As radical as Medulla seems, though, Björk is really just substituting a band (or programmed beats and bleeps) with a cappella replicas. Her innovation is just textural, a minor victory in the face of the uncomfortably high-pitched shrillness she and her guests produce. She manages to produce strong melodies on "Oceania" and "Where is the Line," but for every great pop track, there's at least one listening chore on which she takes herself too seriously ("Vökuró," or "Vigil" in Icelandic) or not seriously enough (the manipulated wheezing on "Ancestors" sounds stupider than Kate Bush at her stupidest).
So why is Björk being so difficult on herself and us? For better and worse, the answer is simple: because she can be.
