Zola Jesus

Valusia EP

(Sacred Bones)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

Like an ominous moon to Best Coast’s permanent sun, Zola Jesus seems poised to bring L.A. to its knees in 2011.  There is a world of difference between their sounds, but there are strong similarities in the early career trajectories of the two young Angelenos.  Just like Best Coast in ’09, Zola Jesus in ’10 has been putting out lo-fi singles and EPs that have gotten the friendly snowball of buzz rolling – and the attention of both local and national tastemakers.  Like Best Coast’s professional (and personal) connections to critically endorsed bands like Foreign Born, Vivian Girls and Wavves, Zola Jesus has toured with the likes of Fever Ray and the xx, and Valusia was produced by Chris Coady, best known lately for Beach House’s Teen Dream.  They’re both easy targets for lazy backlash about stoners and goths, respectively.  Zola Jesus has already released her debut full-length, last year’s The Spoils, but it’s the next one that seems poised to push her into true prominence.

In the meantime, the dramatic, rewarding four-song Valusia is the sound of an artist continuing to grow into her own.  And finally!  Nika Roza Danilova (d.b.a. Zola Jesus) is already 21 years old, after all.  She’s tipped her cap farewell to her native Wisconsin and her alma mater, UW-Madison, and settled in the Axl Rose jungle of L.A. (full disclosure: this reviewer did the same thing at the same age and, yes, this makes me like her a tiny bit more right off the bat; fuller disclosure: Midwestern expats generally feel this way).

Danilova has a powerful voice with an operatic kick to it; more than once, she brings to mind a more gothic, less poppy Florence Welch (aka Florence and the Machine).  They certainly share a flair for drama.  Valusia begins with the pulsing dance beat and crashing percussion of “Poor Animal,” then moves into the masterfully moody “Tower,” a one-two punch that hints at the amalgamation of influences that Zola Jesus is continuing to process.  A fair bit has already been made – and not undeservingly so – of the echoes of Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance; as unique as she is, especially against the current landscape, there are certainly touchstones.  Even with the increased production value, there’s a rawness that will be off-putting to some ears; taken in combination with the buzz that’s already building, that’s a recipe for Zola Jesus backlash – but the bold often suffer the same fate (particularly bold females, but that’s a topic for another time).  A similarly recurring but more undeserving bit of feedback has been that Zola Jesus songs are “cold” or “chilly” – and while there is an industrial intensity, it’s hard to listen to Danilova sing without feeling emotional fire behind the songs.