Artist: Zola Jesus
Album: Taiga
Genre: Electronic, Synth-pop
Release Date: 2014
Audio Format:: FLAC (tracks) 24bit, 44,1 kHz
Duration: 42:40
Total Tracks: 11
Total Size: 496 MB

Tracklist:

01. Zola Jesus – Taiga (02:55)
02. Zola Jesus – Dangerous Days (04:29)
03. Zola Jesus – Dust (03:32)
04. Zola Jesus – Hunger (04:32)
05. Zola Jesus – Go (Blank Sea) (04:05)
06. Zola Jesus – Ego (02:49)
07. Zola Jesus – Lawless (05:15)
08. Zola Jesus – Nail (03:05)
09. Zola Jesus – Long Way Down (03:58)
10. Zola Jesus – Hollow (03:50)
11. Zola Jesus – It’s Not Over (04:05)

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Nika is the 25-year-old sole singer and songwriter behind Zola Jesus. Her new album Taiga is at once challenging and accessible, and is undeniably branded with what Nika terms a “piercing ambition.” Such encompassing purpose, she explains, would be impossible without a newfound sense of personal and artistic self. The album is a declaration of that purpose; one laced with jarring clarity in both its content and production. Taiga, the Russian name for a boreal forest pays homage to Nika’s Russian roots and her time spent growing up in rural Wisconsin on a 100-acre farm.On the surface, Taiga is easily Zola Jesus’ most accessible album. With each release, Nika has peeled away the layers of noise blanketing her music; Versions, her orchestral collaboration with J.G. Thirlwell, also reflected her sound’s increasing refinement. She made Taiga with her most honed palette of sounds yet, fusing brass and strings with beats and synths into a majestic yet poignant sound that recalls Björk’s Homogenic, especially on the stately title track and “Hunger”‘s frantic rhythms. Emphasizing her biggest strengths — her huge voice, ringing melodies, and thoughtful lyrics — should take Taiga to new heights, and at times it does. She embraces her newfound pop side wholeheartedly, and many moments suggest that this transformation holds promise. It’s more than a little remarkable how well she harnesses her power into songs with clearly delineated hooks and choruses: “Dangerous Days” is equally glowering and joyous, echoing Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” with its galloping beat as well as the moody electropop Sia took to the top of the charts earlier in 2014. Meanwhile, “Dust”‘s slinky rhythms and brass combine R&B and classical leanings into something bewitching. It’s notable that Nika was often more vulnerable when separated from her listeners by swaths of distortion on previous albums than she is on Taiga, though she does provide respites with more delicate moments like “Lawless” and the uniquely confessional “Ego.” Even if it’s not her most intimate work, Taiga allows Nika to be inventive and craft some some stunningly beautiful moments along the way.