Critiques CD: Zola Jesus | Valusia

Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Zola Jesus is opera-trained singer/songwriter Nika Roza Danilova. Composed of a mere four tracks, her most recent EP is a slow-paced offering of Zola Jesus’ own brand of pseudo-gothic ambient synthpop. Danilova eschews more traditional song structure in favour of a simultaneously stripped-down and esoteric, effect-heavy sound. Her voice is exaggeratedly rich and sonorous – almost to a caricatural extent – which, paired with the lethargic, trance-like violins and occasional melodramatic crescendos, can come off as alienating. For all the resonance and overbearing richness of the songs, however, they lack depth beyond their immediate opacity. April 21st at Il Motore.