The Last Word: Did Björk Mar “Volta”?

Every week, we round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. Today’s entry is Björk’s just-released Volta, and as you can expect, these excerpts are wordier than usual.

– “The disc’s problems, unfortunately, are more than a matter of poor percussion. ‘The Dull Flame of Desire,’ for instance, featuring warbling guest vocalist Antony Hegarty of New York-based avant-pop faves Antony and the Johnsons, begins strong, with the album’s prettiest horn melody. But the song’s title becomes all too appropriate as the duo tease and mangle the same refrain — ‘I love your eyes, my dear’ — over and over with increasing theatricality. The sappy vamping is so excessive that even Björk’s beautiful voice grows tiresome. At that point, not even the hottest beat would help. B-” [Entertainment Weekly]

– “In the end, though, those golden moments are too few and far between, and the slow, unfurling, lingering moments too long. If the critical and fan response to this album reflects that of the fascinatingly eccentric (but largely maligned) Medúlla, I’ll be curious to see how she responds. Until then, Volta is mostly proof that Björk is as fallible as the messy, unpredictable humanity she celebrates, and that even her definition of “pop” is avant-garde. [Rating: 5.8]” [Pitchfork]

– “Björk’s collaborators on “Volta” are eclectic to a fault: the Congolese group Konono No. 1, which plays amplified kalimbas; the frantic drummer Brian Chippendale, of the American duo Lightning Bolt; a ten-piece all-female Icelandic brass band; and a Chinese pipa player, among others. This musical solicitude is a testament to Björk’s fearless curiosity, but her restlessness can be wearying. When disparate teams of musicians attempt to realize one musician’s ideas, every song becomes yet another stone turned over rather than one put in place. On Volta, melodic motifs rarely repeat the way they do in most songs, and many of Björk’s vocal performances feel like improvisations.” [The New Yorker] – Speaking of Volta, remember when that music blog ran an incorrect picture of its cover? That was mad stupid.” [Idolator]