As I listened to Volta for what may have been the hundredth time, I found myself musing about how difficult it is to review music that has become an institution.  I can still remember a time when Bjork’s every move was startling, a bizarre rustling among the leaves.  Nowadays it’s more difficult; you listen to a Bjork record and think, “This sounds exactly like a Bjork record.”  And so it goes with Volta.  Bjork’s voice is as feyborn as ever, still reaches soaring, shrieking heights, and the musical backdrop for her endearing vocal oddities is still a 21st Century fantasy of space-age exotica, but there’s nothing hear that really manages to take hold, shake you by the lapels, and surprise you.  If you know what Bjork sounds like, you know what Volta sounds like.  There aren’t any missteps here, but there isn’t any bold marching outside the lines either.

Two side notes:

1. Volta has some interesting packing that doesn’t quite work.  Basically, the disc comes in a digipack that is held shut by a vinyl sticker.  Unfortunately, the sticker starts to curl at the edges, ruining the aesthetic interest of what would otherwise be a noteworthy gimmick.
2. Antony of Antony and the Johnsons appears on not one, but two tracks.  Has anyone else noticed that this guy is everywhere lately?

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