Volta
by Björk
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: May 8, 2007
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 317 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 242 out of 317
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 317
  3. Negative: 29 out of 317

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  1. ChrisK
    Oct 2, 2007
    10
    Bjork is my favorite singer of all time. The only problem with her is that she is soo ahead of her time it is ridiculous and that is why alot of people(including myself when i first heard her) don't get her music.... but after seeing her live performing volta i was blown away..... if you want to hear volta at its best download the mp3 of her at coachella 2007.
  2. rheom
    May 9, 2007
    10
    theres nuthin really much to argue about bjorks album; watever bjork does in her carrer I will still support her;shes a legend and I luv her!
  3. OlegV.
    Feb 2, 2009
    10
    Dull Flame Of Desire is an incredibly amazing and touching tune - my favourite in last 5 years. It brings me to tears every time I listen to it (ok, now - not but first 20 listens it did :). I See Who Your Are is another tune here which brings to tears. Declare Independence is an amazing electroindustrial energetic, but Pheumonia is one of her most beautiful "quiet" songs. The whole album Dull Flame Of Desire is an incredibly amazing and touching tune - my favourite in last 5 years. It brings me to tears every time I listen to it (ok, now - not but first 20 listens it did :). I See Who Your Are is another tune here which brings to tears. Declare Independence is an amazing electroindustrial energetic, but Pheumonia is one of her most beautiful "quiet" songs. The whole album is as good as her other work, here are only two songs which did not work for me: Wanderlust and My Juvenile. Interesting a lot of fans claim Wandelust as on the the best :) And I think Innocence is too poppy and has too much of Timbaland but it's fine. Earth Intruders shows a perfect balance betweet Timbaland's and Bjork's producing.… Expand
  4. HarryK
    May 3, 2007
    10
    One of the best albums in many years. I was amazed with some of the songs, 'Declare Independence' being the greatest. This is a keeper!
  5. BM
    May 8, 2007
    10
    I seem to find the joy out of this records that the critics don't. The moments of beauty in this record "The Dull Flame Of Desire" & "Vertebrae by Vertebrae" matched with the ferocity and driven songs as "Innocence" & "Declare Independence" suggest a fond welcome back to the Bjork we all knew from Debut - Homogenic. Impressive record from one of the most important forces in Music today.
  6. juanm
    May 9, 2007
    10
    give it a couple of tries... and then you'll have no scape to its charm
  7. BL
    Jun 2, 2007
    10
    Very human and magnificent.
  8. DiegoR
    May 11, 2007
    10
    Masterpiece
  9. MungoB
    May 11, 2007
    10
    Keep listening and you will see. I'm really digging it but wasn't so sure at first.
  10. ixata
    May 18, 2007
    10
    true bjork's fans will never give this album less than 8- or even 9! this is bjork, not avril, britney, hilary, or any other pop artist!!! definitely a great album, but never quite surpasses medulla n vespertine, for this one's kinda messy, but still mesmerizes with tracks like earth inruders, vertebrae by vertebrae and declare independence. note 2 critics: listen 2 an album 3-5 true bjork's fans will never give this album less than 8- or even 9! this is bjork, not avril, britney, hilary, or any other pop artist!!! definitely a great album, but never quite surpasses medulla n vespertine, for this one's kinda messy, but still mesmerizes with tracks like earth inruders, vertebrae by vertebrae and declare independence. note 2 critics: listen 2 an album 3-5 times with a good audio system, then give reviews :)… Expand
  11. CorneV
    May 19, 2007
    10
    The first time I heard Volta I thought it was just okay. But after several listenings I think it's brilliant. Every tune grows on me. Even the slower songs are amazing (although they were the ones I thought of as just okay in the beginning) Not her best album (I can't decide which one that is...) but certainly a classic!
  12. MikeS
    May 24, 2007
    10
    With Bjork sounding this triumphant, the majesty of her talent here in full force, there
  13. WillT
    May 3, 2007
    10
    Not as good as Medulla, but equally thrilling and wonderous.
  14. CameronS
    May 7, 2007
    10
    Bjork rocks! Earth Intruders is the best single of the year. Buy this instead of your run of the mill pre-teen pop garbage that keeps being released.
  15. RyanJ.
    Jun 18, 2007
    10
    This is most definently one of Björk's best albums. It's magnificently human and ultimately beautiful. As emotionally raw and glorious as 'Homogenic'.
  16. QimmahN
    Jul 17, 2007
    10
    I am a big fan of Volta. But like all of her last 3 albums -it had to grow on me as I grew in my ability to appreciate such a unique musical mind. I truly see her music as an inspirational, heart melting brilliance. She is consistently genius and if you can see that, you just don
  17. lorenas.
    Jul 3, 2007
    10
    Well as this one, bjork has a special feeling of doing different things and it has a reason, her reason, and it's very funny listening different instruments each time every single album and real satisfactory to listening something weird and hard to digestion, just for some of us
  18. KhalidB
    Aug 12, 2007
    10
    First time i listened through the cd, i thought it was a complete dissapointment, then i listened it again, it was possibly one of the most amazing things ive listened to this year (besides The Con,Ga Ga Ga,Maths and English etc.) i think a high light is the duets with Anthony, it showed how much emotion she can sing with, it was soo haunting, so original, it almost brought a year to my First time i listened through the cd, i thought it was a complete dissapointment, then i listened it again, it was possibly one of the most amazing things ive listened to this year (besides The Con,Ga Ga Ga,Maths and English etc.) i think a high light is the duets with Anthony, it showed how much emotion she can sing with, it was soo haunting, so original, it almost brought a year to my eye when i first heard the song, it was soo amazing. Bjork, good job, another great success. I hope you put the dull flame on your greatest hits cd (which i expect will be out in the following years)… Expand
  19. ykii
    Jun 24, 2011
    10
    Fantastic, massive, true, limitless, full of hope, full of energy... Volta has a beauty in not a normal way, it lives not in you ,but, through you, all around you... It`s eternal like energy itself.
