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List Price: $32.98 | | Label: Atlantic / Wea
Salesrank: 195999
Released: May 22, 2007 |
| Our Price: $12.70 |
| Used Price: $6.19 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Volta Track Listing:
1. Earth Intruders
2. Wanderlust
3. The Dull Flame Of Desire
4. Innocence
5. I See Who You Are
6. Vertebrae By Vertebrae
7. Pneumonia
8. Hope
9. Declare Independence
10. My Juvenile
Editorial Review:
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. Limited edition includes Volta special packaging, and bonus disc featuring 5.1 surround sound mixes on DVD, complete with lyrics booklet and Volta photos.
Volta Reviews:
Excelent 
2008-12-22 - Is excellent. I recommend it with your eyes closed. The trouble was that my edition came ugly and battered.
Wanderlust!
2007-12-29 - Simply Put: This Album is Wonderful. :D Also, Björk's 'Volta' is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album, up against the albums of Lily Allen, Arcade Fire, The Shins and The White Stripes. How about that! DECLARE INDEPENDENCE!
Save Duets, Another Great Bjork Album 
2007-06-27 - You can't fault anyone who constantly tries new things. It's a sign of growth as well as a sense of adventure. We've always gotten these elements from Scandinavian singer/writer Bjork. Her previous album, Medúlla, was actually so adventurous, so avant-garde, that she most certainly alienated many of her fans. But I've maintained that her solo work is progressive rock in the most strict sense (unlike most of what's called progressive these days) - that she's constantly attempting to move forward, in new directions with her music. What else would you call something like VERTEBRAE BY VERTEBRAE? Is it a coincidence then that the album's title is part of the name of one of the neo-prog groups with more pop influences than prog - The Mars Volta? Curious, indeed. What's surprising to me, is that she's able to keep any of her pop followers at all these days - she doesn't seem too concerned with it.
So perhaps it's no surprise that she's taken a step backward (maybe half a step), into more familiar territory, with VOLTA. In truth, she's still moving forward, but she's collaborated with other musicians and producers who are certainly stuck in the "now". The results aren't always dazzling, but that's the nature of experimentation. As much as I like EARTH INTRUDERS, WANDERLUST, and I SEE WHO YOU ARE, a couple of songs just don't work well. Part of this is the duet with Antony in DULL FLAME OF DESIRE, which goes on much too long. Honestly, I just can't stand his voice, so if you like him, maybe this works for you. I heard Bjork perform this song solo in concert and it was so much better that I can say it's clearly just her choice of duet partner that ruins it for me. It's also the first Bjork song since her days with the Sugercubes that I don't like. Antony also shows up as a manipulated sample in MY JUVENILE, but here it's almost an effect, and as such his rapid vibrato works.
The other song on the album that has troubles is Innocence, which just sounds too trendy to me. But Bjork, like everyone else, has to make money, and this one will probably chart, easily becoming the most likable song on radio if it does. She also gets credit on that one for some creative sample work. DECLARE INDEPENDENCE is a call back to her punk roots and songs like PLUTO. But she makes it fresh, and it's become one of my favorites on VOLTA.
Bjork is an independent, a true visionary, and I hope there's always a place for her in this increasingly commercialistic pop music industry. If you've never been a Bjork fan, this might be a good CD at which to start.
4 stars out of 5.
Turmoil! Carnage! Voltaaaaaa!
2007-05-22 - Before I begin my review, I would like to say this: art is not a fact, it is a personal opinion. So to all of the Björk fans, like myself, do not harass people who are not able to appreciate her music. It doesn't mean they're stupid, it doesn't mean they're ignorant, it doesn't mean they don't know art. Everyone has different opinions and they are entitled to share them. With that said, I will move on...
I had been anticipating the release of this album for what seems like forever. I watched the podcasts and the little "vlips" on YouTube. I checked her website daily. So when the day finally came, I was unbelievably excited. Upon first listen, I was very disappointed. For an album entitled 'Volta,' I was expecting, you know... voltage, energy. I thought this was going to be 100% upbeat. I got the wrong impression. (Mind you, before hearing the whole album, the only songs I had heard were "Earth Intruders" and "Innocence." I resisted downloading the leaked version.) I'd say the albumn is half up-tempo and the other half is composed of slower songs.
I was ready to post a three star review on here, but instead, I chose to give it another listen. The initial shock was now gone, and I was able to appreciate 'Volta' for what it is. I was looking for the raw energy in all the wrong places. I was looking at the surface and thought that just becuase the LP is not all fast-paced, that it lacked in charge. But what I realized the second time around was that the energy is here, in the emotion that Björk delivers with each note and lyric she sings. Björk's vocals are better than ever on here, the production is superb, the lyrics are amazing and the brass ensemble adds shockingly beautiful elements to this tribal album. This is arguably Björk's most well-rounded work to date; it has the fun and mainstream elements of Debut, the experimentation of Post, the raw emotion of Homogenic, the softness of Vespertine and the primitive, tribal elements of Medulla. Wow! I would review song by song, but I'll keep it short.
Now, don't get me wrong. There are still one or two dull patches throughout the album and it will take even more getting used to... but when all is said and done, 'Volta' is another excellent, beautiful piece of work to add to Björk's discography. If you are a fan of hers', this is a must-have. If you are not, I still encourage you to take a chance and try this out. I did so with her last album, Medulla, and I do not regret it. Well done, Björk!
*The limited edition has a thicker case. (It's the same material used for the original digipak, though.) The packaging and contents is a bit different and expanded from the normal edition. The two flaps are held together with a slightly larger sticker, with a gold outline instead of the regular white. It has the CD and a DVD with the album in 5.1 and DTS. The discs are not contained in any plastic tray, but rather in a puzzle of little boxes/sleeves. There are 5 cardboard sleeves. Each one has a photo of Björk with the flame letters like the ones in the standard edition booklet and the back of the sleeves are all funky, Volta-ish colors. They diminish in size with each one and in the last sleeve are two thin, paper, orange and red sleeves that hold the discs. This edition also has a different booklet. There are no pictures in it, since they're already on the cardboard sleeves, so there's more room for the lyrics. Each song has its own page. Hope that helped. To me, it was definitely worth the purchase and I think any Björk fan who likes Volta will be satisfied.*
