroid-bass volley" of "Mutual Core" and "apocalyptical breakbeat coda" of "Crystalline" and stated that "they blend archaic instrumentation with blistering electronica" and even if he labelled Biophilia as "hardly easy listening", he found that "it'll stand as one of the more rewarding albums of her storied career". Biophilia was named "CD of the week" by The Daily Telegraph, whose writer Helen Brown described the album as "wilfully weird" yet "surprisingly accessible, hypnotic and beautiful if you give it time and concentration: the audio equivalent of looking through a microscope at crystals growing". According to NME's Luke Turner, "[looking] past the techno wizardry, the grand designs and the brainy philosophy", Biophilia is "intimate, playful and beautiful" and "a wonderful distillation of ideas, playful and serious, intimate yet the most fantastic journey. [...] A record so particular to Björk's own artistry that no-one could ever hope to replicate it." Now magazine's Kevin Ritchie praised the album as "one of Björk's best and most challenging records" and that "[i]ts accompanying iPad suite [...] isn't required to enjoy the album, which has a satisfyingly messy and unhinged quality, much like the natural wonders that inspired it". Similarly, Gareth James of Clash felt that the album "sounds beautifully warm and compellingly human", and stated that "while much of the fuss around the album has centred on its innovative and hugely interactive app release, this music really doesn't need any window dressing because it's as good a collection of songs as she has put her name to in ten years".

Kyle Andersen of Entertainment Weekly stated that Biophilia is "an ingenious marriage of faerie and machine. But the singer's greatest strength remains the glistening natural resource flowing from her throat". For Heather Phares of Allmusic, "Biophilia is easily her most ambitious project as a whole", whose "boldest innovations are in its presentation rather than in the actual music" and "sometimes feels like a soundtrack", but further adds that "just because the music is only one part of the Biophilia experience doesn't mean it's unsatisfying". Phares eventually gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, also citing its "blend of education and emotion." Daniel Paton of musicOMH viewed Biophilia as a "synthesis of Björk's work thus far", yet "it sees her continue to pursue her own radical and individual path with unshakeable conviction." He also complimented her language, "English [...] always sounds so enticing and odd when delivered in her syntax." Rolling Stone's David Fricke compared the album to Nico's work, "[with its] organ, squishy electronics and the high sighs of a women's choir in stark fields of echo, [Biophilia is] like a haunted digital sister of Nico's 1969 album, The Marble Index". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that "Biophilia never feels like hard work, however much the accompanying bumf tries to convince you it is." Despite his skepticism over interactive music and apps, he stated the quality of the music is "far less questionable". PopMatters music editor Arnold Pan complimented Björk as being "innovative by nature and eager to take risks" and praised Biophilia's songs, despite claiming "there are some moments on Biophilia that are too atmospheric and subtle [...] especially the low profile 'Dark Matter' and the overly abstract 'Hollow', with its cold modern classical stylings". A more mixed review came from Pitchfork Media's Mark Pytlik, which felt that the singer "prioritized the superficial aspects of Biophilia's presentation over, well, the music", further adding that "she combats the lack of any real structure or melody by over-singing, or lapsing into one of her familiar and increasingly lazy-sounding house vocal runs." He also wrote that "[a]s an innovator, she's as vibrant as ever, but as a songwriter, she sounds tired". Andy Gill of The Independent gave the album a negative review, dubbing it as "hard to love" and added that "at times, it's hard not to conclude that the music and lyrics were devised totally separately, and then forced together in forms it's difficult to acknowledge as songs".


 * 2011 Year-end list entries

Commercial performance
Biophilia debuted at number twenty-seven on the US Billboard 200 on the issue dated 29 October 2011. The album also opened at number one on the Dance/Electronic Albums, number two on the Tastemaker Albums, number five on the Alternative Albums, number eight on the Rock Albums and number nineteen on the Digital Albums. It debuted at number twenty-one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Björk's first album not to break the top ten. In Japan, the album debuted at number eighteen with first-week sales of 6,525 copies. The following week it plunged down to number twenty-three, selling additional 4,412 units. In Taiwan, Biophilia debuted at number nine on the G-Music Western Albums Chart for the week of 14 October 2011, sharing the rank with Joe Jonas's album Fastlife, with 1.03% sales volume; the album managed to outrank her previous album, Volta, which debuted at number fourteen on the same chart over four years before. The limited edition of the album debuted at number sixteen on the Gaon International Albums Chart in South Korea, while the standard edition debuted at number twenty-two. After a year of its release, the album reached number one on the G-Music Western albums chart in Taiwan, coinciding Bjork's concert on the territory.

