Volta

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Pop quiz: What’s Björk’s highest-ranking release on the US album charts? It would take either a superfan—or, perhap, a 2000s trivia wiz—to guess <i>Volta</i>, the singer’s magnificently unruly 2007 opu. Before its release, Björk told the press she wanted to make something less serious this time around—an album that wa, in her word, “full-bodied and really up.” As alway, Björk had her own counterintuitive ideas of how to get to where she wanted. She reached out to Timbaland, the hitmaker known for waving his far-out production wand over superstars like JAŸ-Z, Aaliyah, and Missy Elliott. At the time, Timbaland was fresh off the multi-platinum triumph of Justin Timberlake’s <i>FutureSex/LoveSounds</i>; as a result, some listeners assumed his involvement would push Björk to the center of the pop zeitgeist. In the end, Timbaland’s name only shows up on a handful of <i>Volta</i> track. But he <i>does</i> help the album get off with a literal bang, thanks to the clattering, richly textured stomp of “Earth Intruder.” It’s a bracing swing away from the glacial, stately vocalizations of Björk’s 2004 album, <i>Medúlla</i>. And while “Earth Intruders” may have taken some Björk fans by surprise, the singer reminded Pitchfork that the tune was rooted to her musical past. “I mean, I love rhythm,” she said. “I started an all-girl punk band when I was 14 and I was the drummer, not the singer.” .

via Apple Music

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