eleven said:

I like cock!

unkemptpueblo said:

Thanks for these. I've been eager to see.

New Yorker Review
Army of Two
New albums from Tori Amos and Björk.
by Sasha Frere-Jones

May 7, 2007

By the time Tori Amos was thirty, she had been through several drafts of a career. A child piano prodigy, she was the youngest person ever to attend the Peabody Conservatory of Music, in Baltimore. (She was five when she auditioned.) In her early twenties, she was the lone woman in a rock band called Y Kant Tori Read. (The group released a single album, which sold fewer than ten thousand copies.) In 1992, after some wrangling with Atlantic Records, whose executives were apparently dubious about the commercial potential of what they called “this girl-at-her-piano thing,” she released a solo album, “Little Earthquakes,” on which she sang about Christianity, body image, and, in the remarkable song “Me and a Gun,” rape, often with the force and sometimes even the sound of her idol, Robert Plant. “Little Earthquakes” was the first in a series of albums by Amos which helped prove that a girl at her piano could make songs that were as artistically complex and, sometimes, just as popular as those of a shaggy boy with an electric guitar.

A year later, the Icelandic musician Björk released her first solo album, “Debut.” Like Amos, Björk had recently left a rock band full of men, the Sugarcubes, a successful independent group and the fourth she had been in since she started playing piano and singing publicly, at the age of eleven. Björk’s main instrument is her voice, a glassy, elastic alto with the sonic power and range of an electric guitar. She found inspiration in dance music and the electronic instruments used to make it, increasingly avoiding anything resembling a traditional rhythm section. Amos’s music draws on the baroque songwriting and melodramatic vocals of Kate Bush and the long, expert melodies of Joni Mitchell, and she favors a lineup of bass, guitar, and drums behind her piano.

Amos and Björk are now in their early forties, mothers and artists in a market that has shown little interest in promoting women much over the age of consent, especially avowed feminists who invoke goddesses and (in Björk’s case) will wear a swan in place of a ball gown. Both are releasing new albums this month. Stylistically very different, Amos’s “American Doll Posse” and Björk’s “Volta” are two examples of how a female pop musician can maintain her career without compromising her politics.

In a recent interview with the online magazine Pitchfork, Björk said of “Volta,” “It’s sort of maybe trying to put out some good vibes for the little princesses out there.” She added, “All they want to do is be pretty and find their prince, and I’m, like, what happened to feminism?” Her lyrics are usually less direct. One form her feminism takes is simply ignoring conventional wisdom. Many artists would hesitate to appear on an album cover, as Björk does on “Volta,” in what seems to be an enormous dodo-bird suit covered with a melted sangria candle, especially an attractive woman who could win over all sorts of people by wearing, say, a tighter dodo suit.

The album begins with a rebuke to the White House: “Earth Intruders,” an odd and boisterous song inspired by a visit that Björk made to Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami. There she envisioned a wave of people taking political action, an image that she described to Pitchfork: “Maybe a tsunami of people would just come and hit the White House and scrape it off the ground and do some justice.”

The music for the song was provided by the ubiquitous producer Timbaland, who in 1999 sampled her majestic track “Jóga” for a remix of Missy Elliott’s song “Hit ’Em wit da Hee.” On “Earth Intruders,” Timbaland bisects a clomping dance with nasty synthesizer howls. Björk begins singing in her full-chest voice—one of pop’s most reliably ecstatic stimuli for the past fifteen years. “Turmoil . . . carnage,” she says, dragging out each word. She speaks the chorus at low volume, nestling the words in the blend of live drum sounds and digital cries: “Here come the earth intruders; there’ll be no resistance. We are the cannoneers, necessary voodoo.” “Earth Intruders” alludes only briefly to her Indonesian epiphany: “And the beast with many heads and arms rolling, steamroller.” Björk has no obligation to make her politics explicit, but it’s a shame that she keeps her anger cloaked. (Of her intentions for “Volta,” she has said, “It’s 2007. It’s not some hippie shit—‘go-back-to-your-roots.’ It’s all march forward.”) Had she included one or two specific references—Washington, cowboys, Black Hawk helicopters—“Earth Intruders” could have grown fangs without becoming preachy.

