Anna von Hausswolff – ”Ceremony” (2012)

 

Anna with the German sounding surname was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is the daughter to the sound artist Carl Michael von Hausswolff. Ceremony is her second album after the debut Singing From the Grave. The church organ is in focus on the album, and since I've always been quite fond of this massive instrument, I like the music.

Anna has often been compared to Kate Bush, and of course some similarities exist - they are both two female singers with the courage to venture outside the box. But I absolutely think Anna has her own expression and her own profile. She moves along her own path and doesn’t blindly follow someone else. If you absolutely want to find similarities with other artists, which for some reason can be fun sometimes, my first spontaneous association was Chemical Brothers and their beautiful song Asleep From Day (1999). And maybe you can hear a hint of Pink Floyd, I think mainly of the guitar playing, and possibly a drop of Mike Oldfield à la Ommadawn in some places. But as said, Anna walks her own path. I guess hearing similarities to other artists' music is inevitable, doesn’t matter what artist you listen to. And in Anna’s case it even takes some good will and imagination.

 

The church organ, appearing in 9 out of 13 songs, has a tendency to give the music a rather dark twist. When I listen to the album I feel like I'm in a church, and would consider playing some of the songs at my funeral. Song titles like Epitaph of Theodor, Deathbed or Funeral for My Future Children hint that death is a theme that pops up regularly on the album. But it’s not a depressing record, the songs are often so beautiful that the beauty of them dominates the experience. The church organ's presence is not a requirement for a fine experience, though, the songs without the organ are just as beautiful.

Sometimes the tempo increases on the album, as in the song Sova, but most songs are quite peaceful and tranquil. Here and there you are treated to atmospheric experiences as the closing number, Sun Rise. A couple of instrumental songs also appear, including the sound experiment No Body, and through out the album it’s a pretty big soundscape. There are beautiful melodies through out the album, and the stroke of genius to let the church organ take the center spot at least works on me.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Epitaph Of Theodor 5:25
2. Deathbed 8:38
3. Mountain Crave 3:35

Side B

1. Goodbye 6:16
2. Red Sun 3:17
3. Epitaph Of Daniel 3:10

Side C

1. No Body 2:33
2. Liturgy Of Light 5:01
3. Harmonica 4:22

Side D

1. Ocean 5:44
2. Sova 3:24
3. Funeral For My Future Children 4:42
4. Sun Rise 4:52