Chelsea Wolfe

Unknown Rooms is an eerie and artistic collection of songs. Chelsea Wolfe has made a name for herself as a gothic songstress. Usually backed by an arrangement of instruments, this album is simple but brilliant musically, allowing her dramatic but fragile voice to take center stage. The whole album posses a desolate energy, like an abandoned house out in West Texas that you know you shouldn’t wander in because every horror movie tells you not to but you let your curiosity win and you end up stumbling upon something incredible beautiful. Beginning with “Flatlands,” picked chords on a guitar accompany Wolfe’s vulnerable vocals, the track is a tender one. Vulnerability is something the album more than excels in. Wolfe’s vulnerability translates into a vulnerable mindset for the listener as well. “The Way We Used To” and “Spinning Centers” use high whispering vocals to express delicate lyrics. “Boyfriend,” a standout of the album sounds like a warning from a dead ex-girlfriend to an unlucky boyfriend, “Boyfriend/ Be careful if you can” and is irresistibly creepy. “Hyper Oz” is a brighter spot in the album that still maintains a sinister air about it. The final track “Sunstorm” features the same chords being pounded out on the piano in an ominous way. Needless to say, Chelsea Wolfe doesn’t seem to shy away from the creepy, a definitely plus in my book.