On the cover of her fifth album, Zola Jesus' face is covered with mask made of mud and ink. Underneath, Zola's eyes peek through and they look both fierce and melancholic. This cover reminds me of her second studio album Stridulum IIwhere she had her face completely covered in mud. Did Nika Roza Danilova dared to reveal herself a bit more, even though she is still not looking directly into the objective?
Okovi brings the story about personal prisons, chains and limitations we put ourselves in. Inability to leave our bodies and incapacity to push the physical boundaries raises the question whether contact with other bodies is even possible. The body per se is a chain around ourselves, but also a medium through which we communicate with external world. In case of Zola Jesus, body is music and ecstasy. On her fifth album, she is rendering it even more as Okovi is her internal transgression that shows how much she had matured, both personally and professionally. Return to Sacred Bones label was a smart move as this house nourishes the style of music Nika creates, so she was free to be candid and expressive.
Besides industrial, electronic tunes and gorgeous arrangements, the main asset of this album is Zola's vocal that resembles Siouxsie Sioux on the one hand and Kate Bush on the other. As a conjunction of those two vocals, Zola Jesus is also a combination of music styles of those two artists. Although she nurtures goth style, her albums are somehow latent pop. Lyrics and interpretation are dark, while the music is approachable. Zola really oriented towards obscurity here, trying to indulge in therapeutic creative process, and Okovi is an evidence that she succeeded.
For purpose of recording, Zola moved to the house in Wisconsin where she grew up. Isolation is a common behavior for artists who want to sublime at peace, without any intrusions by people or interference of distractions that the real world brings. Another important factor that contributed to Okovi are Zola's studies of philosophy, which reflects in her contemplative lyrics. Themes such as sickness, depression, suicidal thoughts, alienation, relationships, attachments and dependence spread throughout the album in a subtle manner, with orchestrations adding up to the dire vibe.
Opening track Doma showcases how Zola's infectious voice contributes to the theatrical and dramatic tone of her music. Exhumed continues in the same fashion of movie-like intense drama. Massive tones make everything sound monumental. Zola's love for Japanese Butoh dance is particularly obvious on Exhumed, although it radiates throughout the whole Okovi. Emphasized drums in electronically-driven Soak give us Zola that we got used to experience from her past releases. Witness speaks about the friendship between Nika and the guy who attempted suicide, and it represents the darkest number. When you listen to the lyrics of Witness, you cement your observation that this is a super intimate album.
Sounds of nature shine on Siphon, but also on Veka that could easily be used for horror movie soundtrack. The album closes with Half Life that refers both to video game and people who live their lives as If they are ghosts. Okovi is dedication to all of those people. Okovi is a soundtrack of a constrained life.
