Bjork’s new album “Volta,” released May 7, may feature songs that extend her range of music, however, overall the album is too variable in its musical melodies.

In many songs on “Volta,” conflicting beats compete with Bjork’s voice and lead to a jumbled mess of sounds. On the other hand, a few songs are in tune with Bjork’s fantastic eccentricity. Bjork’s lyrics are consistently childlike and complicated, and her albums need to be heard several times before anything begins to make sense.

If there is someone who understands eccentricity and the importance of experimentation in music, it’s Bjork. Throughout her 14-year solo career, she has failed to confine herself to a specific genre. Critics have categorized her music as electronica, vocal jazz, adult alternative, prog-rock, bop, dance, disco, and art rock.

Bjork’s albums are consistently filled with innovative and yet ordinary sounds. When her songs contain sounds like footsteps through mud and buzzing bees, you know this is a weird and extremely dedicated artist.

Her visuals test the limits as well, the cover art of “Volta” has pictures of Bjork is intensely colorful costumes and makeup.

On this album, Bjork has returned to her percussion roots, this time with the help of hip-hop producer Timbaland. While creating and recording this album, Bjork traveled to Jamaica, Tunisia, Mali, London, and San Francisco. In interviews, Bjork has said that she really wanted to test herself with “Volta” and see if she could be spontaneous and impulsive with her creation of music.

The album begins with the pulsing “Earth Intruders” where Bjork’s’ alien-like voice marches along with watery footsteps and thumping drums. Her voice cries: “Turmoil! Carnage! We are the Earth Intruders/ We are the power troopers.” This is one of the odder and better songs of the album.

One of the failures of the album is the seven and a half minutes of “The Dull Flame of Desire,” which has too many instruments and layering of voices.

One of the catchiest songs on the album, “Innocence” sounds like a radio dance tune and has obvious hip-hop influences from Timbaland, which almost take over the song.

“Vertebrae by Vertebrae” has amazing theatrical aspects; it evokes the drama of old Hollywood, while Bjork’s voice remains whispery and low for most of the song.

“Declare Independence” is something very different for Bjork; it’s scratchy, rebellious, and wild. She crackles over a storm of percussion and bass, “Declare independence/don’t let them do that to you/You’re your own flag/Raise your flag/ Higher!” The song seems like a teenage shriek-feast at times, with Bjork’s voice shooting into a raspy scream.

While “Volta” has many interesting aspects, it does not live up to much of Bjork’s previous work. Still a favorite of many fans is the delicious “It’s Oh So Quiet” from “Post” (1995), a song that slingshots between a trumpet-blaring, screaming love ride and gentle whispery interludes. Other popular hits include “All is Full of Love,” “Unravel,” “Venus as a Boy”, and “Isobel.”

So, it’s another unusual album from the unpredictable Bjork. It’s nice to see her take so many risks on every album, but, unfortunately, on “Volta,” Bjork lets the technological layering take over her music and hide the songs’ brilliances in many parts of the album. However, there are still a number of experimental combinations that do work and then the radiant peculiarity of Bjork’s music comes through.