"Since I was a child, singing and writing melodies have always been
quite a solitary process," Bjork says. "More and more, since I've
become savvier on the computer, I spend perhaps 90% of the time working
on the album alone. So, collaborations are the treat at the end of the
stick.
"With every collaborator, there is a completely
different method," she continues. "It is probably part of my
philosophy, a little romantic, I know, that one of the main targets is
to communicate, to merge. Then magic happens-when one plus one becomes
three. It is easy to do solo albums where you play absolutely every
noise, but merging is tricky. It takes courage to let go like that."
Yet no matter who Bjork works with, she still enjoys
following the beats and rhythms of her own beautifully off-kilter drum.
The array of musical instruments on "Volta" encompasses a Chinese lute,
French horns, a brass band and, Bjork being Bjork, major slabs of
electronic programming. Aggressive instrumentation intertwines with
suspenseful cinematic rushes, but there are also quiet and meditative
moments like "Pneumonia," which builds and builds with no release.
Bjork says she wrote the song at the piano in one take, after seeing
the film "Pan's Labyrinth" -- and after having pneumonia for two weeks.
"There is a physical sadness to wheezing away with that disease," she says. That, coupled with "the determination of the little girl in that film to believe in her imagination, whatever it took, even though no one believed her," struck a chord with the singer. A few days later, the song was recorded with seven horn players.
While lyrics on "Volta" frequently veer toward motherhood and religion, other tracks could very well have been ripped from today's headlines. One of the latter -- the war-themed "Earth Intruders" -- recently made headlines of its own. One of three Timbaland collaborations on "Volta," it became the first Bjork track to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 in 13 years, since "Big Time Sensuality" in 1994. Though its chart visit was fleeting (one week, attributed to 16,000 download sales), "Earth Intruders" is being spun by 31 modern rock stations.
But whether exposure for the single translates into sales for "Volta" and helps turn around the downward slide of each of Bjork's past solo studio albums, remains to be seen. Her solo debut, 1993's "Debut," sold 918,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "Post," issued in 1995, has sold 810,000 units. "Homogenic" (1997) stands at 501,000 sold, "Vespertine" (2001) at 402,000 and "Medulla" (2004) at 235,000.
Still, Bjork's label is optimistic that this trend can be reversed-and for good reason. Her head-turning performances on "Saturday Night Live" (April 21) and at Coachella (April 28) have been widely covered. She has just commenced a yearlong global tour, and her online activity is up. Video of her Coachella Festival 2007 (Earth Intruders)
Embedding of the official video was disabled by request on youtube. But here is the link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wioa74MsBYA
And for the first time, Bjork has agreed to license her catalog for ringtone and video ringer use. "This offers additional ways for us to get her music out there," Venable says.
While the label execs focus on extending Bjork's reach, the singer herself remains focused on her music. "One of the reasons I have headspace on this album to take on issues like the Earth, suicide bombers and so on is possibly because all things are pretty good at home right now -- as good as it gets."
This album grows on you. At first listen i just got my hopes down but while listening to it more I just came to love it. Great album, another great album by bjork. Her voice is wonderfull and her songs all got something in them that sticks with you. One of her better albums.
One thing which i do like Bjork since her Sugarcube days is that she is a unique artist. Her eccentricity in performance and bringing out her songs are just mindblowing. Her voice is just unbelievable and she is so cherubic looking!! She stands out. by the way thanks for visiting my site
I like her previous records, even whit The Sugarcubes, but i can't really stand her huge ambition since Medulla ( obviously the same happens with Volta ). I love her pop skills. Who is Bjork right now?. Who does she want to look like? Enyway, she's still a genius.
Podria agregar algo más en español pero dudo que se me entienda. Kind regards. Gustavo
