Bjork, Medulla

That saying about how societies elect the presidents they deserve—could it apply as well to pop stars? If so, what did we do to get Britney, Christina, Hilary, et al? The situation of late—in general, not just with pop music—has us looking far and wide for signs of hope, and we found one in Bjork’s performance at the Olympics’ opening ceremony. Something’s going right with Gaia if this Icelandic creative force can be our planetary pop icon. Meanwhile, Britney appeared back home on the cover of People, desperately dangling a stuffed toy before her step-toddler-to-be. (We welcome nominations for anything tackier than this.) Anyhoo, back to the brilliant, ebullient Bjork, who found herself suddenly tiring of instruments when it came to composing her first album in three years. That’s why Medulla is an exclusively a cappella affair, bringing together an Inuit throat singer, the Japanese beatbox star Dokaka, Icelandic and British choirs, former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton, and the Roots’ Rahzel, all of whom supplement Bjork’s own inimitable vocals. Hard to find a crew more motley—but it speaks to her voracious and wide-ranging musical passions, from the elegantly orchestral to the avant-garde and the streetwise. Add to that her adventurous fashion sense, and we see no reason why this artist shouldn’t be filed under “one for the ages.” Available August 31