Before Volta was released, I read a press release from the record company that said they were really looking forward to the release of the album and it was the most mainstream and commercially accessible album she’d put out to date. And then I listened to it, as did my friend, who provided the above quote. I’m not sure if it’s accessible or not, but I do know I’m not a fan of this latest effort.

I have a great admiration for Debut, Post, and Homogeneic; I absolutely loved Medulla. Each of those albums have a sense of excitement and fresh ideas about them. But Volta doesn’t. There are a few neat tracks, but even my favourite song on the album (“Innocense”) sounds like something that could have been taken from one of her earlier albums. They must have hoped that Timbaland would have helped boost album sales, but he’s nothing really special on this album. Including Antony Hegarty (from Antony and The Johnsons) is an interesting choice, but his vocals are very specific and don’t blend with Björk at all, which might be the point but doesn’t make me like it any better. Another thing that really irks me is the cd package: needing to peel off a sticker every time you have to open the cd is really user-unfriendly.

Overall, Volta is flat, boring, and at times, unlistenable. A few good tracks don’t make up for it.

Notable Tracks: Earth Intruders (until the end); Innocence.

I only really like a few of the songs so far, but this was a pleasant surprise because I DID NOT like Medulla and was worried that Bjork had lost it completely. The duets are definitely scary, but I like some of the tracks like ‘Vertebrae by Vertebrae” and “Earth Intruders” and “Declare Independence.”

Her style has definitely made changes throughout the years, but I still love her as a musician. :)

Well, I listened to Volta and I have to say; I am disappointed. There were 2 songs I thought were OK but nothing stood out as interesting or beautiful. In fact most of the album was, dare I say, awful. I have almost all of Bjork’s CD’s and this one is by far the worst. There is nothing new here which isn’t so bad. However, the duet tracks are the worst. Not my cup of tea. One thing I do like is the amazing color photograph booklet on the inside of the CD. WOW, these are beautiful, vibrant photographs. I am going to see her live this Saturday and I’m sure the show will be fantastic as long as she performs a healthy amount of older material. Nevertheless, I’m optimistic the show will be fun. Fingers crossed ;)

You think that after being gone for quite a while, Bjork’d have some fresh stuff for the new album – but no. Tracks sound the same. She’s fallen into the regurgitation trap and can’t quite get out. Being a longtime fan I was really excited about Volta …but after half a dozen well-meaning listens I think this one’s gonna go back onto the shelves.