| From the gothy punk of KUKL to the arty rock of The Sugarcubes, from the electronic pop of Post to the dark spaciousness of Homogenic, it has always been difficult to predict Björk’s musical direction. So her last project before this one, an experimental soundtrack for the film Drawing Restraint 9, gave little hint as to what we should expect from Volta.
Then, a few weeks before the Volta’s release date, "Earth Intruders" drops as the album’s first single. Marching, clean-edged beats bobble alongside the singer’s quirky and distinct voice. The track thumps along with a poppy passion that Björk has not exhibited since the early 1990s. On "Earth Intruders", Björk is joined by famed producer Timbaland and his signature tread covers most of the song. His presence is unmistakable as heavy beats and waving keys clearly mark the producer’s influence. If there is a radio hit on Volta, this is it.
"Earth Intruders" is the album’s opener, but by the time the second track hits, it is clear that the preceding song does not accurately depict the sound of the album. This is because Volta is ever-changing. It is an album of different moods. It is an album of bouncing rhythms, an album of screaming manifestos, and an album of introspective awarenesses.
As poppy as "Earth Intruders" is, Volta is not an album that looking to get a nod of approval from the radio masses. The slow climb of the third track, entitled "Dull Flame of Desire", affirms this. Once again, Björk is collaborating with another artist; vocalist Antony Hegarty. Antony’s singing, hollow and androgynous, complements Björk’s sweet cries perfectly and the shared cadence of the two singers is punctuated and underlined by steadily growing beats built by Lightning Bolt drummer Brian Chippendale.
Other guests on the album are just as noteworthy. Mark Bell, whose band LFO helped launched the famed Warp Records in 1990, makes an appearance on Volta. As does session drummer Chris Corsano. Icelandic poet Sjón lends his pen to the track "Wanderlust". Min Xiao-Fen’s pipa playing adds a beautiful delicacy to "I See Who You Are". And Toumani Diabaté’s kora plucks its way to the forefront of "Hope".
While many of the songs on this album are solid in their own right, Volta is a disjointed affair overall. Perhaps due to the diversity of the guest artists, the songs on this album contrast each other to a high degree. The angelic harmonizing of the aforementioned "Dull Flame of Desire", for example, is abruptly knocked off track when the follow-up track, "Innocence", begins to romp. Later, the electro-pump of "Declare Independence" drops out in favor of the significantly softer "My Juvenile". Björk has released past albums that were just as diverse. Debut and Post, for example, both moved through a number of different sonic explorations. But the songs on these albums were arranged in such a manner that the variety worked. There are thematic elements that run through Volta; the tribal rhythms, layered wind instruments, and Björk’s vocal prowess. And all of these pieces reprise often enough to tie opposing tracks together, but the thread is thin when compared to similar achievements on past albums. Still, the strength of the individual songs outweigh any stress caused by the disruption of flow and Volta, while not Björk’s best album, is certainly one to consider picking up. Reviewed
by: Richie Corelli
Comments? Discuss this review in the forum |
