Björk’s “Biophilia” App Now Available in the App Store

Ah, you really do have to love Björk. And she’s gone and done it again. As mentioned in an earlier post, her new album, Biophilia, will be out in September (27th to be precise) but in the build up to that, she has embraced new technology, in particular iOS technology. Her iPad controlled Gameleste, featured in that earlier post, is controlled by one and the new album will be released track by track in the form of mini apps for both iPhone & iPad. You can download the host Biophilia app for free and then buy each track, as it is released, as an in app purchase.

Cosmogony - The Biophilia App

The first track, current single Crystalline, is now available in the app for £1.49 but I was disappointed to find that if you have both iPhone & iPad apps, the song will only appear on the app you originally bought it in. It doesn’t synchronise across, unfortunately. Be wary of this if you have both devices as you may prefer to use one over the other, so make sure you decide which first.

UPDATE: If you have the Biophilia app installed on multiple iOS devices, all linked to the same iTunes/App Store account, you can restore all purchases to either device at anytime by clicking on the little logo in the top left of the app and then selecting “Restore Purchases”. Phew 😉

Crystalline Game

Crystalline Score

Apart from that, the Crystalline track features animations, musical scores, lyrics and a neat little game that is “powered” by the music.

And watch out for the main app intro, featuring the voice of Sir David Attenborough. A nice touch 🙂

On a personal note, I’m disappointed that no 5.1 Surround Mix of Biophilia will be released. This will be the first ever Björk album that doesn’t benefit from this treatment. Even Drawing Restraint #9 was mixed in 5.1! However, if you have £500 burning a hole in your pocket, you can buy the Ultimate Edition of Biophilia. Why £500? Why Ultimate? Read on…

“The Biophilia Ultimate Edition, presented in a lacquered and silkscreened oak-hinged lid case, consists of the Biophilia Manual along with 10 chrome-plated tuning forks, silkscreened on one face in 10 different colors, stamped at the back, and presented in a flocked tray. Each fork is adjusted to the tone of a Biophilia track, covering a complete octave in a non-conventional scale.
It will be made to order and fabricated only once; each case comes with an individual numbered certificate. Orders must be collected by August 12.
About this Album

Biophilia

Biophilia is an interdisciplinary exploration of the universe and its physical forces-particularly those where music, nature, and technology meet-inspired by these relationships between musical structures and natural phenomena, from the atomic to the cosmic. The Independent on Sunday calls it “brilliantly original and ambitious.”
The Biophilia Ultimate Edition, presented in a lacquered and silkscreened oak-hinged lid case, consists of the Biophilia Manual along with 10 chrome-plated tuning forks, silkscreened on one face in 10 different colors, stamped at the back, and presented in a flocked tray. Each fork is adjusted to the tone of a Biophilia track, covering a complete octave in a non-conventional scale:
A 220 Hz
B 233 Hz
C 261.6 Hz
C# 277.2 Hz
D 293 Hz
Eb 311.1 Hz
E 329.6 Hz
F# 370 Hz
G 392 Hz
A 440 Hz

The Manual is removed from the case by means of a ribbon pull. Each case comes with an individual numbered certificate. The Biophilia Ultimate Edition will be made to order and fabricated only once. Orders must be collected by August 12.
Credits
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Essays by Nikki Dibben
Design by M/M (Paris)
Photography by Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin

– Print Production Consultant: Daniel Mason Manufactured: Something Else “

That has to be worth £500 of anyone’s money.