Zola Jesus Stridulum II (Souterrain Transmissions)
4/5
By: Rachel Bolland
At first glance Zola Jesus, or Nika Roza Danilova, looks fairly terrifying. She’s got the heavy eye make-up, jet-black hair and a unique beauty that some girls seem to possess. It’s the kind that tends to leave me completely intimated on a night out and hiding in the toilets berating my reflection in the mirror. She just generally looks like someone you wouldn’t want to mess with, but watch her interviews (check the Rockfeedback TV footage below) and she comes across as perfectly lovely.
Fittingly, Stridulum II (an expanded version of the Stridulum EP) is an album laden with contrast. Musically, it’s a record that resembles its creator’s aesthetic. Many of the songs are of the slightly dark, almost gothic variety, specialising in imposing bass and synth combinations with an almost march-like quality to them. While the music possesses a certain gloom to it, lyrically the songs on Zola Jesus’ first full-length European release have a surprisingly optimistic quality to them. ‘I Can’t Stand’ is strangely life affirming, the chorus being a repeated cry of “I can’t stand to see you this way/It’s gonna be alright”, with Danilova’s sumptuous vocals bringing an almost otherworldly quality to the song. While many artists are content to settle for the standard “Why won’t he/she love me” or “I want a boy/girlfriend” (just delete as applicable for most modern pop and indie music) Zola Jesus isn’t so content with such tedious subject matter.
The other wonderful contrast that’s found throughout the album’s 9 songs is the balance between the almost minimalist feel that many of the songs have, and the power behind them. It’s Danilova’s incredible vocal talent that really drives the album, the thing that makes it both so beautiful and unique. She possesses an almost ethereal quality to her voice, but also the force that one would expect from a professional opera singer. It’s deep, almost a growl, and not beautiful in a stereotypical way, or a way that many other female singers aspire to. But it’s completely and utterly captivating.
Even though it’s at times quite foreboding, Stridulum II has moments of real beauty and subtleness. Lead single ‘Sea Talk’ sees Danilova using her extraordinary voice to its full extent. The track is wonderfully simple, intense, repetitive drums coupled with eerily synths marry together beautifully with Danilova’s beautifully haunting vocals to create something truly sensational. ‘Sea Talk’ and album closer ‘Lightsticks’, whose repetitive piano is reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem’s ‘All My Friends’, perfectly encapsulate everything that’s great about this LP. The beautiful simplicity, the intricacies that develop despite its simplicity – and that voice, which never fails to send shivers down my spine. Despite the fact that its creator looks a wee bit scary, Stridulum II manages to be incredibly accessible while still being completely unique and ambitious.
Zola Jesus - Stridulum II by The Drift Record Shop
Artists in this article: Zola Jesus
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