Every sound other than obvious electronic beats is done by the chanteuse herself and the coherence that she manages to get amid such collusion reaffirms her immense talent. Along with collaborator Matthew Kerr, Camille rattles off sounds that most vocalists wouldn’t dare attempt in a pop frame much less any at all. Here the Medulla comparison veers back into the frame because it’s the best ever gauge of where Music Hole stands as an achievement. I’m still of the opinion that Medulla isn’t appreciated enough for the possibilities it showed and thus neither can Music Hole be. Both will be seen as novelties that worked because of the artist driving them vis-à-vis the sustainability of such a genre.
Camille’s genius though isn’t limited to technical juxtaposition of sound and vocal injections. While Music Hole doesn’t offer the insane modulations Medulla can curl syntax as defining as does, it’s not a liability because it bounces tracks that render it just as original. Besides, no one in popBjork nor is her genius rivaled seriously by anyone not named M.I.A. Music Hole is stunning in what it grasps from the past as well as what it ekes out from its host production country, Iceland. "Canards Sauvages" juggles puddle of water effects over a deep swathe of Nordic pop then blows it all away blissfully with Camille’s voice. Even the more traditional tracks like "The Monk" shimmer with delightful vocal feedback.
The only hindrance to the album receiving a perfect score is its lack of editing. Her abundance of ideas sometimes comes off as overstuffed and, if cut or edited, could’ve had a sharper, leaner focus. "Money Note", brilliant as it is, undergoes endless rotations before finally ending. "Cats and Dogs" manages to tie its Piaf-like start to slightly comical ‘woof woof’ sounds to a minimum but the line is thin. For those few seconds before her vocals hijack the mood, it gets cagey while those arcane sounds flail around. Such wild experimentation takes guts even though pop music has become so gutless, especially in America.
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