  20. vicxxx
    Jan 22, 2015
    10
    I love this album, it is not one of her best but also it is still bad because of it, declare independence is the best oh god music I want to go crazy when I hear this song, björk is the best.
  21. jasonhicks23
    Mar 2, 2015
    10
    I honestly cannot believe that people call this her worst album when Biophilia exists. This is the one that got me introduced to her work and I find it funny that people say "stay away from this album if you want to start listening to her! Terrible introductory album." To each their own, I guess.
  22. CharlieGray
    Sep 10, 2015
    10
    This album it's soooooo good. Not my favourite by Björk, but it stills being amazing.
    Freaking amazing, just as she wants to.
    ........................
  23. melanieuk
    Jan 28, 2016
    10
    Declare independence
    Don't let them do that to you
    Declare independence
    Don't let them do that to you
    Justice
    Start your own currency
    Make your own stamp
    Protect your language
  24. arteanjo
    Dec 18, 2016
    10
    O melhor álbum da Björk sem dúvida nenhuma, não possui nenhuma falha. Uma pena ser esquecido pelos fãs pela sonoridade mais puxada ao pop e produções de Timbaland e Danja.
  25. triangles19
    Jul 24, 2017
    10
    Volta is the pop-album of Björk's discography. Each song have a different volume. From the slowest intimate ballad ("Pneumonia"), to the biggest electronic dance rhythms ("Declare Independence"), the album is the reflect of the human feelings rainbow. "Vertebrae To Vertebrae" is a highlight in her discography.
  26. Tchierbatsky
    Dec 2, 2020
    10
    Mostly of the songs have a nice miss of sounds and instruments , lirycly it's embrace a more wide range of subjects and is poetically crafted to assure the reality and the fantastic of the Bjork universe that in each sound never goes pedantic.
  27. k.
    May 10, 2007
    9
    I think the only Ms. step Bjork made on this album was proclaiming it 'pop' and setting up false expectations. 'Volta' is one step away from 'Drawing Restrant #9' and three steps away from 'Vespertine'. Gorgeous, challenging and strange.
  28. LeoF
    May 8, 2007
    9
    Bjork's albums were never easy and this one is probably her most difficult yet. Definitely, not for everyone.
  29. triumphofaheart
    May 8, 2007
    9
    fantastic
  30. JeromeF
    May 9, 2007
    9
    Volta is a fantastic effort. It covers so much ground (emotionally and musically) so it can seem scattered. And it kind of is, which is one of it's few downfalls. It is so nice to hear something exuberant (aside from the calm ones of course) after the beautiful sweeping Vespertine and experimental vocal Medulla. Volta kicks off with a jungle-inspired, fun track, called "Earth Volta is a fantastic effort. It covers so much ground (emotionally and musically) so it can seem scattered. And it kind of is, which is one of it's few downfalls. It is so nice to hear something exuberant (aside from the calm ones of course) after the beautiful sweeping Vespertine and experimental vocal Medulla. Volta kicks off with a jungle-inspired, fun track, called "Earth Intruders." This is one of the better songs on the album, and I was dancing around when I heard it, but then the 1 minute+ brass outro, while pretty, completely through me off. And so begins the 8-track downfall. the tracks are all fine, but I dislike how they are all strung together by little nature sounds. It's kind of sweet at first, then you realize "wait... if I want to just listen to one song, I'll get this annoying, unmatching outro." And if theyre not strung together in a way, they end PRECISELY when the next one starts. This works well once ("Dull Fame" to "Innocence") but overall this stringing bothers me. "Wanderlust" and "Innocence" are two of my favorites, and the former may rank among her best songs ever. "Dull Flame of Desire" is beautiful, but I will only listen to it's 7.5-minute structure sometimes when I listen to the album as a whole. From "I See Who You Are" and "Pneumonia," Volta takes a bit of a slowdown, losing some melodic power. These songs are very beautifully crafted though, which makes up for it's bridging. The song I dislike highly is "Hope." It has a terribly trying-too-hard-to-be-political scheme about it ("What's the lesser of two evils, if a suicide bomber made to look pregnant, hits her target or not?") I think it's the worst line on the album. But, then we're saved, by one of the best tracks I've ever heard, "Declare Independence." An industrial-sounding, powerful shouting song where it's repetition works in it's favor. The album closes with the "okay" song "My Juvenile." It's nice, but I don't love it as much as the others. Overall, Volta is not her best album, by FAR. But it's a nice sign that Bjork is not settling down any time soon, and she'll be back with something different (as always) in a few years.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Most Discussed Album of 2007
19
#19 Most Shared Album of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Rolling Stone
    70
    Volta is arguably Bjork's loosest and most ruminative record, and though it touches on everything she's ever done, it's not as gripping or coherent as her best stuff.
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  2. Observer Music Monthly
    70
    Listen intently, repeatedly, and you'll hear much to widen your consciousness... But listen for, you know, enjoyment and you'll be left wanting.
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  3. Slant Magazine
    70
    Every song on Volta sounds like it was birthed in no fewer than 10 months, if not five years. "Fun" hardly has an opportunity to enter the picture when Björk's now seemingly permanent fastidiousness remains her métier.
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