Zola Jesus - Stridulum II

If you were to try and imagine how a record written and sung by a trained opera singer and philosophy and French major would sound, you wouldn’t think of something like ‘Stridulum II’. However, that is just what Nika Roza Danilova, better known as Zola Jesus has done. ‘Stridulum II’ constitutes the European release of her ‘Stridulum’ EP that came out in America earlier this year. To justify the added ‘II’, it harbours three new songs and a slightly more psychedelic cover (and in case you’re wondering: yes, it is indeed chocolate. Yum!). With just over half an hour worth of music, it’s just a bit short of qualifying as an album though you can’t accuse Zola Jesus of not working hard enough after already having released an EP as LA Vampires & Zola Jesus this year and with the second album of underground super group Former Ghosts just about to see the daylight.

The ‘Stridulum’ EP raked up some good reviews when it was released on the other side of the Atlantic. As opposed to her debut album ‘The Spoils’, which was a lo-fi home recording, ‘Stridulum II’ has had a proper production and has resulted in a more melodic record which gives Nika the chance to really show off that opera trained voice. Opener ‘Night’ is one of the best tracks on the album. Even without a real chorus, it does have a rather pop song-like feel to it, though it might be just a tad bit darker than your average Girls Aloud. Apart from having a cleaner and more melodic sound, Zola Jesus also shows her love for industrial music resulting in songs that often sound cold and detached.

Lyrically, it’s not all doom and gloom though. Sure, all the songs tell stories about loneliness and being left behind, but there’s always this spark of hope. Take ‘Manifest Destiny: “I don’t have a reason to go back home / So what am I supposed to do? / I only know one place where I have to be / And it’s gotta be with you.” It might be a bit simple and it has been told thousands of times already, but when Nika Roza churns out these lyrics, you start believing again that love is the answer to everything.

As mentioned earlier, the last three tracks were added to the original release and although they definitely sound different to the original ‘Stridulum’ tracks, they do provide a rather neat finishing touch. Where the first six tracks sound dark and gloomy, the last three provide some light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel. The tracks sound less troubled and more powerful, ‘Lightsick’ even has some piano to it! But most of all: they are dreadfully catchy. So be warned, you might be singing along to ‘Sea Talk’ for the next few weeks after listening to this album.