Apokalypsis (Chelsea Wolfe album)

Ἀποκάλυψις
Studio album by Chelsea Wolfe
Released August 23, 2011
Recorded 2010
Genre Indie rock, neo-psychedelia, folk, blues rock, experimental, ambient
Length 37:28
Label Pendu Sound
Producer Chelsea Wolfe, Ben Chisholm
Chelsea Wolfe chronology

The Grime and The Glow
(2010)		 Apokalypsis
(2011)		 Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs
(2012)
Singles from Ἀποκάλυψις
  1. "Mer"
    Released: June 1, 2011[1]

Ἀποκάλυψις, also referred to as Apokalypsis, is the second studio album from American singer-songwriter and eponymous band Chelsea Wolfe, released August 23, 2011.

Writing and composition

The tracks "Demons" and "Moses" are re-recordings of two songs which previously appeared on Wolfe's previous album The Grime and The Glow as "Bounce House Demons" and "Moses," respectively.

Album art

The album cover, as stated by Wolfe in an interview with Self-titled Magazine, explained, "with the eyes blanked out in white, is meant to represent a sense of epiphany and the positivity in realizing and accepting truths, whether they are beautiful or hideous."[2]

Reception

Aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalised rating of 67% based on 5 critical reviews which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[3]

CMJ's Sasha Patpatia noted, "Songs like 'Wasteland' and 'Pale On Pale' drop the energy and could easily be forgotten among the stronger tracks on the album. The instrumentation on each song, though, is rich and brooding, weaving a distinguishable sound that suitably ties Apokalypsis together," adding, "'Movie Screen' is stunning. It seems otherworldly and is the first real sample of Wolfe’s amazing and deep vocal range. This song is the spookiest track on the album, even creepier than 'Primal/Carnal' because it feels much more personal than the horror-film soundtrack." Pitchfork's David Raposa observed, "She's able to approximate the general pallor and stuttering sample-based rhythms of Dummy-era Portishead (on 'Movie Screen'), makes like a superfan of Zola Jesus' The Spoils (on 'The Wasteland'), apes early PJ Harvey (on the fittingly titled 'Moses'), and even recalls the icy allure and off-kilter harmonies of the Knife (on 'Friedrichshain'). It speaks favorably to Wolfe's abilities that she's able to approximate all these different styles successfully, but these tracks don't say much about who Wolfe actually is."

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 67/100[3]
Review scores
Source Rating
Pitchfork Media 7.3/10.0[4]
Consequence of Sound [5]
No Ripcord 6/10[6]
CMJ 7/10[7]
The A.V. Club C+[8]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Chelsea Wolfe. 

No. Title Length
1. "Primal/Carnal"   0:24
2. "Mer"   3:44
3. "Tracks (Tall Bodies)"   4:00
4. "Demons"   3:14
5. "Movie Screen"   5:34
6. "The Wasteland"   4:03
7. "Moses"   4:07
8. "Friedrichshain"   2:43
9. "Pale on Pale"   6:59
10. "To the Forest, Towards the Sea"   2:41

Personnel

Band[9]
Production personnel

References

  1. ↑ ""Mer" - Forkcast Archive - Pitchfork". Pitchfork Media. June 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Chelsea Wolfe: Interview with Self-Titled Magazine". Issuu.com. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.metacritic.com/music/apokalypsis/chelsea-wolfe/critic-reviews
  4. ↑ "Chelsea Wolfe: Apokalypsis Album Review - Pitchfork". Pitchfork Media. October 6, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Chelsea Wolfe: Apokalypsis Album Review - Consequence of Sound". Consequence of Sound. May 23, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Chelsea Wolfe: Apokalypsis Album Review - No Ripcord". No Ripcord. August 23, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Chelsea Wolfe: Apokalypsis Album Review - CMJ". CMJ. August 25, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Chelsea Wolfe: Apokalypsis Album Review - The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. August 23, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Chelsea Wolfe: Interview with Lieutenant Uhura". 2012-02-20.