Review: Chelsea Wolfe's Apokalypsis daunts the dawn of Revelation

Source: Pendu Sound Recordings
http://pendusound.com/releases/psr-0045/

Once you get past the demonic hissing, throaty squawks and white noise that opens Chelsea Wolfe’s Apokalypsis, this dungeon-dredged album only gets weirder. 

At one point during the song “Movie Screen,” it was like listening to a tea whistler going off in the kitchen while a dial-up modem failed to connect to AOL and an acid-dazed, computer-gaming nerd played the slowest game of Pong on Atari. 

Yet there is something entrancing about Wolfe’s contralto vocals chanting over the ambient, psychedelic goth-rock auxiliary that accompanies her haunting Gregorian incantations on songs like "The Wasteland."

Intrepid fiends of the macabre and experimental can catch the first listen of Apokalypsis in its entirety on NPR Music, which acquired the nearly 38-minute album 10 days before its release date. Pendu Sound Recordings is launching the record on August 23.

Take heed, I don’t recommend listening to Apokalypsis just before bed. (I’ll be sleeping with the lights on tonight.)

Sounds like: A malformation of Tori Amos, Jefferson Airplane and Philip Glass.
Recommended song: Tracks (Tall Bodies)

Read more on Chelsea Wolfe:

Album Review: Chelsea Wolfe - Apokalypsis – Consequence of Sound

Chelsea Wolfe album streaming, she plays NYC Wednesday – Brooklyn Vegan

First Listen: Chelsea Wolfe, 'Apokalypsis' – NPR Music

Written by Priscilla Tasker

Beans is on beat with Top 10 of 2010

To close out the year 2010, The Rhythm Report invited guest blogger David Beans, musician and producer, to share his Top 10 favorite albums of the year. The list presents a mix of original artists who are closing out the decade with intricate compilations of musical design. The first in this series of Beans' best albums is Down There by Avey Tare. Stay tuned to The Rhythm Report through the end of the year to learn who else topped his list.

Avey Tare - Down There

Review by David Beans
A founding member of the experimental group Animal Collective, Avey Tare's first solo record combines samples of underwater grumblings, distorted samples and talk of crocodiles (Really!) with vocal hooks that can't be ignored. The record follows Animal Collective's recent mainstream success, his sister's battle with cancer and a divorce from his wife. Who doesn't love despair!
Recommended Track: "Lucky 1"

This artist was featured on the National Public Radio (NPR) series First Listen in October. Also, read Pitchfork Media's review on Avey Tare.

David Beans collaborates with Recording Engineer and Musician Keith Vance to offer recording and audio mixing services. Recent clients include Tom Evanchuck, Diamonds and Pearls, and Justin Markert. Beans also released a self-recorded solo album entitled The Loss & Recovery EP in 2008, available at www.david-beans.com. Contact: davidbeans@msn.com

Read about and listen to the other artists who topped this list in 2010:

Beans' Top 10 beats of 2010: No. 3, 2 & 1

Beans' Top 10 beats of 2010: No. 4 & 5

Beans' Top 10 beats of 2010: No. 6 & 7

Beans' Top 10 beats of 2010: No. 8 & 9

Beans is on beat with Top 10 of 2010