With Vulnicura, I don’t even think it’s right to call Björk adventurous anymore. If Björk is a pop artist, then this is her equivalent of the ballad album. Vespertine had powerful texture. These glitchy IDM beats are nothing unusual and the dramatic strings are just as token, although they suitably match her melodramatic lyrics. At the very least I can give her credit there.

The only time things come together in a distinctive way is after “Notget,” as in I can “Notget” why she didn’t have as much ambition for the rest of the songs. I feel like someone’s gonna counter by saying it matches some lyrical progression of the album, but I don’t care.

This is an exhausting listen that rarely breaks form in sound or songwriting. Björk’s trying to prove her sophistication instead of her music. Vulnicura is her most stunted work so far. As in, it’s a “Stonemilker.”