“Volta”
Bjork
Atlantic Records
Few musicians march to the beat of their own drummer like Bjork does. Or, in this case, to the beat of multiple drummers. The Icelandic chanteuse opens her new record, “Volta,” with the drums of Konono No.1 and thumping production courtesy of none other than Timbaland. “Earth Intruders,” the album’s first song, demands attention. The problem is that after this first track, you’ve essentially heard the best the album has to offer. With a few exceptions, “Volta” mostly comes off as a hastily constructed album, lacking the cohesion of “Homogenic” and the deceiving complexity of “Vespertine,” Bjork’s two best albums. The album’s lowest point comes in “The Dull Flame of Desire,” an overlong collaboration with Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons. Hegarty and Bjork complement each other poorly, their voices too extreme to mesh.
Yet the album does boast some genuinely great songs. “Innocence,” another track produced by Timbaland, offers a similar heavy beat to “Earth Intruders.” “Hope,” Bjork’s collaboration with kora (an African lute-like instrument) player Toumani Diabate, makes for one of the album’s most surprisingly enjoyable tracks.
That is the bottom line with “Volta” ““ it’s fun to listen to, but infrequently so. Unlike Bjork’s best albums, you’ll find yourself avoiding tracks like “Declare Independence,” a song which is essentially Bjork chanting the same slogan over and over in front of an army of synthesizers. It’s interesting until you realize that there isn’t much to it ““ that it’s really just a half-baked idea masquerading as a song. The unfortunate thing is that, with a few stellar exceptions, “Volta” is basically a half-baked idea masquerading as a Bjork album.
““ Mark Humphrey
E-mail Humphrey at mhumphrey@media.ucla.edu.