Tag Archive: Zola Jesus


ZOLA JESUS – EYES ON THE TAIGA

Filed under: Italy, Music — Leave a comment
March 27, 2015

ZOLA JESUS Live at the Bronson Club, Ravenna, Italy – 27th March 2015

She came, she sang, she conquered. An hour-long set packed with intensity. Nika Roza Danilova is a vision in black with silver jewelry. Beauty and youth. Still only 25. The world at her feet if the world will listen. Bursts of wild dervish dances. Goth soulfulness. Striking poses but wholly natural. Arty but heartfelt. Pounding drums a constant. Moments of calm interspersed with Wagneresque splendor. Most of Taiga is played plus five older songs. Abstract paranoia rendered as upbeat pop. “Set me free” from Nail sang a capella. The audience in the palm of her hand. Power is a voice.

Zola Jesus website

Tags: , , ,
Comment

MARISSA NADLER – BLACKER THAN JULY

Filed under: Italy, Music — Leave a comment
September 28, 2014

MARISSA NADLER LIVE AT HANA-BI, RAVENNA, ITALY. 27th September 2014

marissaBlack becomes Marissa Nadler. It suits her pale complexion and matches the atmosphere of her songs.

On stage, however she is not dark and gloomy but polite and unpretentious. Her much publicised stage fright is not evident. It helps that she is accompanied by cellist Janel Leppin who lends gravitas to the tunes.

This being a free concert at a beachside bar/club, there’s always a chance that you get an audience of sightseers rather than true fans but the small but appreciative crowd were on Marissa’s side from the outset.

Of the thirteen songs she played in a one hour set, only three were from her earlier records; the rest were all from her latest album, July. This song-cycle covers a year in her life, from one July to the next, and centre on an acrimonious break up.

Bleak settings in cheap motels and lost highways add to the forlorn mood. The bitterness and anger is controlled and directed towards moving on rather than wallowing in self pity. Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Read More & Comment

ZOLA JESUS

Filed under: Gender, Music — Leave a comment
January 6, 2010

zolaIf you’re mourning the demise of Pocahuanted, as I was in yesterday’s post, a pretty good alternative lies in Zola Jesus from Madison, Wisconsin.

This is the alter ego of Nika Roza Danilova who on record creates layers of sound by herself in the studio  but performs live with a band. She looks like a Goth and says she’s inspired by No-Wavers but I hear a lot of similarities with Weird-folksters like  Pocahaunted and Grouper.

Her original record label asserted that  this is music which occupies “a sphere of sparse industrial rhythms, no-fi drones, and ethereal femme vocals” .

When she contributed a track to a Mid-West compilation album Xxperiments she coined the label ‘Crimson Wave’ as a joke but the name seems to have stuck (it’s used in her  Last.Fm bio for example). The derivation of  the name , as Urban Dictionary tells us, is linked to menstruation so has the women only aspect.  Not one of the world’s greatest genre labels that’s for sure but the music is great.

A useful introduction to her and the band is via the (Make The) Product show on WYNU (New York University Radio) recorded on 17th December 2008.  You can try her music via the usual blogspots or legally at E-Music.

Here’s a neat video to whet your appetite:

Related Articles
Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment