Bjork – Voltaic
July 2, 2009
I wasn’t that crazy about Bjork’s last studio album, Volta, so I was less than enthuiastic about her current release, Voltaic, a live album recorded in one take at a London studio shortly before her 2007 Glastonbury appearance. It may have been that either I didn’t really get Volta when I listened to it, or else I just really prefer the five live interpretations included among the eleven tracks here, which comprise the live set she had worked out for her Volta tour. At any rate, it’s no exaggeration to say that Voltaic is one of Bjork’s very best albums, and a rich and inspired summation of everything that has earned her a worldwide following since her days with the Sugarcubes and throughout her solo career: Grandly scaled, restlessly experimental electronica mixed with pop, coupled with an overarching intelligence and wit, and that powerful, distinctive voice of hers. Oh, Bjork, I will never doubt you again. Standout cuts: “Wanderlust,” “Hunter,” “Pagan Poetry” and “Declare Independence.”
