Of all the venues in LA, the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery has more magic than most. A tiny building on the front grounds of the cemetery, with bench seating around the perimeter and a small setup of folding chairs in the center, this room demands your undivided attention.
Having booked two, one-hour shows back-to-back, there was something of a cabaret vibe as Angelenos rolled in ready to start weekend. At 8:00 PM sharp Zola Jesus took to the stage looking thoroughly modern in a sleek, monochromatic column dress, wood-soled flatform sandals, and metal cuffs around her top-knot and left bicep.
In the past I’ve seen Zola Jesus compared to M83, which in truth, was probably due to her guest vocals on “Intro” from ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’, because stylistically there’s not much of a similarity. Midway through the set the show really began to gel with the performance of the song “Night“.
It may have been The Avett Brothers that released an album titled ‘Emotionalism’, but it’s a fitting description for this evening, as well, particularly on the uber-romantic track “Fall Back“.
Versions, the aptly titled new release from Zola Jesus features songs from previous albums re-worked in collaboration with J.G. Thirlwell and the Mivos Quartet. The new classical arrangements stemmed from an invitation to perform at the NYC Guggenheim that caused Nika Roza Danilova (Zola Jesus’ real name), to approach Thirlwell with the aim to strip away the original electronic aesthetic, and while some of those elements are still present, it is the unwavering strings and big vocals that make for high drama.
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Post by Nicole/ Twitter: @nikki_redhead
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