Bjork – Volta

Wanderlust!

Bjork’s latest release Volta llustrates her undeniable uniqueness, lyrically and vocally. Her work has always been imaginative and fanciful in spirit and Volta is no exception, but the whimsy is tempered throughout with weighty, complex subject matter and a self-awareness that comes from experience.Partially recorded on a boat in Africa and Jamaica as a result of cabin fever, Volta takes flight with the visceral “Wanderlust.” The spirit of adventure inhabits the song with a vibrant orchestration that’s alive. Bjork screams, “Wanderlust! Relentlessly craving,” but balances it with the realization that “Lust for comfort / Suffocates the soul.”

She’s youthful but shows her motherly nature with songs like the vulnerable “My Juvenile,” featuring English singer Antony Hegarty. Over just a sparse string arrangement Bjork sings wistfully, and likely to her son, “Perhaps I set you too free… But the intentions were pure.” “I See Who You Are” sounds gypsy-like, with keyboard, horns, strings and Chinese pipa contributing nicely to the gentle but powerful spirit of the song celebrating living in the moment and the strength of non-sexual love.

In the refreshing “Innocence,” Bjork’s voice is juxtaposed with Timbaland’s beats. It’s almost danceworthy. So is the Timbaland-produced “Earth Intruders,” where Bjork describes the horror and compassion of the “Mud graves / Timber / Morbid trenches” in post-tsunami Indonesia. Set to tribal drums, sounding as if Bjork and company are marching in to save the masses by “Grinding skeptics / Into the soil” with a “Shower of goodness,” it’s hopeful, setting an example of how people should behave.

Love seen through her eyes isn’t just for romantics or the heartbroken; it can be a global event. Bjork lives up to expectations with Volta, showing versatility and depth. Full of odd sounds, the music may not always be melodic, yet Bjork connects emotionally.