John's New Music Blog

Today's featured artist is Los Angeles based, by way of Wisconsin, Zola Jesus (nee Nika Roza Danilova), a 21 year old classically trained opera singer turned goth singer in the mold of Siouxsie Sioux (less the Banshees). She's starting to make a name for herself on the indie and alternative circuit and opened for The xx, a previous featured band on their North American tour; she is just wrapping up a solo tour of Europe.

The featured track is "Sea Talk," the first single from her Sacred Bones Records EP Valusia. The song is very dark, as you'd expect from a goth singer, but it retains the lightness of the Siouxsie Sioux (didn't think that Siouxise Sioux could have a lighter side, did you?) and it doesn't club you over the head with the bass line that features prominently in most goth music (The Cure, the aforementioned Siouxsie and the Banshees, etc). It is a good track that showcases Zola's deep voice and gives the listener a good idea of her range.