VOLTA Review
July 4th 2008 02:49
VOLTA
If you’ve never heard her before when you first listen to Bjork I’d suggest you imagine you’re experiencing a conceptual opera or theatre production. Something you have to close your eyes to look at.
Whatever you may think of Icelandic singer/songwriter and some-time actor Bjork you have to accept she’s an original artist with a unique aesthetic, and these days, among the mainstream dolly-girls with their quivering hips and glossy lips she can seem like a creature from another planet.
Bjork has a remarkably strong voice and really pitches her notes in an openly emotional way, so there are times when it sounds like she could be screaming but she’s got such good well defined pitch you know she’s not – then there are times when she does scream for effect, and it sends chills up the spine.
The bitter-sweet resonance in her voice on tracks like ‘I see who you are’ with its oriental backing is greatly effective. It really delivers a profound sensibility to the lyric which involves looking at a child and knowing this child will age and ultimately die, so embracing the moment is part of the underlying story the song is telling. Ultimately this is a positive song even though it acknowledges the sad realities of being mortal.
‘Vertebrae by vertebrae’ has a slight Weimaresque quality to it, and again it requires careful and accepting neutrality from the listener. Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) joins her on ‘Juvenile’ and ‘The Dull Flame of Desire’ with his enigmatically superior vocal style. The two of them together make a fine pair. Never content to sing solo, Bjork often sings against a tape of herself, so here with another voice of such fine distinction it’s a rare treat.
Volta is a stunning album full of drama, impact, poetry and skill; probably an acquired taste for those who have never listened to her because there’s a drawn out artistry involved in the creation of the music with many layers of sound integrated into the style. It would be easy to write Bjork off as some kind of punk with her shouting and mechanical beats and sonic blasts of noise, but there’s great emotional depth here and if you give yourself the time to appreciate the overall concept of Volta, you may just discover a wealth of new material you’ve never considered before.
If you’ve never heard her before when you first listen to Bjork I’d suggest you imagine you’re experiencing a conceptual opera or theatre production. Something you have to close your eyes to look at.
Whatever you may think of Icelandic singer/songwriter and some-time actor Bjork you have to accept she’s an original artist with a unique aesthetic, and these days, among the mainstream dolly-girls with their quivering hips and glossy lips she can seem like a creature from another planet.
Bjork has a remarkably strong voice and really pitches her notes in an openly emotional way, so there are times when it sounds like she could be screaming but she’s got such good well defined pitch you know she’s not – then there are times when she does scream for effect, and it sends chills up the spine.
The bitter-sweet resonance in her voice on tracks like ‘I see who you are’ with its oriental backing is greatly effective. It really delivers a profound sensibility to the lyric which involves looking at a child and knowing this child will age and ultimately die, so embracing the moment is part of the underlying story the song is telling. Ultimately this is a positive song even though it acknowledges the sad realities of being mortal.
‘Vertebrae by vertebrae’ has a slight Weimaresque quality to it, and again it requires careful and accepting neutrality from the listener. Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) joins her on ‘Juvenile’ and ‘The Dull Flame of Desire’ with his enigmatically superior vocal style. The two of them together make a fine pair. Never content to sing solo, Bjork often sings against a tape of herself, so here with another voice of such fine distinction it’s a rare treat.
Volta is a stunning album full of drama, impact, poetry and skill; probably an acquired taste for those who have never listened to her because there’s a drawn out artistry involved in the creation of the music with many layers of sound integrated into the style. It would be easy to write Bjork off as some kind of punk with her shouting and mechanical beats and sonic blasts of noise, but there’s great emotional depth here and if you give yourself the time to appreciate the overall concept of Volta, you may just discover a wealth of new material you’ve never considered before.
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