posted by Jessica on July 12, 2011
PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL: Get Ready with Zola Jesus
Poet and realist. Seemingly contradictory terms fit to describe both Émile Zola and Jesus, the inspirations behind the stage name of 22-year old chanteuse Nika Roza Danilova. Zola Jesus’ sonorous vocals blend darkly brooding Russian tradition with the visceral and intensely atmospheric nature of being raised in the Wisconsin woods. Sounding like something of a gothic Florence Welch, she began studying opera before turning 10, and started recording her own work in high school as Zola Jesus. By the time her second full-length album, Stridulum II, was released in 2010 (“Night” included below), college student was already touring with artists that include Fever Ray and The xx.
The somber beauty of Zola Jesus’ music can be akin at times to the murkiness of a deep dark forest or even the detached emotional starkness of the moors in a Bronte novel. With her third album, Conatus, scheduled for release this fall, Zola Jesus is embarking on a tour that kicks off at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago next week. Her intensely resonant voice rings with slightly less foreboding on the lead track, “Vessel,” and possibly hints at more pop-tinged offerings. For those who view Zola Jesus as all gloom and doom I disagree. Like her namesakes she is here to tell it like it is; I’d like to see Jesus try to sing opera.
Zola Jesus – Night (Downloaded 328 times)
Zola Jesus – Vessel (Downloaded 271 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Brooding • Dark • Female vocal • Fuzzy
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August 16th, 2011 at 11:41 am
Kudos! What a neat way of thinking about it.