A flawed horror show
Much of modern experimental music prides itself on being unknowable. Influences are worn deep under winter layers and most rhythms and chord structures are scattered to the wind. In most cases, it is gratifying to find a record that shuns these conventions by returning to a much more normalized method of songwriting, but with the same vicious sounds listeners have come to love. If what you yearn for is more of the latter, then look no further than Anna Van Hausswolff’s latest record Dead Magic. Everything on this record is immediately familiar, but each piece is just off enough that it feels possessed by a malevolent force. Like walking into a haunted asylum, there is something here that you recognize, but nothing you expect.
Dead Magic is constantly building toward its final choice. Its identity constantly meandering across a long scenic path with only one destination. It flirts with atmosphere and ambiance in the beginning, particularly on the opening track, “The Truth, The Glow, The Fall” which has the unfortunate potential of scaring off a listener altogether. Its ambient sections are lovely and fully textured, but the second portion of the song feels less fleshed out than it should. Airy, almost archaic vocals populate the track after about a minute of a textural build. Normally vocals should serve as a reprieve from the quieter, more development focused portions of a track, but Hausswolff is never quite able to pull this track together. Lush strings eventually mutate into a horrific circus instrumentation, atop of which lay powerfully crooned vocals, none of which ever seems to marry to the other.
Luckily, the opening track feels like a lone occurrence, it’s just a shame that it came at such a critical portion of the record. The third track “Ugly and Vengeful” is a much more expertly constructed piece of music. Where the opener pulled its reveal too early, “Ugly and Vengeful” is happy to take its time, which comes as no surprise given the sixteen plus minute run time. Much of the track is spent slowly building over a grating synth full of crackling energy. Elements of whining electronics are layered in slowly so as to not upset the careful balance of the record. Vocals on this track are much more expertly applied, they feel like an accent to the whole rather than a distraction. When the track violently breaks into chants and organs by the midsection it feels earned and pays off beautifully. The rest of the record continues in similar fashion, using an organ on both “The Marble Eye” and “Kallans Ateruppstandelse” to craft a ghastly mansion for the listeners’ mind to dance through. If you have a strong fear of ghosts, the album itself may prove to be too much, which only goes to show its expert craftsmanship.
There is no small portion of flawed records. Dead Magic can certainly count itself among their number. Yet most flawed albums do nothing quite as interesting as this record does. As the album goes on, it gets better and better, seemingly correcting its flaws in real time. And while this was clearly not Hausswolff’s intent, it does lead to an engaging and ultimately memorable experience that is worth the small time investment.
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