Björk’s collaborators on “Volta” are eclectic to a fault: the Congolese group Konono No. 1, which plays amplified kalimbas; the frantic drummer Brian Chippendale, of the American duo Lightning Bolt; a ten-piece all-female Icelandic brass band; and a Chinese pipa player, among others. This musical solicitude is a testament to Björk’s fearless curiosity, but her restlessness can be wearying. When disparate teams of musicians attempt to realize one musician’s ideas, every song becomes yet another stone turned over rather than one put in place. On “Volta,” melodic motifs rarely repeat the way they do in most songs, and many of Björk’s vocal performances feel like improvisations.

In “Vertebrae by Vertebrae,” the brass band plays a low chord twice, then moves up a whole step to play another chord four times, and then stops. Though you’re hearing a live band, the music has the feel of a loop, like a Steve Reich ostinato slowed way down. Twice, the music dissolves into parallel sheets of sound; Björk’s voice is reproduced electronically, creating a harmonic foam, while the horns play discrete lines. There’s a looped beat in the murk somewhere, though no one seems to be playing to it, and it’s hard to identify a motif, despite a surfeit of melodic material. “Vertebrae” is one of many songs in which Björk—who grew up with the simple populism of punk, and who launched her solo career by exploiting the equally basic populism of dance beats—makes music that has little to do with pop. Several horn passages in “Vertebrae” and “Wanderlust” have a hypnagogic grace, and “Pneumonia,” one of the few tracks not cluttered with sound, presents a gorgeous chamber-music-style arrangement of horns and voice for what could be Björk’s mission statement: “To shut yourself off would be the hugest crime of all.”

Shutting off is not often a problem for Amos. “American Doll Posse” is aggressive and, occasionally, overstated; Amos fans who have complained that they haven’t heard from “the real Tori” in a while will be relieved. In the past three years, Amos has released only one complete album, “The Beekeeper” (2005), which buried her natural vigor under music that occasionally incorporated gospel and R. & B. but in the end was lax and weirdly docile. “American Doll Posse” returns to her music of the nineties: fired-up songs centered on the piano, her robust singing, a rhythm section, and loud guitar playing more indebted to the seventies than to the ohs.

The album title refers to characters that Amos created for the record: Pip, Tori, Clyde, Santa, and Isabel. These women appear on the cover, five Amoses digitally manipulated to occupy a single space. The one called Tori has long, straight red hair and bangs, wears a floor-length dark skirt, and holds a chicken. (The concept owes much to the work of the artist Cindy Sherman.) If you do some research, you can figure out which character sings which track, but this is unnecessary. Amos has always played a variety of characters in her songs; it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that her work is concerned primarily with how different women experience the world. (Amos once said in a television interview that she was elected homecoming queen simply because she had made an effort to talk to all the girls in her high school.)

Amos’s album, like Björk’s, begins with a rebuke to the Bush Administration: “Yo George,” a dirge for piano and voice, in which Amos (as Pip) sings about the “madness of King George” and asks, tremulously, “Where have we gone wrong, America?” She must know that the public-service announcement is a dicey gambit; the song is only eighty-five seconds long. On “Big Wheel,” a rhythmically assured rock song that features a distorted slide guitar, Amos sings as a woman who is claiming her independence: “Baby, I don’t need your cash, mama got it all in hand now.” And in “Secret Spell” she sings to a younger woman, maybe herself: “Jumps at three, tears at thirteen, just turn you around for eighteen wheels in a high heel, just turn you around, sold a dream at twenty-three.” The guitars on “Secret Spell” are reminiscent of songs by R.E.M., a group whose plangent, chiming guitar style has not been reprised in the twenty-first century as often as, say, U2’s has.

Amos’s anger is appealing, especially when she’s parsing gender stereotypes. She takes on the acronym MILF—a term that “Tori” decides she likes—and a more ageless insult, “fat slut,” which becomes a character in a song of the same name. Björk’s concerns on “Volta” tend to be more global, but “Declare Independence,” a brief punk rant, contains a lyric that would work just as well in a song by Amos: “Declare independence. Don’t let them do that to you. Make your own flag. Raise your flag!”

http://www.stardoll.com/e...Bjork.html


Bjork's a paperdoll...doesn't really look like her too much, but I'm just surprised that she's on the list. They have a lot of celebs. to choose from....even Lily Allen. Lily's adorable too. I'm enjoying reading this thread btw.

