Ceremony

About

Swedish singer/songwriter and keyboardist Anna von Hausswolff—the daughter of controversial artist Carl Michael von Hausswolff—sits down at the Annedal church organ in Göteborg for nine of this album's 13 tracks and creates a sound that truly deserves to be called gothic. Her second album, <i>Ceremony</i>, starts with the organ instrumental "Epitaph of Theodor," which settles on a drone reminiscent of Nico's harmonium days on a grander budget. The passivity is deliberate. It follows onto "Deathbed," where finally—just shy of five minutes—the unorthodox power of her heaven-sent vocals make themselves known. "Mountains Crave" introduces a succinct composition with a compact melody and more conventional instrumentation (guitar and synths). It's nothing you'd call "pop," but it's a sign of other potential. "Goodbye" returns to the sounds of the earth's core opening by the end of its six-plus minutes. Avant-garde pieces ("No Body," "Harmonica"), piano poems ("Liturgy of Light," "Ocean"), and further gothic moves ("Epitaph of Daniel," "Sova") make for deep, rewarding listening.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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