i like Chelsea Wolfe: The Grime and The Glow & Ἀποκάλυψις

Everything about Chelsea Wolfe has come off as mysterious, and at some points even a little confusing. There was series of videos that looked like they could give even Freddy Kruger a nightmare. Her promotional photos frequently feature Wolfe out of focus or as a shadowy figure in the distance, almost in a matter to mask her identity. Then her debut album officially dropped the very last week of 2010, missing any of the end-of/best-of the year buzz that it should have garnered. One thing that has no mystery is the simple fact that her music is gorgeous.

Wolfe’s debut The Grime and The Glow has a lot of haunting echoes to it, both literally and figuratively. Wolfe’s ethereal voice creeps from out of the air like full moon lit incantations of a witchcraft ritual buried deep in the woods. The lo-fi production further clouds her with despair making each song sound like its a plea sung from the deathbed. On a song like “Noorus” she is able to conjure up angst and anger at PJ Harvey levels. The piano driven "Benjamin" and lullaby “Halfsleeper” create folk ballads as bare boned as Marissa Nadler. Tracks like “Deep Talks” and “Widow” are both frightening and mesmerizing in their pure goth madness.

Ἀποκάλυψις, which translates to Apocalypse, either predates or succeeds The Grime depending on where you look (this is where the confusion comes in). The production of this album definitely feels like a sophomore effort, as some songs reappear more polished and cleaner. All the dark elements are still present. There are plenty images of the antichrist, demons, and Moses on both. But here Wolfe’s vocals have been brought to the forefront more, so when she says a line like “We could be two straight lines in a crooked world,” we feel the full effect of its recluse emotion.

The two albums are lush introductions to the frightening world of Chelsea Wolfe. With the sudden reemergence of goth in the indie scene, these are essential. The Grime and The Glow is available on limited-edition vinyl from Pendu Sound, and digitally with bonus tracks at the usual online retailers. Ἀποκάλυψις is currently only available via bandcamp. [UPDATE 3.06.11: Ἀποκάλυψις is no longer available on bandcamp as it will soon be released on vinyl by Pendu Sound.]

...and now here are some creepy videos.

i like: James Blake, the Album

James Blake is cashing in quickly from all the hype brought on from those best of year lists by dropping his full-length debut on February 8th via Atlas/A&M. The previous three EPs released in 2010 each explored a different style of production. Thankfully (at least for my money), his self-titled release most closely resembles the sparring, minimalist sound found on Klavierwerke. Highlight track “I Never Learnt to Share” finds Blake utilizing auto-tune and looping the haunting lyrics “My brother and my sister don’t speak to me./ But I don’t blame them,” over a increasingly thick synth beat. When he’s not sounding like a robot Blake’s voice lets off a soulful coon, best displayed on the first single “Limit to Your Love” (a Feist cover) and the closing track “Measurements.” There are some places where the choppy/off-beat loops deter from the quality, but those songs tend to be short and are saved by the harmonies. James Blake’s vocals and production emote immense resonance with the most minimal effects on this beautiful album.

Here is the video for "Limit to Your Love," Directed by Martin de Thurah.

i like: Cody ChesnuTT, Black Skin No Value

Cody Chesnutt is best known for collaborating with The Roots on their hit “The Seed 2.0” from 2002. But before that, Chesnutt’s version of “The Seed” appeared on his double album debut Headphone Masterpiece.  Recorded entirely on a 4-track in his home, Chesnutt delivered a highly acclaimed collection of lo-fi R&B, before lo-fi R&B was even cool. Now after an extended hiatus, a new social conscious dose has been delivered. The Black Skin No Value EP is clearly meant as nothing more than an appetizer with its six tracks totaling less than 12 minutes worth of music. The production has gotten cleaner, but elements of lo-fi remain as the central songs feature nothing but Chesnutt’s vocals backed up by sparse acoustics. “Everybody's Brother” has him painting a picture of that token former street thug who "used to smoke crack back in the day" but now "teach[es] kids in sunday school." The closers "Where is All the Money Going" and "To Be Upon the Perch" has Chesnutt reflecting on the American recession in a Marvin Gaye "What's Going On" type of style, the latter of which features the most emotion filled (but barely there) arrangement on the release.

Hopefully Black Skin No Value is just something to wet the palate. A full-length is long overdue, but this definitely quenches the thirst for a bit.

And here is a throwback with the video for "The Seed 2.0" with The Roots.