Anna von Hausswolff's debut EP "Track of Time" was released in February 2010 by Kning Disk, magnificent avant-garde pop with its crosshairs trained on the heart. The first album "Singing From the Grave" appeared in May. Everyone who hears Anna von Hausswolff sing, immediately stops, listens and gets touched by her magic. Her voice is that of total expression. Sometimes it caresses you, sometimes it roars up a storm.
On July 9, 2013 "Ceremony" was released in North America by Other Music Recording Co., and Anna von Hausswolff played her debut US show on July 10 at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn. The album received strong support from National Public Radio's Bob Boilen, who said "Von Hausswolff's voice possesses the power to soar with those mighty pipes and still hold tight to delicate, personal emotions. I hope to find one album like Ceremony every year — a rare, thoughtful, inspiring record for a night on the couch or a candlelit evening — and now I've got one for 2013." She was also featured on NPR Weekend Edition Saturday, PRI's The World, WNYC Soundcheck, the New York Times, Pitchfork and more.
Ceremony was followed up by "The Miraculous" late in 2015.
Large pipe organs first started to be built in European churches in the 14th century. While much of the music that people at the time heard and played would be dedicated to the glory of God, surely nothing could have prepared them for the sound that now filled their places of worship. As the solemn timbre of the metallic pipes echoed around the stony transept, the congregation must have trembled in their pews before this new instrument of the Almighty. More than ever, the organ turned the church into a place of "mystery, magic and terror".
These are the words that Anna von Hausswolff uses to describe the undisclosed location in rural Sweden that inspired The Miraculous, a place of great natural beauty that nevertheless remains haunted by the blood-stained spectres of a brutally suppressed peasant uprising. Using the 9,000 pipe Acusticum Pipe Organ, Hausswolff has conjured an entire world into being here, forging a unity between reality and imagination that's so immense in its conception that it's initially difficult to properly take in. It's like a gigantic monument that you have to keep stepping back from in order to get any perspective on it.
The sleeve alone should clue the listener to the fact that there's nothing here as heart-stoppingly lovely as 'Mountains Crave' from 2012's Ceremony: Hausswolff appears as a faceless apparition, an erased portrait sitting in a derelict room with faded pictures of Christ and angels on the walls. The elemental vastness of the sound recalls the aesthetic of Swans, while Nico is another key reference point, one woman communing with herself and the world via a droning, medieval keyboard. But The Miraculous certainly isn't all existential gloom and despair. Instead, its sense of dread is offset throughout by a yearning to break free of mortal bonds and become immanent in nature.
'Discovery' immediately sets the tone, a foghorn blast of bass pipes suggesting that something huge is approaching in the dark. A thick wave of organ slowly seeps into every corner of the audio field, before a skirling siren call and the military drums of battles past introduce notes of tension and conflict. It breaks down to the sounds of aftermath from which a spare Morricone-esque guitar line emerges. When Hausswolff finally starts to sing, her voice is strong as she bears witness, but soon the words start to tumble out with growing urgency, and then she's chanting "Run!/Run!/Run to the sun!"
This epic opener is followed by two shorter tracks. 'The Hope Only Of Empty Men' sounds like it's being transmitted from some point in the distant past, Hausswolff's syllables twisted and tortured as they leave her mouth, while the organ pulses like a hangover. 'Pomperipossa' is an awestruck blast of ecclesiastical prog full of unnerving chord changes.
But it's the eleven minute sturm und drang of 'Come Wander With Me/Deliverance' that's the album's massive centrepiece. A slow, sepulchral organ melody is joined by the beautiful controlled tone of Hausswolff's lonely choir girl. There's a great segue into a lumbering procession of the damned which then consolidates into a hammering one chord riff over an increasingly martial beat. Hausswolff sings, "He came from the sunset / He came from the sea / He came from the shadows…" like Elizabeth Fraser on the rack, before dissolving into wordless cries of ecstasy or pain, who knows. Cue guitar solo, and then a little sit down to recover.
It's hard to imagine where to go after that, but another three short tracks pick up the album's themes. 'En Ensam Vandrare' is based on the type of brooding but meditative arpeggios that inevitably bring Philip Glass to mind, while 'An Oath' is a ballad sung against marching drums again. And then 'Evocation' is a summoning up of everything that's gone before, the density of the sound plus the inflection in Hausswolff's voice making me wonder if this is what Sunn O))) recording with Abba would sound like. There's a minute of static and feedback ascending and then disappearing into the sky, and it feels like a natural ending–
But no. 'The Miraculous' itself is an extended drone piece, a gradual layering of chords on the organ as though it's slowly waking up from a deep slumber. Hausswolff's voice drifts over the top, her faceless spirit moving through the pipes, the organ's high notes like swooning strings and brass. Final track 'Stranger' is perhaps the most 'traditional' and romantic song here, a plea for absolution with twanging guitar.
This album is a pretty astonishing piece of work. Hausswolff has pushed out into unmapped territory where post-rock, prog, doom metal, modern classical and high church music all co-exist in uneasy alliance. It's the type of album you have to commit to completely, but for those seeking a glimpse of the numinous, it's worth the effort.
March 2018 sees the release of Anna's fourth album - "Dead Magic", and was preceded by the single "The Vanishing of Elektra" and in the run up to the albums release its first track "The Truth, The Glow, The Fall" was officially released as an audio onto YouTube.
