Okovi

This is a great album. Zola Jesus has a big voice is intense and has something to say just love it

In some ways, Zola Jesus is the Daenerys Targaryen of pop music. Despite her talent, she's been exiled to a musical land far away from the mainstream, but has nevertheless created her own personal empire. Even though few people believed in her at first, she persevered, and now almost anybody who hears her voice will become convinced. Also, she literally has dragons. That's right, literal freaking dragons that breathe scorching, purifying fire. Okay, that last part probably isn't true, but it should be.Her last album, Taiga, was an attempt to translate her darkwave vision to a mainstream pop audience (a.k.a. Westeros), but she was repelled in her attempt. The pop audience wants a happy party, and Danilova wants her fun to be meaningful. So with Okovi, she's back to her adopted homeland (Mereen?), and she wants to break our shackles ("okovi" translates to "shackles" in some Slavic languages--maybe even Dothraki, for all I know). Many of the songs address depression and even suicide, but she seeks an emotional connection as a step in recovery. On "Siphon" she identifies with someone considering suicide, asking him to hold on--"We want to clean the blood of a living man..." Meanwhile, "Veka" could be about how we live on in the memories of others--"Who will find you/when all you are...is dust?" Musically, it's the rare goth song that people could dance to, but you could just as easily feel or think to it as well. "Soak" is a gospel song that atheists can love, and "Exumed" is just plain amazing; a post-industrial aria of survival.There are some moments here where she gets a little too musically conservative for my taste. If I wanted musicians and singers to play it safe, I'd watch one of those ridiculous TV singing competitions. At her best, Danilova is capable of burning any American Idol to the ground. Which reminds me of those darn dragons. If her songs are her children, and her kids wield such power, then Zola Jesus is truly the Mother of Dragons--and no one could just make that stuff up.

Loved this album

Superb. Her best album.

The title of the 6th album from Madison, Wisconsin’s Zola Jesus (aka Nika Resa Danilova) is the Bosnian word for “chains”. There are no such restrictions here, as she creates and enables ambient choral haunts that float in and out of consciousness, darkly celestial doom-tribal rock with an industrial kick, rhythmic-triggered washes of synthesizer sound riding on deep drum beats, and strains of neo-classical orchestration that sweep the sound stage with soaring strings. All of this is carefully wrapped around her elegantly rich, sibylline voice. Periodically recalls artists such as Danielle Dax, Chelsea Wolfe, EMA, Diamanda Galas, Foetus. “Okovi” is an audio journey to another land, one where the air shimmers with soundwaves of seductively disturbing, surreal songs. It’s an oddly enchanting world.

Good quality, price and delivery time...

Das brandneue Album von Nika Roza Danilova, besser bekannt unter ihrem Künstlernamen Zola Jesus, ist eine sehr gelunge Verbindung vom Pop-Charakter des Vorgängeralbums "Taiga" und dem mysteriösen, dunklen Feeling der früheren Werke. Auf "Okovi" finden sich nach der choralen Einleitung 'Doma' sowohl elektronisch geprägte Stücke wie 'Remains' und 'Veka' als auch akustischere Tracks wie 'Exhumed' und 'Wiseblood'. Mit 'Witness' ist auch eine klassische Ballade vertreten, bei der ihre glasklare Stimme nur von Streichern begleitet wird. Der rote Faden, der die verschiedenen Songs zusammenhält, ist die wunderschön düstere Atmosphäre. Klare Kaufempfehlung!Anspieltipps: Exhumed, Witness, Remains

Excellent album, but my copy sadly is a bad off center pressing. Side B is really off center and the last track is pretty much unplayable. I will return this copy and hope I get a better pressing.