CD Review: Okovi by Zola Jesus
Zola Jesus
Sacred Bones Records
Score: A-
It’s not often that genre-bending is utilized to such grand effect, but Nicole Hummel (aka Zola Jesus) meshes elements of goth-pop, industrial, and quasi-Gregorian chants to such effect that it feels like an expression in atmospherics never felt before.
On Okovi, her fifth-and-latest album, Hummel rollicks in full force through a synth-laden madhouse of pulsating electronics and over-dubbed vocal wails, transitioning through floor-shaking beats and lightning-quick noise, stringy ballads, and hyperactive electro-pop tracks that would fit in on a Dance Dance Revolution playlist.
At times reminiscent of Florence Welch, and at others mimicking the razor-sharp atmosphere of Jonna Lee, Zola Jesus surpasses others in a long line of goth-pop-industrial crossover, and does so in a way that makes it easy to believe this might just be the second coming.
Alec Warkentin
