New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, Mailchimp Presents and Talkhouse announce the launch of Björk: Sonic Symbolism. Created and hosted by Björk, the intimate and immersive new podcast features a first-person reflection on the textures, timbres and emotional landscapes that characterized the creation of each of her albums. From 1993's Debut, to Post, Homogenic, Vespertine, Medúlla, Volta, Biophilia, Vulnicura and Utopia, every episode of the series is focused on a single and singular installment in the multidisciplinary artist's expansive catalog, capturing not only the creative inspirations, but the changing phases of life that came in between. In conversation with her friends - philosopher and writer Oddný Eir and musicologist Ásmundur Jónsson - Björk shares stories that have never been told as she lets listeners into a process that continues to inspire, experiment and redefine the boundaries of how a musician works.
"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," says Björk. "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 colour 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 3 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 first three episodes of Björk: Sonic Symbolism will be released on Thursday,
September 1st, exploring the worlds of Debut, Post and Homogenic. New installments will continue to come out album by album, each running 40-50 minutes, on a weekly basis through October 13th.
Subscribe to Björk: Sonic Symbolism and hear Björk in the show's first trailer, out now: https://pod.link/bjork
"What an unbelievable honor and privilege to work with Björk to tell these stories, her stories," says Ian Wheeler, Founder of Talkhouse Creative Studio. "We're so grateful to Björk for letting us in, and to Oddný Eir, Ásmundur Jónsson, Christian Koons, Anna Gyða and Derek Birkett — as well as our partners at Mailchimp - for their invaluable roles in bringing this to life."
"Björk is a continual source of inspiration, and we're delighted to help bring her vision for this project to life," adds Sarita Alami,
Director of Programming at Mailchimp Studios. "We hope that the dreamers, creatives, and entrepreneurs who listen find the spark they need to unlock their next big idea."
Next Wednesday, August 31st, Björk will also appear in the final episode of Listening, another brand new podcast from Mailchimp Presents and Talkhouse. Exploring how some of the most acclaimed, inventive musicians hear and process the world around them, the series invites artists to transform their surroundings into a special composition that allows others to experience a particular time and place in their lives. Thus far, the first season has featured Jeff, Spencer and Sammy Tweedy, Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee, Mdou Moctar, Neko Case, Laraaji, JLIN, Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt, and Vagabon, and Björk will teleport the show to a recent performance with Iceland's Hamrahlíð Choir, recontextualized in collaboration with legendary field recordist Chris Watson.
Björk: Sonic Symbolism is a co-production of Mailchimp Presents, Talkhouse and Björk, and was made by Björk, Oddný Eir, Ásmundur Jónsson, Anna Gyða, Ian Wheeler,
Julie Douglas, and Christian Koons. It was produced by Christian Koons and edited by Christian Koons and Anna Gyða. Special thanks to Derek Birkett, Catherine Verna Bentley, Zach McNees, Ævar Kjartansson and Duna Hrólfsdóttir.
Music appears courtesy of One
Little Independent Records.
Björk is a multidisciplinary artist who, time and again, innovates across music, art, fashion, and technology. From writing, arranging, and producing an expansive music catalog, to escapades in virtual reality and digital apps, Björk continues to inspire and experiment, redefining the boundaries of how a musician works. Follow Björk on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
