[MUSIC] Björk, Volta

[rfmcdonald]

The ongoing riots in Tibet have made the possibility of Björk having anything to do with the People's Republic of China ever again after her association of "Declare Independence" with Tibet in Shanghai even more unlikely. This is a pity for the Chinese, since her latest album Volta is quite listenable, her best album since the difficult but compelling Homogenic. Very much a revisiting of some of the themes of Post, Volta manages to avoid being little more than a remix album thanks to some very interesting creative collaborations. "Declare Independence", with its unusual percussion and shouted lyrics and revisiting of the theme of "Army of Me" remains the standout track for me, but the duet "The Dull Flame of Desire" with Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons fame is an interesting sort of torch song and "Earth Intruders" is just so wonderfully catchy.