Zola Jesus - In Your Nature (David Lynch Remix)

Contain your excitement everyone. David Lynch, Godfather of weird, has remixed Zola Jesus’ “In Your Nature”. With Lynch being a huge influence on Nika Danilova’s music it’s a match made in heaven. The remix, which is the B side to the “In Your Nature” single, also ties in rather nicely with the fact that Sacred Bones are reissuing the soundtrack to Lynch’s Eraserhead on deluxe vinyl later this year.

Unsurprisingly Nika Danilova isn’t fond of remixes. She feels they’re rarely an improvement on the original song. With “In Your Nature” being one of the strongest tracks on “Conatus” with its thumping dance beats and high pitched strings anyone can see why Nika would be protective over her music but in her own words “when David Lynch asks to remix your song, you let him”.

The David Lynch remix follows the same structure as Zola Jesus’ original but the strings and synth beats are replaced with vocals that echo over steady drum beats, chilled guitars and Twin Peaks-esque keyboards that give the track an eerie yet uplifting feel. It could perfectly soundtrack the infamous Roadhouse’s Pink Room scene in Fire Walk With Me.

David Lynch has managed to make the song into something that competes with the beauty of the original track but still has his distinctive surreal and dreamy feel to it.

By Eden Young

Zola Jesus - Conatus

Zola Jesus aka Nika Danilova recorded her debut album, The Spoils "in the womb of a Wisconsin winter" from 2008-2009, holed up in her apartment. What was produced was a fuzzy and lo-fi yet beautiful puzzle. Trying to work out what she was singing was hard but in songs like "Clay Bodies" one thing was clear, her classically trained voice was a force to be reckoned with. From apartment to studio Zola Jesus’ sound has gradually evolved into powerful, clean, industrial dance music over the course of 3 albums, 3 EPs and a few collaborations.

"Conatus", Zola Jesus’ third album (named after a philosophical concept), is similar to her previous studio efforts. You can expect lots of synth, haunting tones, mournful lyrics about lost lovers and a powerful sound. But that doesn’t mean it’s less breathtaking or spectacular. Album opener "Swords" is just an intro but with its dramatic piano and distant vocals it is pure Zola Jesus. "Vessel", which was free to download in June, will be familiar to fans but it still hits hard with its strong chorus and crunching beats. "Seekir" takes on an almost tribal feel, the chanting and swooping synths make the song stand out from all the others. It breaks up the album and stops it from becoming one long song. "In Your Nature" would sound more at home on the soundtrack of "1984" with its screeching 80s drum machine beats but somehow Nika gets away with it. After an emotionally exhausting nine songs the calm and serene "Skin" really lets Nika really show off her talents as she’s accompanied by a piano and nothing else. The clean, pure sound is worlds apart from the hazy, fuzzy vocals on "The Spoils" and her operatic tones are enough to reduce anyone to tears.

Throughout the album the one thing that really shines through are the vocals. Every song is tinged with sadness as Nika’s voice is even emotive, clearer and more powerful than ever. Conatus will provide a fix for the hardcore fans and hook in ones, making them fall in love with the masterpiece that is Zola Jesus.

8/10
By Eden Young