She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She＜Clear Vinyl＞

Its no coincidence that She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She doesnt sound exactly like any of Chelsea Wolfes other music. Made in the wake of her decision to become sober, her seventh album reflects the ways she had to transform in order to survive. However, Wolfe knows that rebirth isnt a clean break, and as she envisions her past, present, and future selves working together to heal from trauma and addiction, she reinvents her music by reconciling the old with the new. The blend of Hiss Spun and Abyss foreboding, Pain Is Beautys brooding, and The Grime and the Glow and The Birth of Violences hauntingly direct songwriting that can be heard on She Reaches Out… extends to the albums creative team. Alongside regulars Ben Chisholm, Jess Gowrie, and Bryan Tulao is producer David Sitek, an inspired choice to bring fresh energy to Wolfes music. Sitek is an expert at collaborating with magnetic vocalists like Karen O and Celebrations Katrina Ford and creating soundscapes rich with depth and detail. All of these qualities are abundant on She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She. Not only do the albums intricately detailed productions and arrangements envelop Wolfes audience, they take an active role in depicting her struggle with equal measures of beauty and terror. Though She Reaches Out… focuses on change, Wolfe hasnt lost any of her ability to make her listeners hair stand on end. When she sings about "bathing in the blood of who I used to be" over gut-sinking bass on "Whispers in the Echo Chamber," its still not adequate preparation for the onslaught of wicked riffing that follows. Even when the album doesnt explode, the tension is unrelenting; on "Everything Turns Blue," the buckling beat and queasy synths give way to a spine-tingling breakdown filled with echoing, wraithlike vocals. Wolfes voice barely rises above whispers and coos, but its always the main attraction on She Reaches Out…, particularly when she uses the haunted, fragmented elegance of trip-hop to frame her catharsis. She takes the ache Portishead and Massive Attack brought to the style to extremes on "Tunnel Lights" glowering desperation, "The Liminal"s frostbitten dread, and "Salt"s mesmerizing brooding. Wolfe, Sitek, and company push themselves even farther on wild sonic trips such as "Eyes Like Nightshade," an unearthly collage barely grounded by percussion that rattles like chains, or "Unseen World," a sinuous blend of Middle Eastern strings and cascading beats. As dark as the album gets, the remarkable clarity Wolfe brings to her journey through fear, anger, sorrow, and strength suggests that change is possible. "Dusk" offers a satisfying, if not entirely happy, ending, revealing a sense of determination -- and one final eruption of guitar -- that delivers a well-earned feeling of closure. Hopeful in a deeply honest way, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She chronicles an evolution that brings out the best, most adventurous aspects of Wolfes music. ~ Heather Phares