"Crystalline" is a song by Icelandic artist
Björk, released as the lead single from her eighth album ''
Biophilia''. The song was released as a single on 28 June 2011 accompanied by an
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...
app developed exclusively for the song. It was afterward released as part of ''The Crystalline Series'' alongside the second single from the album, "
Cosmogony".
Development
In March 2011, it was announced that Björk would play at the
Manchester International Festival with a new concept of concert. Several songs from the album debuted during a series of performances at the festival between 27 June and 16 July 2011. Björk called the performances a "meditation on the relationship between music, nature and technology". "Special" instruments were designed and constructed specifically for these concerts.
The release of the song was preceded by three teasers: on the first one, entitled "Road to Crystalline" we can see Björk driving her Hummer through a road in Iceland while playing an excerpt of a
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
version of the song; on the second one, we could see one of the new instruments developed for the Manchester performances, that also plays on the track: the 'Gameleste', a
celesta which was modified by Icelandic Organ builder, Björgvin Tómasson and British Cymbalsmith and Gong maker,
Matt Nolan so that it sounds like
Gamelan
Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...
and could be played remotely by
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
or even an
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...
; and on the third teaser, recording sessions of the remix featuring
Omar Souleyman were shown. The song leaked onto the internet on 25 June 2011. On 28 June 2011, UK producers
16bit
16bit were an English electronic music duo, consisting of Eddie Jefferys and Jason Morrison. They were signed to Chase & Status' MTA Records, and best known for their work with Björk.
Biography
16bit were composed of Eddie Jefferys from S ...
confirmed via Facebook that they produced the song.
"Crystalline" is a mostly electronic song, featuring a continuous 'gameleste' base and electronic beats and rhythm. After the bridge, the song features a gameleste solo, and consequently ends with a
breakcore
Breakcore is a style and microgenre of electronic dance music that emerged from jungle, hardcore, and drum and bass in the mid-to-late 1990s. It is characterized by very complex and intricate breakbeats and a wide palette of sampling sou ...
section which uses the
Amen break. A review in
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
described the piece as a hybrid of the musical styles of her previous albums ''
Post
Post or POST commonly refers to:
*Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries
**An Post, the Irish national postal service
**Canada Post, Canadian postal service
**Deutsche Post, German postal service
**Iraqi Post, Ira ...
'' and ''
Vespertine
''Vespertine'' is the fourth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 27 August 2001 in the United Kingdom by One Little Independent Records and in the United States by Elektra Entertainment. Production on the album ...
'', with undercurrent percussive elements from her album ''
Homogenic
''Homogenic'' is the third studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 20 September 1997 by One Little Indian Records. Produced by Björk, Mark Bell, Guy Sigsworth, Howie B, and Markus Dravs, the album marked a styli ...
''.
The lyrics to "Crystalline" talk about the process of
crystallization in
mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...
s and
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
s but taking a more personal point of view, relating the growth of a
crystal structure
In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of the ordered arrangement of atoms, ions or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from the intrinsic nature of the constituent particles to form symmetric patterns ...
with the growth of relationships in people's hearts. Björk took inspiration for the song from cities and buildings:
Promotion
Music video
The music video for "Crystalline" was recorded on 26 May and was directed by long-time collaborator
Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one of the writers ...
. It was premiered on 26 July 2011 on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. The video opens with a view of the moon and a
meteor shower on it, forming different forms and crystals. Björk stars as a spectator of the meteor rain in the sky, as some kind of god. The video features heavy
computer and
stop-motion animation. Gondry explained about the video:
The video received a nomination at the Antville Music Video Awards, in the Best Art Direction category.
Apps
Every song on ''Biophilia'' has an
app for iPhone or iPad. The main app was released on 19 July 2011, coinciding with the release of "Cosmogony", and it integrates all the songs' apps.
The app for "Crystalline" is a video game that uses the iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad's tilt feature to move a crystal through various tunnels. By collecting different crystals from the walls of the tunnel, new tunnels are unlocked, each one playing a different section of the song. Green tunnels play sections from the first verse, pink tunnels play sections from the second one, orange tunnels play sections from the third verse, red tunnels play the chorus and blue tunnels play the coda.
Live performances
Björk debuted the songs during a series of performances at the
Manchester International Festival in England between 27 June and 16 July 2011. Björk performed ''Biophilia'' tracks and music from her back catalogue with a small group of musical collaborators, including Graduale Nobili, an Icelandic female choir. She performed "Crystalline" during every concert of the
Biophilia Tour
The Biophilia Tour was the seventh concert tour by Icelandic musician Björk. The tour was centered on her multimedia project and studio album '' Biophilia'' (2011). The tour premiered at the Manchester International Festival and visited Europe, A ...
.
Björk performed the songs live on
BBC2's ''
Later... with Jools Holland''. On 22 November 2011 the performance of "Crystalline" was broadcast, while the performances of "Cosmogony" and "Thunderbolt" were shown on 25 November.
Track listing
;"Crystalline" digital download
# Crystalline (Serban Ghenea Mix) – 5:06
;The Crystalline Series – Serban Ghenea Mixes CD/LP/digital download
# "Crystalline" (Serban Ghenea Mix) – 5:06
# "Cosmogony" (Serban Ghenea Mix) – 4:49
;The Crystalline Series – Omar Souleyman Versions CD/LP/digital download
# "Crystalline" (
Omar Souleyman Remix) – 6:41
# "Thunderbolt" (Omar Souleyman Remix)
(listed as "Tesla") – 7:24
# "Mawal"
(Performed by Omar Souleyman) – 3:46
;The Crystalline Series – Crystalline Matthew Herbert Mixes CD/LP/digital download
# "Crystalline" (
Matthew Herbert Mix) – 5:17
# "Crystalline" (Matthew Herbert Instrumental) – 5:15
;The Crystalline Series – Cosmogony Matthew Herbert Mixes CD/LP/digital download
# "Cosmogony" (Matthew Herbert Mix 1) – 5:03
# "Cosmogony" (Matthew Herbert Mix 2) – 4:17
# "Cosmogony" (Matthew Herbert Instrumental 1) – 5:05
# "Cosmogony" (Matthew Herbert Instrumental 2) – 4:15
Official versions
* Album version – 5:08
* Serban Ghenea Mix/Single Mix – 5:06
* Radio edit/Serban Ghenea Mix Edit – 3:47
* Omar Souleyman Remix – 6:41
* Matthew Herbert Mix – 5:17
* Matthew Herbert Instrumental – 5:15
* Current Value Remix – 5:02
released on Part 1 of the Biophilia Remix Series
* MIF live version – 5:26
(''Biophilia'': Manual Edition CD2)
* PMRH version – 5:21
(demo version, stream available for a limited time on Icelandair In-flights)
Charts
Release history
References
{{authority control
2011 singles
2011 songs
Björk songs
Music videos directed by Michel Gondry
Song recordings produced by Björk
Songs written by Björk