I'm surprised more people haven't listened to this yet.

Bjork rocks!

I couldn't care less about Bjork, but you're hot, so I'm going to support your threads from now on.

Imago said:

Oh God!

Podcasts #3 and 4:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...E-cZB84Yk4

http://streamos.atlrec.co...unes_4.m4v

I was so fortunate to hear both the new Tori and Bjork releases courtesy of my two fabulous friends in my post~surgery drug induced state. A perfect venue for both although for vastly different experiences. Love them both! And, thank you sweet friends for bringing a great time to a girl in recovery.

MoonSongs said:

You!

I'll remember our time together for the rest of my life. It was truly special.

And I wish I could take drugs and listen to Volta!

MikeMatronik said:

MoonSongs said:

it was fun!

Dayspring said:

It probably sucked ass for her, but it was nice having her there.

http://unit.bjork.com/images/coachella/

eleven said:

Thanks

Will setlists be posted on here?

sextonseven said:

Is your show tonight?

GangstaFam said:

The pain was relentless but the caring and attention was so much appreciated and all of the media was great!

MoonSongs said:

Ya know, I'm always glad to help. Hope I did a good job.

GangstaFam said:

It was.

sextonseven said:

REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW

IstenSzek said:

Very quickly:

I purposely kept myself clueless about this album and tour beforehand. I knew Timbaland and Antony were collaborators and I vaguely remember someone mentioning horns, but I honestly forgot about that part until the show actually began. And I heard only the 30 second snippet of "Earth Intruders" on Björk's myspace page. That's the extent of what I knew about Volta going in.

My first reaction was the colors--very bold, all bright reds and blues and neon greens--good for the stage (bad for the t-shirt designs ). The music was very tribal and primitive. The musicians were a drummer, some electronic guys, one keyboardist and a full brass section from Iceland (which doubled as a choir on some tracks). Hearing some classics reinterpreted with all those horns sounded very cool.

Setlist:

Earth Intruders

Venus as a Boy - Performed with the keyboardist only--very nice.

Aurora

I See Who You Are

Oceania

Dull Flame of Desire - Duet with Antony. Björk introduced him and was looking the other way for him to come onstage then he surprised her by suddenly appearing behind her. She yelped "There you are!" and almost jumped out of her shoes (was she wearing any?).

All Is Full Of Love - The brass section sounded awesome on this one.

Pleasure Is All Mine

Pagan Poetry - The brass section sang the background parts during the a cappella interlude.

Jóga

Where Is The Line - Nice to hear this one with instruments!

Army of Me - Friggin' amazing! The single most incredible moment of the night! It was performed with green lasers that had the appearance of ricocheting throughout the theater--it was like watching Björk perform a song for Star Wars. This rates as one of my favorite top five concert experiences ever.

Innocence

Wanderlust

Pluto - Also done with lasers.

encore

Anchor Song

Declare Independence - Again with the lasers which were losing their effectiveness by this time for me. The brass section was cute waving their little flags for this number. I thought the end was a little anti-climactic. There was no big hit to close out the show. Still overall the concert was very, very good. 80 minutes.

i LOVE this album!

GangstaFam said:

i'll be getting both! love these women. slightly more partial to Björk though.

sextonseven said:

that sounds absolutely awesom! thank you for your review!
i can't wait till i see her live on july 8.

Entertainment Weekly review

http://www.ew.com/ew/arti...71,00.html

Anyone still scratching their heads over all that Inuk throat singing on Björk's last album, Medulla, will probably be relieved to hear that the Icelandic pop star puts rhythm right up at the forefront of her sixth solo effort. She likes to use the word ''tribal'' when describing Volta, and, indeed, the record is heavy with beats. There are guest appearances from little-known, indie-centric drummers like Mark Bell of U.K. techno pioneers LFO and occasional Sonic Youth collaborator Chris Corsano. And there are the three tracks produced by Björk and Timbaland — a hyped pairing that's inspired giddiness among pop fans who consider the Justin Timberlake Svengali to be a percussive panacea. All of which makes it a damn shame that Volta isn't nearly as groovy as it sounds on paper.

