6.75 out of 10Zola Jesus is the art of one woman named Nika. Her music was created to not only evoke apocalyptic themes but to battle our depressing future. She has over a decade of operatic study under her wings and is also inspired by Pop music, Classical Arias, No-Wave and old school Punk-Rock. The end result is a truly unique din, and although it would fit perfectly among the growing trend of Lo-Fi bands that are emerging, ZJ will surely be one of the standout bands from the new Lo-Fi era.
Assuming you're ok with orchestrated/organized noise, drones, super Lo-Fi recordings, Industrial soundscapes, and female vocals with a "punch" Zola Jesus will be a perfect fit for your ears. "Tsar Bomba" starts off with a loud, somewhat obnoxious (in a good way) crunchy noise followed by Nika's somewhat angry sounding, yet laid back vocals. On "Last Day" Nika utilizes her voice perfectly on top of a catchy/melodic sounding accordion and a drum machine loop that reminds me of SPK's early Industrial sounds. Their are really only a few tracks where you can hear her poppy side ("Sea Talk") coming through more, but for the most part the rest of the record maintains it's over-experimental sound with distorted vocals and simple recording effects.
Overall "Tsar Bomba" is an interesting peak into Zola Jesus' soon to be massive underground/Lo-Fi career. I wouldn't be surprised if at least 10 or more bands try to rip off her sound during the next year or so. Not for everybody, but definitely for fans of Experimental Lo-Fi Industrial sounds.
Standout Tracks: Last Day, Th'aria, Sea Talk (damn fine song), Past The Blue Brick Stone
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