Taiga (Zola Jesus album)
Taiga is the fourth studio album by Zola Jesus. It was released on October 6, 2014 in the UK and EU and on October 7, 2014 in the US through Mute.[1] The album was produced by Nika Roza Danilova and co-produced by Dean Hurley.[1] It marks the first Zola Jesus record to be released through Mute Records. The album title Taiga is the Russian word for boreal forests. A music video was released for the album's first single "Dangerous Days".[2] The music video was directed by Timothy Saccenti and filmed in Hoh Rainforest, Washington.[2]
Taiga | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 6, 2014 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:36 | |||
Label | Mute | |||
Producer | Nika Roza Danilova, Dean Hurley | |||
Zola Jesus chronology | ||||
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Singles from Taiga | ||||
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Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 66/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Consequence of Sound | C+[5] |
Exclaim! | 7/10[6] |
MusicOMH | [7] |
NME | 7/10[8] |
Pitchfork | 5.9/10[9] |
PopMatters | 6/10[10] |
Rolling Stone | [11] |
Upon its release, Taiga received generally positive reviews from music critics. The review aggregator website Metacritic assigns a "Metascore" to each album, which is based on the ratings and reviews of selected mainstream independent publications, and the release has a score of a 66 based on 21 selected critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Nika Roza Danilova.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Taiga" | 2:55 |
2. | "Dangerous Days" | 4:29 |
3. | "Dust" | 3:32 |
4. | "Hunger" | 4:32 |
5. | "Go (Blank Sea)" | 4:05 |
6. | "Ego" | 2:49 |
7. | "Lawless" | 5:15 |
8. | "Nail" | 3:05 |
9. | "Long Way Down" | 3:58 |
10. | "Hollow" | 3:50 |
11. | "It’s Not Over" | 4:05 |
Total length: | 42:36 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
- Nika Roza Danilova – vocals, synthesizer, programming, production, arrangement
Additional musicians
- Joe Exley – horn arrangement, tuba
- Kyra Sims – French horn
- Gabe Martin – flugelhorn, trumpet
- Garth Flowers – trumpet
- Andris Mattson – trumpet
- Erik Hughes – trombone
- Matt Melore – trombone
- James Rogers – trombone
- Drake Smith – trombone
- Kim Free – violin
- Gillian Rivers – violin
- Yuiko Kamakari – viola
- Justin Kantor – cello
Technical personnel
- Dean Hurley – production, engineering, mixing
- Chris Coady – additional production
- Brian Rosemeyer – additional engineering
- David Tolomei – additional engineering
- Blake Mares – mixing assistance
- Brian Lucey – mastering
- Caleb Braaten – art direction, design
- David Correll – art direction, design
- Julia Comita – cover, insert photography
- Jeff Elstone – back cover photography
Charts
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[12] | 48 |
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[13] | 9 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[14] | 40 |
References
- Jenn Pelly (July 15, 2014). "Zola Jesus Shares Taiga Album Art, Tracklist, Announces International Tour". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
- John Walker (August 28, 2014). "Zola Jesus' 'Dangerous Days' Video Is So Overwhelming". MTV. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
- "Taiga - Zola Jesus". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- Phares, Heather. "Taiga - Zola Jesus". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- Geffen, Sasha (October 7, 2014). "Zola Jesus – Taiga". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Sylvester, Daniel. "Taiga - Zola Jesus". Exclaim!. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- Hogwood, Ben. "Taiga - Zola Jesus". MusicOMH. OMH. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- Cooper, Leonie. "Zola Jesus: Taiga". NME. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- St. Asaph, Katherine. "Zola Jesus: Taiga". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- Paul, John. "Zola Jesus: Taiga". PopMatters. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- Weiner, Sophie. "Goth queen goes pop, with anonymous-sounding results". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50: 12 October 2014 - 18 October 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- "Zola Jesus: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- "Zola Jesus: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2018.