The Two Towers

[dotinthesky]

Zola Jesus, Stridulum II, 2010
The 80s is the decade that keeps on giving. This probably annoys a lot of people who hated its music but for me it's a blessing.  I cherish these new bands that pay homage to the 80s and I won't give up until the third 80s revival in 2040.  Zola Jesus has gone down the trad goth route for Stridulum II.  She starts the album with "Night", which sounds unsurprisingly like a vampire love song.  The ominous beat and background chants that follow could have been in a Dead Can Dance album.   In the quieter moments - like in "I Can't Stand" - you can see the influence of Siouxsie and the Banshees' Tinderbox.  The album climaxes in Tower, a brilliant song that sounds as if it's being delivered from a post-apocalyptic world.  The best track, though, is "Sea Talk" for nailing perfectly the album's forlorn love theme.

Comments

[millionreasons.livejournal.com]

When's the Madchester revival? (Beady Eye don't count)

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I think it's been postponed until the next decade.

[ultraruby.livejournal.com]

Hehe, we so often seem to be listening to the same music! I was listening to this at the weekend and found I liked it far more than I was expecting to. I'd read so much about it being goth music and since I don't at all see myself as a goth, or as having any particularly knowledge/reference points on goth culture, I though it might seem more like a curio or a snapshot than a thing I actually might want to climb inside and properly listen to. But actually no, it's quite quite beautiful and layered and lovely - no matter what its references (and the only ones I could think of were Dead Can Dance/This Mortal Coil, which thinking about it I guess come from Iain's time as a goth years ago) it's a lovely, coldly powerful sort of an album.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! In fact, I think I'm doing her a disservice by stressing the 80s connection - the electronic beats are quite current as well as her delivery (more like Bat for Lashes and Florence than Siouxsie).

Speaking of compatible music tastes, have you heard Hurts "Sunday" single? I've got the b-sides if you want... ;-)

[ultraruby.livejournal.com]

Oooh, b-sides would be lovely, thank you! If they're emailable I'm ultraruby@hotmail.com.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

No probs, will do it sometime this week! x