Voltaic, a very special CD/LP/DVD project from Björk, is set to be released in the US by Nonesuch Records on June 30, 2009. Available in five different physical configurations, it is a lovingly packaged celebration of the past two years of Björk’s Volta activities—her critically praised sixth studio album, which came out in 2007, and the subsequent two-year world tour. Voltaic serves as a coda to Volta, an album about which NME said “Volta is a thunderous return as enchanting as Debut,’’ while Q described it as “the best album that Björk has done in a decade—a reminder of what a vital force she is.”
Voltaic, a very special CD/LP/DVD project from Björk, is set to be released in the US by Nonesuch Records on June 30, 2009. Available in five different physical configurations, it is a lovingly packaged celebration of the past two years of Björk’s Volta activities—her critically praised sixth studio album, which came out in 2007, and the subsequent two-year world tour.
The album Voltaic—which will be available on LP, CD, CD+DVD, and MP3—is a selection of songs from the Volta tour recorded live at the legendary Olympic Studios in London, just before Björk's headlining show at the Glastonbury Festival in 2007. It was recorded in one afternoon, and the whole set was played live and captured in one take before being produced and mixed by Björk. The DVD in the CD+DVD version contains filmed highlights from the Volta tour, recorded in Paris and Reykjavik, with performances of songs from Volta as well as tracks from previous albums, including "Hunter," "Joga," "Army of Me," and "Hyperballad."
A special deluxe version of Voltaic includes the above, as well as a CD of remixes of Volta album tracks by such fellow travelers as Spank Rock, Simian Mobile Disco, Ratatat and Modeselektor, plus an additional DVD of Volta video clips, including Michel Gondry’s take on “Declare Independence,” set in a drab factory, that manages to reach a colorful, hopeful conclusion—a revolution meant to be televised.
Björk’s band on the Volta tour included Mark Bell (LFO) on computers and keyboards and Damian Taylor on keyboards and programming. Drums and percussion were played by Chris Corsano (Sonic Youth, etc.), and Björk’s all female Icelandic 10-piece brass section rounded out the group. A dynamic, grand live experience, the Volta tour has been acclaimed around the world. As the Guardian (UK) said in its five-star review, “Björk delivers a performance as visually spectacular as it is musically innovative. Fifteen years into her solo career Björk remains the least compromising and most fantastical pop superstar talent.”
Voltaic serves as a coda to Volta, an album about which NME said “Volta is a thunderous return as enchanting as Debut,’’ while Q described it as “the best album that Björk has done in a decade—a reminder of what a vital force she is.”
To take a closer look at each version of Voltaic, visit nonesuch.com/artists/bjork.
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