Just before Thanksgiving weekend (which was this past weekend in Canada to any unfamiliar international readers), it was reported that Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Björk were set to follow up 2000's Oscar-nominated duet, "I've Seen It All," featured on Selmasongs, the Icelandic artist's soundtrack to Lars von Trier's dour Dancer in the Dark. I wasn't expecting it to surface so quickly but here it is.
Written as a message to protect nature, "Nattura" actually stems back to a lengthy June 28 memo Ms. Guðmundsdóttir left on a local forum of the same name for an Icelandic senator who described her environmental actions as "childish." Few details have been given about the release itself but according to Billboard.com, the song is due for single release in the U.S. on October 20.
Described as "more of a protest and rallying cry than a lecture," anyone expecting a similar contribution by Yorke this time 'round will be disappointed; the Radiohead front-man is limited to some backing vocals and disembodied chanting. Instead, it's an opportunity for Björk to put on a clinic and vent her frustrations through overwhelming polyrhythms (courtesy of regular collaborator LFO's Mark Bell and Lightning Bolt's Brian Chippendale) that certainly do their part to evoke some emotion, firing like an army of machine guns into a deep void. With the exception of the two vocalists, there's little else in the mix (despite Matthew Herbert apparently contributing bass and synth), a move that uses the heaving, pounding drums to deliver her point with emphasis.
Written as a message to protect nature, "Nattura" actually stems back to a lengthy June 28 memo Ms. Guðmundsdóttir left on a local forum of the same name for an Icelandic senator who described her environmental actions as "childish." Few details have been given about the release itself but according to Billboard.com, the song is due for single release in the U.S. on October 20.
Described as "more of a protest and rallying cry than a lecture," anyone expecting a similar contribution by Yorke this time 'round will be disappointed; the Radiohead front-man is limited to some backing vocals and disembodied chanting. Instead, it's an opportunity for Björk to put on a clinic and vent her frustrations through overwhelming polyrhythms (courtesy of regular collaborator LFO's Mark Bell and Lightning Bolt's Brian Chippendale) that certainly do their part to evoke some emotion, firing like an army of machine guns into a deep void. With the exception of the two vocalists, there's little else in the mix (despite Matthew Herbert apparently contributing bass and synth), a move that uses the heaving, pounding drums to deliver her point with emphasis.
