Bjork

There are many artists who have a desire to shirk the traditional album release. Bjork, of course, is one of them.

The Icelandic singer/songwriter/artist is prepping the release of "Biophelia," her next music project, and it seems to eschew the normal song-and-song-and-song album standard. The set will get a conventional release, but it's intended to be more like a bundle of themed multi-media pieces, some to be experienced live.

"Where do music, nature and technology meet? Björk introduces Biophilia, her most ambitious and exciting work to date. A multimedia project encompassing music, apps, internet, installations and live shows, Biophilia celebrates how sound works in nature, exploring the infinite expanse of the universe, from planetary systems to atomic structure," reads a statement.

"Biophelia" will be partially made by Apple's iPad (taking a tip from Gorillaz?), and will include video pieces, including a music video by frequent collaborator Michel Gondry. For each of the 10 songs/compositions, there will be "coordinated apps": for example, the song "Virus" will feature a video of a literal virus attacking cells.

The relaunch of Bjork's website is also part of the whole package. The results are quite beautiful.

[More after the jump...]

She will be performing new music from "Biophelia" -- defined by the singer as “love of life or living systems" -- during her three-week residency at art-centric Manchester International Festival from June 27 to July 16. Click here for all dates.

"The show will feature a range of specially conceived and crafted instruments, among them a bespoke pipe organ that accepts digital information and a 30 foot pendulum that harnesses the earth’s gravitational pull to create musical patterns," reads MIF's site.

Cool 2.0.

No word yet when this unorthodox set gets a conventional drop date.