Taiga (Zola Jesus album) explained

Taiga
Type:	studio
Artist:	Zola Jesus
Cover:	Taiga_album_cover.jpg
Released:	October 6, 2014
Length:	42:36
Label:	Mute
Prev Title:	Versions
Prev Year:	2013
Next Title:	Okovi
Next Year:	2017

Taiga is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter 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". The music video was directed by Timothy Saccenti and filmed in Hoh Rainforest, Washington.^[2]

Critical reception

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".

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Zola Jesus

• 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)^[3]	48
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)^[4]	9
US Independent Albums (Billboard)^[5]	40

Notes and References

1. Web site: Zola Jesus Shares Taiga Album Art, Tracklist, Announces International Tour. Pitchfork. Jenn Pelly. July 15, 2014. July 20, 2014.
2. Web site: Zola Jesus' 'Dangerous Days' Video Is So Overwhelming. https://web.archive.org/web/20140902023600/http://www.mtv.com/news/1914924/zola-jesus-dangerous-days-video/. dead. September 2, 2014. MTV. John Walker. August 28, 2014. September 10, 2014.
3. Web site: Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50: 12 October 2014 - 18 October 2014. Official Charts Company. May 9, 2018.
4. Zola Jesus: Heatseekers Albums. Billboard. May 9, 2018.
5. Zola Jesus: Independent Albums. Billboard. May 9, 2018.