Arkhon

Zola Jesus

I use to be quite enamoured with Zola Jesus' music. What should have been an exciting move to Mute Records resulted instead in the disappointing Taiga, and on her 2017 return back home to Sacred Bones with Okovi, it had one or two highlights, but I couldn't really get into it. I remember hearing Zola Jesus say of this new record, Arkhon, that it was her best sounding record yet, and I would have to agree. The instrumentation certainly sounds more rich when compared to her early EPs and albums. The songs also sound much more layered and full with great balancing between all the elements. So on a purely technical level, this is Zola Jesus' best record. With that being said though, I can't say I'm really getting into this record all that much either. Arkhon certainly has some highlights, however for each highlight, there's a genuine dud to go along with it.

Into the Wild has a wonderful chorus with shimmering electronics and a choppy marching rhythm. The unexpected flip at the end which features sparse piano notes, a raw drum performance, and some chimes leaves things on a rather beautiful, intimate moment. Then there's The Fall which feels like a misguided clashing of Zola Jesus' dark wave style and contemporary pop. Vocally, it feels a little stiff and I don't much care for the distorted effects. Not only is the dance drum performance - think Rolling In the Deep, except slower - performed in such an un-animated fashion, but this drum beat makes no sense in the context of Zola Jesus' sound. Dead & Gone is an enchanting and cinematic number that feels like it was made for the stage. The orchestration is lovely and Zola Jesus sounds absolutely rejuvenated. However, the track that follows, Sewn, leaves me scratching my head once again. Despite having some interesting vocal lines, the track is really lacking in instrumental development and the trashy rattling that is constant for the last three minutes of the song is really grating.

Desire is a very powerful piano ballad that is hard not to get sucked into. My only critique is that the last two minutes of the song could have been cut off. No new ideas are being introduced, and I get the sense that things are dragging on a little bit. Lastly, I did enjoy the closing track, Do That Anymore, for the warm droning and dreamy qualities. As for the rest of the record though, I felt largely unaffected and sleepy. A good chunk of it just passes me by, not really begging for my attention. Hopefully, for Zola Jesus' next record, she can once again tap into whatever it was that made her early material so compelling, all while maintaining the expensive sound and production that she was able to achieve here.