Zola Jesus, a/k/a Nika Roza Danilova, returns after a series of well received eps with her third full length record "Conatus." The album finds Danilova maintaining the cleaner production apparent on the "Stridulum" and "Valusia" eps, but the overall feel is as dark and gothic and her earlier work. Upon hearing "Valusia," in particular, I was concerned that Danilova was not only leaving behind her lo-fi beginnings, but also shunning the darkness for light. Thankfully, those concerns were unfounded. Instead, she has focused her attention on more complex and experimental song structures. Many pieces start out skeletal and end up as multi-layered anthems of love and loss.Of course, the real star of the proceedings is Danilova's voice, which is the strongest in contemporary music. As a result, musical accompaniment is almost secondary, but here, as on "Stridulum," the music is often as compelling as it is complementary to the Voice. The record's mixture of 80's industrial dance and art rock is the perfect vehicle for Danilova, giving "Conatus" the feeling of the familiar while maintaining enough edge to satisfy fans of her earlier work. As winter approaches, "Conatus" is feeling more and more like an essential release; a perfect record for the cold dark days ahead.
"Vessel"
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