Armed with a voice that sounds suspiciously like a certain Florence Welch, we have here Zola Jesus (Nika Roza Danilova): the solo artist proclaimed by many the goddess of the burgeoning pseudo-nouveau-Goth rock scene. By her side stand S.C.U.M, EMA, Esben and the Witch and any other black-jeans-wearing, cheekbone-pouting group of middle class kids who call themselves a band. Maybe it is this clutch of clichés that makes Danilova surpass it with such grace and ease, if only for the fact that she dresses all in white, like a transcendent angel slowly rising from the ashes of the Goth/ experimental scene of yesteryear.
Physically, Danilova would pass for a primary school kid. Measured at 4'11" and weighing in at 90lbs, she is already a figure to whom the average plebeian would immediately be drawn and fascinated by. Geographically, she originates from the desolate Midwest, duly adding another layer of mystique and intangible magnetic power to her presence. With this comes her fiercely independent, self-taught demeanour, and in front of us we truly have a unique and intriguing human being.
After several EPs and two albums, we now have Conatus. Considering her diminutive stature, the depth of sound with which we are greeted is startlingly grandiose and self-assured. From thumping ballads to electronic glitches, no sound goes unexplored on her new record. It is an icy, organic exploration of refined chaos and controlled madness, a hypnotic effort, complete with reverberated vocals contributing to an air of pathos. In fact, such is the approach to her songwriting, and the cathartic nature of her lyrics, some of the ballads begin to come across as slightly trite. Having said this, her operatic background noticeably makes its way into her song structures. The moody synths are treated in a similar way to an organ’s long chords echoing round a church, the tide of strings is used to melancholic effect, and the drum machine patterns’ complexity add more range and style to her baroque pop.
So maybe it is the Welch comparisons that make her seem so much better, or maybe it's just because Danilova is just far more unique and interesting than a lot of her female contemporaries. Whatever it is, her amalgamation of classical instrumentation, pop song structures, leftfield textural touches, and Gothic imagery - all honed through her back catalogue - is new, fresh, and durable.