Chelsea Wolfe: Pain Is Beauty (Sargent House, 9/3/13)
Don’t make the mistake of hearing Chelsea Wolfe’s Pain Is Beauty without a headphone session. The range of sounds and the boost in sonic theatrics are breathtaking — “The Warden,” “Destruction Makes the World Burn Brighter,” and “Sick” offer up Eastern-sounding hammered dulcimers, vocal cooing over dirty and jangly guitar tones, and a dose ofBerlin-era Bowie, all within the span of just three tracks.
Wolfe’s new album takes the intimate and creepy ponderings of previous release Apokalypsis and drastically expands and explores the space within each track. Previously, the songs were a collection of confessions told by a flickering campfire; now each track blazes and roars like a cliff-side bonfire.