[MUSIC] Björk, "Declare Independence"

[rfmcdonald]

"Roisin Murphy - Ancora Tu (Lucio Battisti Cover)KingOfRemix fb" (Watch on YouTube)

"Declare Independence" is a fairly high-profile single off of Björk's new albums, which lyrics that endorse unilateral declarations of independence and music that is described by one blogger as controversial and intensely polarizing.

"Noisy" doesn’t even begin to describe this track; heavy drums, buzzsaw synths, distorted guitars, and guttural, screaming vocals turn this into the most cacophonous Björk track I’ve ever heard. But cacophonous doesn’t always mean bad; in this case, it actually means brilliant. All the noise melds into a superb dance beat, and the simple, chant-like lyrics work their way into your subconscious, until you’re unknowingly repeating them along with Björk.

Declare Independence is going to be the most controversial track on Volta; it’s probably going to be the most controversial Björk track ever. So far there’s a very clean split between fans. Some love it, some hate it, but barely any don’t feel strongly about it one way or the other.

That doesn't even touch the potential political implications of the song. In a recent concert in Shanghai, Björk seems to have used it as a platform to endorse Tibetan independence.

Icelandic singer Bjork has ignited criticism from Chinese fans after she declared "Tibet! Tibet!" to end a passionate performance of her song "Declare Independence" during a concert in Shanghai.

The outburst at the finale of Bjork's Sunday-night concert drew rare public attention inside China to Beijing's rule over Tibet.

Bjork's statement was not reported in Chinese news media but online sites were aflame with angry comment after word leaked out.

"If she really did this, then this woman really makes people throw up," one comment on popular Chinese website www.Sina.com said.

Some at the Shanghai concert said the politically tinged finale made audience members uneasy.

"The atmosphere was very strange, uncomfortable compared to the rest of the concert," said audience member Stephen Gow, a British teacher who lives in Shanghai.

People didn't boo, Gow said, but they left the Shanghai International Gymnastic Centre hurriedly.

Officials at the China-based company promoting the concert, Emma Ticketmaster, said they had no comment.

The discussion at group blog Danwei is pretty hostile to Björk.

NME also reports that after Björk used "Declare Independence" to endorse Kosovar indepndence on a show in Japan, the EXIT festival in Serbia disinvited her on the grounds that the organizers couldn't guarantee the safety of festival-goers. (A non-denial has since been issued.)