Music Review: Bjork – Volta
The term "artist" is being thrown around loosely these days to describe performers in the music industry (even I'm guilty of it). Mostly, the crafters of our audio entertainment are just musicians trying to make a buck doing what they know and love. Occasionally though, there's someone deserving of the title artist- someone iconic, unabashedly aloof to criticism, universally understood, and constantly reinventing themselves. If anyone fits that description on a worldwide scale, it’s Björk.
Her career, now spanning 30 years (her first professional recording was played on the radio at age 11), has been incredibly successful. But instead of success being a platform for experimentation, it has been quite the opposite- her vast musical imagination magnetizes her fan base. There's no one else that sounds like Björk. Her past solo albums cover an incredible amount of stylistic ground: spiced-up conventional dance (Debut), euro trance (Post), tonal warmth (Homogenic), icy minimalism (Vespertine), and songs constructed entirely of human voice noises (Medulla). But for Volta, she sculpts another masterpiece with clay of heavy rhythms and brass.
This isn't an entirely new direction for her- past efforts with The Sugarcubes were filled with upbeat rhythms. Volta's differences lie in the progression of her world view and a zealousness to encapsulate her human outlook in the lyrics (see "Earth Intruders" and "Declare Independence"). She's been building the framework of this idea since her inspiring performance at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Volta is Björk fully understanding the global reach of her art.
Much has been made about the two high-profile collaborations on Volta. Indie Dramatist Antony's spots on "Dull Flame of Desire" and "My Juvenile" are beautiful, but only in a complementary sense. Hip-Hop Producer Timbaland's contributions are hardly noticeable- you could mistake his grooves for those on any of the more upbeat Björk records. In both cases, Björk's radiance is overwhelmingly overtaking her guests.
The most confusing, yet defining track on this disc is "Wanderlust." Like the melodic equivalent of Magellan, Björk declares that she's "leaving this harbor" and encouraging us to come with her and "peel off the layers" of the world "until we get to the core." To a chorus of proclaiming trumpets and a swirling sea of beats, it's easy to get behind the vision on Volta and recognize her for what she is: not just a musician, a true artist.
What say you?!