Official site: http://www.annavonhausswolff.com
Official Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/annavonhausswolff
Ugly and Vengeful
Anna von Hausswolff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm older
I'm heavy
Like a stone
Forgiven, foresaken
I'm searing
At my pores
Die
For the stone
For the stone
For the stone
I can't die for the stone
For the stone
He wants to have my glorious
He wants to have my glorious
He wants to have my glorious
I am restless
And I'm older
And I'm heavy
Like a stone
Stone
Stone
Stone
Stone
The lyrics of Anna von Hausswolff's song Ugly and Vengeful are a poetic expression of frustration, weariness, and a sense of being trapped. The opening line "I'm restless" captures the mood of someone who is struggling with an unfulfilled desire to move on to something new or better. However, the repetition of "I'm older" and "I'm heavy like a stone" suggest a sense of resignation, as if the singer has come to accept the difficulties of their situation.
The word "forgiven" speaks to a past wrongdoing, while "foresaken" hints at a sense of abandonment or betrayal. The reference to searing at the pores suggests a deep-seated anger or pain. The repetition of the phrase "For the stone" is a cry of despair, as if the singer is reaching out for something that they cannot have. The final repetition of "stone" is a kind of echo, emphasizing the weight and solidity of this symbol.
The line "He wants to have my glorious" adds a layer of complexity to the song, hinting at a possible relationship dynamic, perhaps one that is unequal or exploitative.
Overall, Ugly and Vengeful is a powerful meditation on the frustrations and pains of life, coupled with a sense of being trapped or stuck.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm restless
I am feeling uneasy and unable to relax.
I'm older
I have aged and am no longer young.
I'm heavy
I feel weighed down and burdened.
Like a stone
My heaviness is comparable to that of a rock.
Forgiven, foresaken
Having been both pardoned and abandoned by someone or something.
I'm searing
I am burning or causing a hot, intense pain.
At my pores
This searing pain is occurring at my skin's openings for sweat and oil.
Die
An exclamation suggesting a strong desire to receive a particular outcome or object.
For the stone
This desired object or outcome is worth dying for, specifically a heavy, rock-like object.
For the stone
Repeatedly insisting that this object is worth dying for.
For the stone
Still insisting that the stone is worth dying for.
I can't die for the stone
Realizing that the idea of dying for the stone is not a viable or reasonable option.
For the stone
Acknowledging once more that the stone is significant and worth sacrificing for.
He wants to have my glorious
An unknown figure desires to possess or take away something that is considered magnificent or impressive.
He wants to have my glorious
Reinforcing the idea that the object of desire is something impressive.
He wants to have my glorious
Continuing to suggest that this unknown figure covets something that the artist considers valuable.
I am restless
The artist reiterates their unquiet state.
And I'm older
Reinforcing the singer's aging status.
And I'm heavy
Repeating the previous statement about feeling burdened and weighed down.
Like a stone
Continuing to consider oneself as heavy and inert like a rock.
Stone
A final, solitary reference to the theme of heaviness and rock-like qualities.
Stone
Stressing, one last time, the idea of a heavy, immovable object.
Stone
Repeating the word as a final thought on the song's motif.
Stone
A concluding repetition of the word to leave a lasting impression.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gustavo Bahia
lyrics
I’m restless
I’m older
I’m heavy
Like a stone
Forgiven, foresaken
I’m searing
At my pores
I wanna die
For the stone
For the stone
For the stone
I can’t die for the stone
For the stone
He wants to have my glorious
He wants to have my glorious
He wants to have my glorious
I am restless
And I’m older
And I’m heavy
Like a stone
Stone
Stone
Stone
Stone
(took from here https://genius.com/Anna-von-hausswolff-ugly-and-vengeful-lyrics)
John Spooner
She just keeps getting,better and the band as evolved so much , constantly pushing these amazing sound scapes to even higher places , with no fears of changing the songs pace or style, Live they are in the top five live bands to see including an legends from the past. Anna's energy seems just drive the band to higher and higher levels and she is such a tiny person you wonder were it all come from amazing and truly up their with the likes of Lisa Gerrard , Kate Bush , Deimada Galas with her vocal range and creative talents , I hope she can finally get tour the USA , has I think she will be a massive hit their , so far we have been spoiled in Europe with her and her Bands spell binding performances.
IT 3025
Too good, and too special to be a massive hit
keir farnum
@nosoupforyou
Apparently not you. Your loss.
para-dieswaerts
Yes, very well put! Seeing them live (and this song in particular) was one of the best musical experiences I've ever had. Incredible artist, fantastic band!
Bengt Samuelsson
michael aryn Totally agree. Love the soundscapes Anna is creating. Heavy and beautiful. Well put.
michael aryn
@Bengt Samuelsson I care as well. this is heavy and beautiful. these are two of my favorite things.
NisiMvsica
Magnificent Anna may be unaware, but her live show can be - it was to me - a more-than-cathartic, transformative experience, in a way only Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave or a great Bach concert can be. I can only hope she and her bandmates do not stop what they do.
ludwigfeuerbach
I'd add Mozart's Requiem, esp. Dies Irae. But you are so correct.
Lubię dobre.
I experienced total catharsis at their concert in norwegian church. I cried all the time.
michael aryn
and Swans as well