Volta clips on YouTube - Pitchfork magazine

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There is a lot of anticipation for the new Björk album, Volta. Industry insiders Pitchfork magazine is all over a few lousy video clips that have been leaked from the pre-release party the other night. For hardcore Björk fans, this might give some indication of what to expect.

Go to:
www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/42003-bjork-trickling-out-ivoltai-teasers
Bjork Trickling Out Volta Teasers

Anyone fond of those Kid A blinking bear bits that MTV played back in the day might get a kick out of this. In anticipation of Volta's May 8 unveiling (May 7 overseas; both via One Little Indian/Atlantic), someone from camp Björk is posting little teaser videos and sound clips on the interweb that contain music and lyrics from the album, as confirmed by a Björk spökesperson.
As reported on Seattle weekly The Stranger's Line Out music blog, a YouTube user called "VoltaVideos" posted a clip called "Earth Intruders"-- also the name of the first single from Volta-- a couple days back. It features some abstract, pulsating images, some music that might be construed as the "universal tribal beat" Björk recently discussed with Pitchfork, and the closing text, "we are the earth intruders."

Not long after that, web-trollers stumbled upon a mysterious MySpace profile belonging to one Gerome Voltaire of "itshardtofindabandname" from Iceland. The page includes four audio clips, each clocking in under 20 seconds: "Thereza Is He", "Denoisering", and the identical, percussion-heavy "O Is for All Ages" and "Oh It Is".

The MySpace also includes two videos similar to the "Earth Intruders" clip. One titled "V" depicts a jittery, out-of-focus image that bears striking resemblance to that colorful flaming Björk photo up there. It includes the words, "did I imagine it would be like this?", set against a lush, ambient track that's soon invaded by light percussion.

A second MySpace video, titled "o", features the same tribal drumming audio as the "O" and "Oh" clips and depicts the statement, "I have been filled with steam/ for months/ for years" atop what appears to be a close-up of another Björk photo.

"What I'm presenting here at the moment," writes the enigmatic Gerome on his MySpace, "is something I recorded at some listening session in Reykjavik with an Icelandic artist, which I then cut up and added noises and images to. I hope she doesn't mind." We'd wager that she probably doesn't.

Assorted videos in the same vein have since appeared on YouTube, including a clip titled "save?" that one might interpret as addressing the heated topic of abstinence: "should I save myself for later/ or generously give?"

So do Timbaland or any of Volta's other guest stars factor into any of these? Your guess is as good as mine. Either way, the rich, relatively organic-sounding (by Björk's standards) tidbits of sound here have us pretty durn stoked.

Catch Björk's stage spectacle, intruding on an Earth venue near you soon.

1. "Earth Intruders"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKa2fl3f_ls

2. "save?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiAJcR_dGo4

3. "a powerful drug"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2dDDgLuqvw

4. "celebrate now"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In7C-UQ7P-8

Tour Dates
April
01 Reykjavik, Iceland - Forma @ Nasa
27 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella)
May
02 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
05 New York, NY - United Palace Theater
08 New York, NY - Apollo Theater
12 Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre
15 Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
19 San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
23 Vancouver, British Columbia - Deer Lake Park
26 Gorge, WA - Gorge Amphitheatre (Sasquatch!)
June
22 Pilton, England - Glastonbury Festival
28 Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter
July
01 Gdynia, Poland - Open'er Festival
05 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
25 Nyon, Switzerland - Paleo Festival
September
08 Toronto, Ontario - Virgin Festival