Zola Jesus ‘Okovi: Additions’ Review: Goth songstress releases companion piece to 2017’s Okovi, featuring unreleased tracks and remixes .

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Last year saw Zola Jesus (Nika Roza Danilova) release Okovi, a return to her dark, synth driven roots, after 2014’s more pop-driven Taiga. It was widely well received by critics and fans, showcasing her powerful vocals over moody, cinematic textures.  

This month Jesus returns with Okovi: Additions, (out April 6th on Sacred Bones Records) which features remixes of songs that first appeared on Okovi, along with four unreleased tracks.

All four of the unreleased tracks are solid, and make perfect additions to the 2017 release. Opener Vacant is foreboding and haunting, hallmarked by thunderous electric beat and Jesus’s soaring vocals.

Bound is dance floor ready, with an unrelenting beat, distressed synths and watery, dubby bass, while Bitten Wool is a forlorn and ghostly affair dripping with Gothic atmospherics.

The best previously unreleased track, however, is Pilot Light, a subdued and stunning piano based number that features lovely vocal harmonies and a moving, evocative chorus.

As for the remixes, more gems await. Ash to Bone, remixed by The Chromatics Johnny Jewel is a wistful restrained delight, while new versions of Exhumed and Siphoned (remixed by Wolves in the Throne Room and Kate Gately, respectively) add cavernous layers of sound.

Soak is the best of the bunch, with Joanne Pollock’s remix adding symphonic flourishes and aquatic effects to accentuate Jesus’s sonorous vocal approach (which recalls the Cocteau Twins’ Liz Fraser) to lovely effect.

In conclusion, Okovi: Additions proves a welcome addition (pardon the pun) to its predecessor, and well worth the double-dip for fans.

 

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