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Björk is releasing an acoustic version of Vulnicura this November

Björk is releasing an acoustic version of Vulnicura this November

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She uses the only 'viola organista' in the world — it's a Leonardo da Vinci design

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Between releasing a celebrated, harrowing new record and taking over the MoMA with a career-spanning retrospective, it's been a busy year for Björk — and she's capping it off with another new release. Vulnicura Strings (Vulnicura: The Acoustic Version) is an acoustic reinterpretation of Vulnicura, which isn't even a year old yet; it'll be released digitally and on disc November 6th, with a vinyl release a month later, on December 4th. Björk also shared one of the album's reworked songs today, a strings-and-vocals version of "Lionsong" that manages to retain much of the original's dramatic sweep.

In addition to Björk's voice and string arrangements, the new version of Vulnicura features the world's only "viola organista." It's an instrument originally designed by Leonardo da Vinci that "uses a friction belt to vibrate individual strings (similar to a violin), with the strings selected by pressing keys on the keyboard (similar to an organ)." Björk is no stranger to weird instruments: she developed brand-new ones for use on 2011's Biophilia, including a "gameleste" (a gamelan–celesta hybrid controlled by a tablet) and a musical Tesla coil.

She's also fond of recasting her own material in new light, whether through extensive box sets jammed with alternate takes or through remix albums like 2012's Bastards. Vulnicura Strings is her first acoustic album, and it'll be interesting to hear how the album's stormier and more cluttered tracks transform when they're only made up of softer parts.