One of the more haunting album covers of 2011 belonged to Chelsea Wolfe, a singer-songwriter raised in sunny California but whose music beats with a dark heart. Her fuzzed-out folk songs typically present her as both Gothic songstress and ragged rocker.

On “Apokalypsis,” her sophomore album, Wolfe appeared in a portrait with her eyes wide open, but you couldn’t see her pupils. They had been painted over, rendering them deep pockets of white. The image completely suited the music, which Wolfe prefers to keep open to interpretation.