Acoustic open-mics aren't the most likely incubator for an artist whom Pitchfork credits with synthesizing "wasteland noise and noirish experimentation" while sharing "something essential" with black metal. Or maybe they are. After seeing an undiscovered Chelsea Wolfe in her native Sacramento, sharing a coffeehouse bill with other local folksingers, I can follow the logic of her progression from mournful indie-folk chanteuse to expressionist post-goth icon. It's a trajectory Wolfe threw into reverse on last year's Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs, but resumes on the newly released Pain Is Beauty, wedding P.J. Harvey moans with industrial-strength grooves. Hear for yourself tonight at the Larimer Lounge (2721 Larimer St., Denver, larimerlounge.com) for $12/advance, $15/door, 16-plus, with True Widow opening at 9. — Bill Forman