Björk's delivery is still dynamically kooky, and her special knack for majestic melodies is as uncanny as ever. But these elements are undercut by a simplistic new rhythmic direction. Where Volta intends to be primal and liberating, it too often feels crude and slapdash.

Take ''Earth Intruders,'' a Timbaland track that opens the album. It echoes Björk's 1995 marching anthem ''Army of Me,'' but is hamstrung by oddly muffled drums. On ''Innocence,'' Timbo's kicks hit harder, but his snares — a sort of daffy cough-yelp combo — quickly grow irritating. He fares best later with ''Hope,'' where his light drum pattern blends into the tune smoothly, recalling the soft sound of Vespertine, Björk's quiet, laptop-crafted 2001 release.

Such nostalgic moments are the best bits of Volta. ''Wanderlust,'' though not perfect, comes close to the thoughtfully layered electronic brilliance of 1997's Homogenic. The song begins with the sound of boats blowing their horns in the harbor, and as the melody rolls in, Björk affirms just how far out she's willing to drift — ''I have lost my origins and I don't want to find them again.'' Bell's drums — all skittering and distorted — are a tad raucous for Björk's plaintive wailing, but they provide an energy and a fullness that other tracks lack.

The disc's problems, unfortunately, are more than a matter of poor percussion. ''The Dull Flame of Desire,'' for instance, featuring warbling guest vocalist Antony Hegarty of New York-based avant-pop faves Antony and the Johnsons, begins strong, with the album's prettiest horn melody. But the song's title becomes all too appropriate as the duo tease and mangle the same refrain — ''I love your eyes, my dear'' — over and over with increasing theatricality. The sappy vamping is so excessive that even Björk's beautiful voice grows tiresome. At that point, not even the hottest beat would help.

B-

probably fake, considering the repeated typo of "Wanderslust", but you never know....

Tessa said:

The tracklist is believable. I just want "Earth Intruders" to have its own singles.

review from All Music Guide

http://www.allmusic.com/c...fuxzq5ldae


4 stars (out of 5)

Once again finding harmony and creating alchemy between seeming opposites, on Volta Björk is bold but thoughtful, delicate yet strong, accessible and avant. The intricacy and complexity of projects like Medúlla and Drawing Restraint 9 suggested that she might have left the more direct side of her work behind, but Volta's opening track and lead single, "Earth Intruders," puts that notion to rest: the song literally marches in, riding a bubbling, ritualistic beat courtesy of Timbaland and Konono No. 1's electric thumb-pianos. Björk howls "Turmoil! Carnage!" like incantations over the din, and after several albums' worth of beautiful whispers, it's a joy to hear her raise her voice and volume like this. "Wanderlust" follows and provides the yin to "Earth Intruders"' yang, its horns and brooding melody giving it the feel of a moodier, more contemplative version of "The Anchor Song." These two songs set the tone for the rest of Volta's pendulum-like swings between sounds and moods, all of which are tied together by found-sound and brass-driven interludes that give the impression that the album was recorded in a harbor — an apt metaphor for how ideas and collaborators come and go on this album. Timbaland's beats resurface on "Innocence," another of Volta's most potent moments; a sample of what sounds like a man getting punched in the gut underscores Björk's viewpoint that purity is something powerful, not gentle. Antony and the Johnsons' Antony Hegarty lends his velvety voice to two outstanding but very different love songs: "The Dull Flame of Desire" captures swooning romance by pairing Björk and Hegarty's voices with a slowly building tattoo courtesy of Lightning Bolt drummer Brian Chippendale; "My Juvenile," which is dedicated to Björk's son Sindri, closes Volta with a much gentler duet. Considering how much sonic and emotional territory the album spans — from the brash, anthemic "Delare Independence," which sounds a bit like Homogenic's "Pluto," to "Pneumonia" and "Vertebrae by Vertebrae," which are as elliptical and gentle as anything on Vespertine or Drawing Restraint 9 — Volta could very easily sound scattered, but this isn't the case. Instead, it finds the perfect balance between the vibrancy of her poppier work in the '90s and her experiments in the 2000s.