ZJ’S FAVOURITE SONGS ON BODYSPACE
January 25, 2010Zola Jesus’s list of favourite songs -ever- has been featured on BODYSPACE. The site is in Portuguese but you can read the list in English here.
Klaus Nomi — Enchanté
Nomi was definitely one of those artists that came out of nowhere, contributed something so far-out and novel, changed the entire climate for art, and then left before anyone had a chance to know what hit them. He is an icon, Klaus Nomi is my Madonna… his talent and vision is to this day unsurpassed.
Steven Grandell — Burn My Eyes
There will be people playing minimal synth forever, in that same cold, analog tradition as it started, but when I heard Burn My Eyes by Steven Grandell I felt like he invented it. It has such a heavy mood, this song takes me so many places emotionally and aesthetically.
Diamanda Galas — The Litanies of Satan/Wild Women With Steak Knives
My god, this woman is a FORCE. This is unbelievable. When I listen to Diamanda I can’t help but turning all the lights off and rolling around in a dark room. It is the only way. And this song is like an exodus of inner demons. I am so thankful Diamanda Galas exists and has contributed what she has to society because our world is now forever changed. I also really love that she has adapted Baudelaire’s poetry to song. It’s so perfect… it’s so perfect… it drives me crazy when I listen to it.
Brethren — Hail Aids
This is a very bad song. The context of the song and the mission statement of the artist is incredibly insular and bigoted. It is hard for a lot of people to get past that when listening to Brethren. But his songs are so passionate, so intense, so brutal and raw, and you know what he’s saying he means with such conviction. It is frightening but at the same time kind of empowering that someone can make music like this. Almost like a testament to America’s freedom of speech. I don’t agree with the context of his project but I respect that he has the freedom and certitude to do this. And this song is so powerful. It’s really moving.
Sektion B — Endstimmung
So powerful. It’s industrial power-electronics but it hits me in the same way as a sad love song does. It makes me feel so alone, but also very determined. I put this one when I feel like just focusing on surviving. It’s my survival song.
Kate Bush — Hounds of Love
I could really choose any song on Hounds of Love… I particularly revisit the title track the most because of it’s minimalist quality but at the same time it’s so full. The beat is heavy. She’s really inspired me to try to create big, beautiful songs; just like this one.
Esplendor Geometrico — Destrozaron sus Ovarios
The first time I heard Esplendor Geometrico was a huge revelation. It’s like when you have a sound in your head but can’t find it outside of you. Esplendor Geometrico was like discovering the sound in my head I always wanted to hear.
Sword Heaven — Town Hag
This is as metal as I get. Such a huge song, so masculine, so primitive and barbaric. I want these dudes to play at my wedding or something, I need them involved in my life somehow. I can’t get enough of the violence that is Sword Heaven. You cannot passively listen to “Town Hag”. Whenever I play it I picture myself being scooped up and thrown around by a Godzilla-sized android of Conan the Barbarian. This is going to be the theme song of the apocalypse.
Nicoletta — Il Est Mort Le Soleil
Nicoletta has such an enormous voice. Especially at a time when yé-yé was so popular and all the singers had these tiny little voices that were overshadowed by their modelesque beauty. Nicoletta was both talented and beautiful. I have wanted to cover this song so many times but the music is so complicated I can never figure it out!
Master/Slave Relationship — What Did You Do
I’m always really drawn to strong women, the kind that can play with the boys. Deb Jaffe (Master/Slave Relationship) is a terror but at the same time very overtly sexual and feminine. It is really phenomenal. Her concept of sound texture is so great, especially in this song. And that hook is so intense!
