Roll up a sleeve and bare your main line: Chelsea Wolfe wants to get right in your blood. I’ve been listening to Apokalypsis for a few weeks now, and while it has immediate merits (it’s calamitous but not abrasive, creepy but still analgesic), I’ve wondered how much of my admiration was infatuation, how much Wolfe’s dark art would eventually prove to be artifice. Well, let no one question the power of an outstanding live show. Having watched Wolfe’s recent session with i-D mag, my faith has surged and I’m in a happy daze, ready to give the album another listen with new, hypnotized ears.
The video is three songs, three of the album’s finest: “Tracks,” “Mer,” and “Movie Screen.” “Mer” is a personal favorite — incredible for its primal, consistent guitar line, like the gentle but potentially drowning pitch of waves. “Movie Screen” seems less about any single film and more about the haunting white of a screen in a dark room; the hymnal buildup mimics that glow. The Vimeo page offers credits for make up, hair, and wardrobe, to whom we owe thanks for the innovation of Jesus-crotch. Just listen for yourself, in that dim red room.
All this is pretty much a primer for Wolfe’s six upcoming NYC/CMJ shows, where I’m sure sharp sound will flay scores of new fans.
• Chelsea Wolfe: http://chelseawolfe.net
• i-D Magazine: http://i-donline.com
