(Photo: Bernhard Kristin/ILC)

Volta
Björk
A straightforward indie-pop outing, straightforward being a relative term when applied to an artist who recently scored a film about a giant, disintegrating blob of Vaseline on the deck of a Japanese whaling vessel.

TINA: Björk may be ridiculous, but driving to Connecticut with the album on, on a late spring morning threading between lanes on I-95, the sun bright, the kids nodding out in the back seat, I can’t be cynical. Then the petulant spoken-word rant “Declare Independence” cycles onto the stereo. “Oh, Björk!” I lament to my husband. But we forgive, and drive on …
Rating: 7
Best Track: “Wanderlust”

FRED: Björk is an artist with serious indie cred, and I’ve always felt like I should like her records. But I don’t. They irritate me, and her new CD is no exception, although I do like the two duets with Antony Hegarty. I’ll still head for Sigur Rós when I’m in the mood for Icelandic music.
Rating: 4
Best Track: “My Juvenile”

MELISSA: I’ve always found Björk’s grandiosity and penchant for foghorns inaccessible, but on Volta she’s brought her sound down to earth—hand drums and other elements that give it a sinewy, organic feel. She’s her best at her most intimate.
Rating: 9
Best Track: “Hope”