Accolades
Björk and Biophilia received numerous nominations after the announcement of the project. The singer was nominated at the 2011 Q Awards for Greatest Act of the Last 25 Years, losing to U2. At the 2011 O Music Awards she was awarded the Digital Genius honour, while at the AIM Independent Music Awards she was honoured for her Oustanding Contribution to Music. The singer also received a Lifetime Achievement at the 2011 Lovie Awards. At the 2011 Antville Music Awards, the "Crystalline" music video was nominated for Best Art Direction. Apple picked the Biophilia app as one of the top 5 music apps of 2011.

M/M Paris were awarded a Tokyo Type Directors Club Award for their work on Biophilia artwork, manual and app. Biophilia was one of the twelve albums nominated for the 2011 Nordic Music Prize. At the 2012 BRIT Awards, Björk received a nomination for International Female Solo Artist. Björk received five nominations at the 2011 Icelandic Music Awards, being nominated for Pop, Rock, Jazz or Blues Performer of the Year and Pop, Rock, Jazz or Blues Female Singer of the Year, winning the former. Biophilia was nominated for Pop/Rock Album of the Year and "Crystalline" received a nomination in the Pop/Rock Song of the Year. The Biophilia Tour live at Harpa won the Musical Event of the Year award. At the 2012 NME Awards Biophilia received a nomination in the Best Album Artwork category. Björk appeared at the 2012 Webby Awards to receive the Webby Artist of the Year from the hands of Scott Snibbe, where she stated "A E I O U" in fashion of the five words-limited speeches of the ceremony. "Crystalline" was nominated for Best Female Video at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. The Biophilia Tour show at the Cumbre Tajín festival was nominated for the Alternative Performance award at the 2012 Lunas del Auditorio. Björk received another two nominations at the 2012 Antville Music Awards, where the "Mutual Core" video was nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects, winning the latter.

At the 2013 Music Producers Guild Awards, Björk received The MPG Innovation Award, which Emma Birkett accepted on her behalf. Biophilia received two nominations at the 2013 Grammy Awards, for Best Alternative Album and Best Recording Package, winning the latter. The award went to the art directors, M/M Paris, and not to Björk herself. The "Mutual Core" video was nominated in the Music Video of the Year category at the 2012 Icelandic Music Awards and was nominated at the 2013 Webby Awards in the Online Music & Video — Music category. The video won the People's Voice Webby in that category, as voted by the people on the internet, but lose the Webby bestowed by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences to "Fjögur píanó" by the Sigur Rós. The video received two nominations at the 2013 UK Music Video Awards for Best Visual Effects in a Video and Best Art Direction in a Video, winning none. However, Andrew Thomas Huang was nominated for his work in the video as Best New Director and went on to win the award.

Legacy
Before the release of the Biophilia album and app, Björk talked about the possibility of adding more songs and applications to the project, by using the Biophilia app suggesting that the album could become a double album in the next years. However, as of 2014, no more material were added to the Biophilia app. Björk, who previously stated that she was unsure if her intention would come to reality, affirmed during a Q&A at the Tribeca Film Festival that she received a fund from Scandinavia to upgrade the Biophilia apps and that she would rather focus on adjusting the already-existing tracks rather than creating new songs and apps.

Even though this wasn't the first time a music artist released music using apps, Biophilia was billed as the world's first "app album". Björk was cited as the first "high-profile artist" who ventured in the creation of an album fully accompanied by apps. After the release of the album and the apps, numerous artists that released their music through the use of application softwares were compared to Björk, including The xx, Lady Gaga, Jay Z, Radiohead and Paul McCartney. On June 11, 2014, the Museum of Modern Art located in New York announced that the Biophilia app would have been the first downloadable app in the museum permanent collection. The app inclusion was requested by Senior curator Paola Antonelli, that commented:

"Björk has never ceased to experiment and surprise. The multidimensional nature of her art—in which sound and music are the spine, but never the confines, for multimedia performances that also encompass graphic and digital design, art, cinema, science, illustration, philosophy, fashion, and more—is a testament to her curiosity and desire to learn and team up with diverse experts and creators. It was just a matter of time before she would invade and conquer the territory of design. [...] With Biophilia, Björk truly innovated the way people experience music by letting them participate in performing and making the music and visuals, rather than just listening passively."

