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Volta | 
 enlarge | Artist: Bjoerk
Label: Atlantic / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $14.99
You Save: $4.99 (25%)
New (52) Used (27) from $4.62
Rating:  133 reviews
Sales Rank: 8844
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 135868
UPC: 075678998980
EAN: 0075678998980
ASIN: B000NVIXFA
Release Date: May 8, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Earth Intruders | | • | Wanderlust | | • | The Dull Flame Of Desire | | • | Innocence | | • | I See Who You Are | | • | Vertebrae By Vertebrae | | • | Pneumonia | | • | Hope | | • | Declare Independence | | • | My Juvenile |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Bjoerk's main asset as a musician is her fearlessness. Since the end of The Sugarcubes and the pop-dance of Debut, she has released progressively more experimental records. But after well over a decade of going further and further out, Volta steps back. Make no mistake; this is Bjoerk, and so it's still fabulously weird. Like 2004's mesmerizing Medulla and the 2005 soundtrack for Drawing Restraint 9, the songs are blissfully peculiar, with narratives about love, offspring, aliens...you name it. Yet melodically and philosophically, Volta recycles more than it innovates; the driving pulse of "Declare Independence," for instance, reminds us of Homogenic's "Pluto," and the lead single "Earth Intruders" sounds like Post's "Army of Me" on steroids. And just as Medulla oriented itself around a certain instrument--the human voice--this one concentrates on horns. Still, the transition between her early work and the avant-garde bender she's been on since Vespertine is pretty harrowing, and it's satisfying to hear Bjoerk revisit her more accessible self. Uber-producer Timbaland pitches in here and there, most successfully on "Innocence," which uses a fat, disjointed pulse to drive the euphoric vocals forward. Elsewhere, the hyperactive sitar sample on "I See Who You Are" provides texture for the song's theme of enjoying each other while there's still "flesh on our bones." And "Pneumonia" makes fantastic use of the horn section with a soft arrangement that compliments the song's lyrical melody. So while it's a bit of a stall, Volta is a lovely pause. It reminds us how much we appreciate the laboratory of Bjoerk's imagination, but also how much we missed her back when she was just goofing around. -Matthew Cooke
Album Description
Bjork returns to her iconic, innovative and rhythmic roots with Volta. Featuring her own infamous beats and collaborations with Timbaland, Antony Hegarty, Brian Chippendale and an all-female Icelandic brass section, the end result is an explosion of beats and an amalgamtion of sound and visuals that give Volta a life of its own, like the world hasn't seen from Bjork in years.
Album Description
Bjoerk returns to her iconic, innovative and rhythmic roots in 2007 with Volta - her sixth studio album, and the first to feature the Icelandic artist's infamous beats since Vespertine. Volta was produced and written entirely by Bjoerk herself, featuring contributions and collaborations from the likes of Timbaland, Antony Hegarty (of Antony and The Johnsons), Brian Chippendale (from Lightning Bolt), and also includes appearances from an all female Icelandic brass section and Chinese pipa players. The end result is an explosion of beats, and an amalgamation of sound and visuals that give Volta a life of its own like the world hasn't seen from Bjoerk in years.Bjoerk will be launching her first world tour since 2003 to support Volta, beginning with a headlining performance at Coachella. Bjoerk has also confirmed various festival appearances throughout 2007 including Coachella, Glastonbury, Werchter and Roskilde. Bjoerk makes her triumphant return to radio in April with the first single, Earth Intruders (featuring a collaboration from Timbaland).
Album Details
Produced by Timbaland and featuring Two Duets with Antony (Antony and the Johnsons) and a Collaboration with Rhode Island's Lightning Bolt. Includes the Bonus Track "i See who You Are" (Mark Bell Mix).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 128 more reviews...
 One half star August 12, 2008
Where to begin? I managed to get through most of the songs, but had to skip through parts of some. The Dull Flame of Desire, which I was ready to pronounce the worst Bjork song ever after listening to it isn't actually the worst Bjork song ever. There are worse songs after it on this disc. It's horrible. While there are times where her singing is vastly improved over Medulla and sounds almost as good as some of Homogenic, the songs themselves are utterly artless at best, and at worst - terribly grating. There is not a good song on this disc. The only good thing I've heard from this period is the Mark Bell remix of I See Who You Are. Although "good" is being really really generous there, it was the one song that didn't make me cringe.
Bjork still has plenty of singing talent which shows here, but the songwriting, lyrically and musically, is at the bottom of the barrel. It can't really get any worse than this. She needs to find a really talented producer, composer, and lyricist who will write the material for her. Her voice is still there. The music isn't.
 Voltage May 20, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Be it not for the little slices of heaven on this LP:
"Declare Independence"
"Earth Intruders"
this collection would be refuse.
Timbaland is a joke. I don't like the way Bjoerk has travelled here.
Be it not for her voice, and the two tunes mentioned, this LP would receive 1 star.
I still love you Ms. Gudmunsdottir, and I look forward to meeting you again, on your next adventure.
 play a volta! May 4, 2008
i have always enjoyed bjork for what she gives to the world through her music. i don't ever want to take her too seriously or overanalyze her. i'm sure she doesn't enjoy that either.
i appreciate her encounters with timbaland, particularly 'innocence'. that song is a lot of fun and i can't wait for the remixes to start spinning at the clubs. it's going to make for some great, saucy dancing!
i also got a huge rise out of the song 'vertebrae by vertebrae'. the insistent stamping and those accents on the second beat are delicious!
Typical Bjork April 21, 2008
I didn't like the duets as they don't have the power of Bjork's other songs. Bkork's songs are strange and moving.
 Bjork's Best Album Since Post April 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the one artist that never ceases to amaze with her originality, creativity and constant experimentation.
Earth Intruders certainly has a killer beat but the real gem here is Declare Independence, an ode to speaking up for your own rights. What makes this song so amazing is the thunderous electro beat that keeps building along with Bjork vocals to finally reach a screeching point that could not be a better representation of the anger that one feels with political apathy in today's society (I guess that is my take on this).
Also not to be missed, the equally brilliant "Innocence". Both songs have been released with some amazing cutting edge remixes but the album mixes are just as brilliant. Bjork remains the one and true original artist of the past 20 years (yeah, the first Sugarcubes album came out 20 years ago)
Be warned though, if you expect an acoustic album similar to Medulla, then this is definetely not the one. The heavy experimental electronic sounds are closer to the remixes that Bjork released from her brilliant Homogeneous album. And yes, you will either love her or hater her, there is no middle ground here.
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