When artists make major stylistic changes in their musical approach, they typically wait until they release a full-length album. This allows them to make a complete statement about where they have been and where they are going. Further, by rolling out their shift in direction in the form of a long player people tend to notice. It suddenly becomes important. Hell, it usually kicks off more than a few healthy debates about an artist's "old stuff" versus the new. EPs, instead, are often a playground where musicians try out ideas and explore the limits of their abilities, often producing music that mirrors their ambition, for better or worse. If an EP alienates an audience, well, there is always the promise of a more fully realized LP just around the corner. Such is not the case with Zola Jesus.
Zola Jesus, a/k/a Nika Roza Danilova, emerged amidst the 80s revivalism of the past couple of years as the keeper of the eerie ethereal flame of proto-goth. Her darkly majestic songs summoned the spirit of 4AD linchpins This Mortal Coil and Cocteau Twins as well as early Siouxsie Sioux and Diamonda Galas. Alongside those musical touchstones, Zola Jesus painted everything in a lo-fi fuzzed out murk that only deepened the mystery of her songs. Following her excellent debut "The Spoils," with the even darker and scarier "Tsar Bomba" EP, it looked like Danilova was prepared to ratchet up the musical drama, and, in turn, power, while shunning accessibility. In some quarters that kind of a move is what demarcates real artists from so many flavors of the month. So it is with a bit of a shock that one meets the "Stridulum" EP on first impression. The EP signals a fairly major shift in Zola Jesus' approach. Gone is the murk, gone are the hazy atmospherics and gone, unfortunately, is some of the mystery.
The six-song EP begins with "Night," the most straightforward song Danilova has released to date. The 80s inflected dark synths and drum machines are still there, but they sound clean and clear, rather than buried under a fuzzy haze. On repeated listens the song becomes more acceptable as is, but initially the listener wouldn't be blamed for wanting some of that lo-fi production back in the mix. It isn't that Zola Jesus lacks the talent to write good songs, as so many lo-fi bands do who cover their lack of ability with layers of noise, it is that her particular style of music benefits from layers of hypnotic static, reverb and general musical opaqueness. This is the kind of music that grows in power in darkened rooms. Danilova's voice has been like a candle that casts light, keeping the monsters at bay, throughout her previous work. Performances like "Night" lose a bit of that power since all of the corners are lit to some degree, leaving less depth of field for Danilova to stand out against.
"Trust Me" and "I Can't Stand" follow and broaden Danilova's new approach by turning the lights up all the way. Oddly, though, each song is immediately more successful than "Night." Both songs center around Danilova's entreatments of solace to an unknown troubled listener. They remind me of the kind of songs I found comfort in during those rough high school years. You know, the kind you listened to while wearing buttons of the Moz on your jacket, wishing for a better life far from the confines of home and those d-bags that populated your school hallways...or maybe that was just me. Either way, both songs provide a perfect salve for that kind of teenage angst, which makes sense, since Danilova herself is not too far removed from those days of awkward uncertainty, having just turned a mere 21.
The EP's title track finds Zola Jesus backtracking just a little bit by offering up a powerful, swelling chunk of proto-goth that highlights Danilova's incredible voice. While she was trained in opera, it is actually the harrowing and soulful aspects of Danilova's voice that makes it so unique. There are world class opera singers who lack the alluring naturalism of Danilova's voice, and while their vocal stylings may rock the house during a performance of Puccini at the Metropolitan, I'll take the grit and force of Danilova's delivery any day. But then again, what do I know? I hate opera. I love Danilova's voice though, and think it is one of the finest natural wonders to emerge on the music scene in years.
The EP ends with the incredible "Manifest Destiny." Here Danilova returns to the darkness, but maintains the clean production of the rest of the release. The song is a stately piece of work that sounds like an army marching toward battle, eventually exploding in attack while Danilova's voice soars over the carnage. It's a great number and one that proves that even if Danilova chooses to make more transparent music there is still room for her to embrace the darkness of her prior releases to great effect.
"Stridulum" will be a grower for fans of Zola Jesus' previous releases, but one that eventually proves itself to be a solid piece of work, with more than a few spectacular moments. For newcomers who will hear "Stridulum" without any baggage, this will likely prove to be an immediately satisfying listen. Just be prepared when someone says "I liked her old stuff better," even if that old stuff is barely a year old.
Zola Jesus Stridulum from Imaginary Animal on Vimeo.
Zola Jesus Run Me Out / Manifest Destiny from Imaginary Animal on Vimeo.
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