Personnel
Credits adapted from Biophilia album liner notes and bjork.com.


 * Björk – vocals, all custom instruments except sharpsichord, bassline, beat, beat programming, brass arrangement, choir arrangement, drum programming, gameleste arrangement, hang arrangement, harp arrangement, mixing, organ arrangement, producer, programming, sharpsichord arrangement, Tesla coil bassline, Tesla coil bassline programming, vocal arrangement, voice arrangement
 * 16bit – bassline, beat, beat programming, engineer, producer, programming
 * Damian Taylor – beat programming, drum programming, engineer, mixing, programming, Tesla coil bassline programming
 * Sveinn Kjartansson – engineer, mixing
 * Addi 800 – engineer, mixing
 * Andy Baldwin – engineer
 * David Bracey – engineer
 * Cameron Craig – engineer
 * Curver – engineer, mixing
 * Mario DeJesus – engineer
 * Leila Arab – bass programming, beat, beat programming, nature sounds, sonic sculpting, sub drone, Tesla coil bassline, Tesla coil bassline programming
 * Mark Bell – programming
 * Derek Birkett – production and business developer
 * Shelley Burgon – harp


 * Andy Cavatorta – pendulum harp maker
 * Current Value – beat programming
 * Sara Cutler – harp
 * Henry Dagg – adaptation to sharpsichord, sharpsichord maker
 * Manu Delago – hang and hang arrangement
 * Pablo Díaz-Reixa – bass programming, beat programming, drum programming
 * Carol Emanuel – harp
 * Matthew Herbert – beat, beat programming, programming
 * Brian Hernandez – engineer
 * Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin – photography
 * Árni Heimir Ingólfsson – choir transcription
 * David McDuff – English translation
 * M/M Paris – cover
 * Matt Nolan – MIDI-controlled gamelan–celesta hybrid maker
 * Zeena Parkins – harp, harp contractor, pendulum
 * Mandy Parnell – mastering, mixing
 * Matt Robertson – brass transcription, choir transcription, harp score preparation
 * Jón Stefánsson – choir conductor
 * Björgvin Tómasson – MIDI-controlled pipe organ and MIDI-controlled gamelan–celesta hybrid maker


 * Choir


 * Ásta Ægisdóttir
 * Auður Albertsdóttir
 * Ester Auðunsdóttir
 * Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir
 * Ásdís Björg Gestsdóttir
 * Erla Rún Guðmundsdóttir


 * Kristín Anna Guðmundsdóttir
 * Gígja Gylfadóttir
 * Gígja Haraldsdóttir
 * Sigrún Ósk Jóhannesdóttir
 * Fífa Jónsdóttir
 * Sigurborg Skúladóttir Kaldal


 * Bergljót Rafnar Karlsdóttir
 * Jóna G. Kolbrúnardóttir
 * Kristín Einarsdóttir Mäntylä
 * Erla María Markúsdóttir
 * Ásdís Eva Ólafsdóttir
 * Drífa Örvarsdóttir


 * Guðrún M. Sigurbergsdóttir
 * Elín Edda Sigurðardóttir
 * Unnur Sigurðardóttir
 * Vigdís Sigurðardóttir
 * Kristín Sveinsdóttir
 * Eygló Höskuldsdóttir Viborg


 * Brass

Trumpet
 * Ragnhildur Gunnarsdóttir
 * Valdís Þorkelsdóttir

French horn
 * Erla Axelsdóttir
 * Særun Ósk Pálmadóttir
 * Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir
 * Lilja Valdimarsdóttir

Trombone
 * Jessica Buzbee
 * Harpa Jóhannsdóttir
 * Sigrún Jónsdóttir
 * Li Ming Yeung

Tuba
 * Brynja Guðmundsdóttir