The one certainty on any Björk album is that you have to expect the unexpected. Iceland's favourite musician might have declined a little in the popular consciousness stakes in recent years; and some new-century experimental records certainly haven't helped with that, but she's still unpredictable and capricious enough to be worth watching.

Along those lines comes "Volta", her first album since 2004's bizarre acapella release "Medúlla". Unlike that release, "Volta" does feature musical instruments, and in fact by not confining itself to a single gimmick like last time, it features a lot more variety and a lot more ideas.

Ideas are something that this album has plenty of, but unfortunately everything isn't as well integrated as it has been on previous Björk albums. I realise that I may be missing the point, and that the chaos and erratic nature of this album may very well be the entire point, but what might make for good art or a good point doesn't necessarily flow well into an album that makes for good listening.

To be sure, there are some good tracks here. My Juvenile is a soft, whispered number that brings some of her earlier, quieter works to mind, and The Dull Flame of Desire is a very well-constructed duet featuring Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons. Declare Independence is a heavier, room-shaking piece with lyrics that are so simple as to almost be insulting, but which works very well in a fist-pumping, adrenaline-surging way.

I mentioned earlier that the album features a duet, but that's not the only guest appearance on the album. In a way, the eccentric yet star-studded lineup is a bit of a disappointment, while contributions from Timbaland, Brian Chippendale from Lightning Bolt and Konono No. 1 all help the album in their own particular way, I was a little disappointed that Björk chose to fall back on them so often. At times, their presence was similar to that of an indulgent hip-hop star, at other times it just seems like they were called in to fill out some song that just wasn't good enough without a guest star.

"Volta" may have the guest stars and the impeccable production, but in the end it just leaves you feeling unsatisfied; it seems like it should be making some sort of grand statement, but it doesn't. Good on Björk for retiring to the Icelandic wilderness to make the music that she wants to make, but unfortunately that music isn't the music that I want to listen to.