Ceremony | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 18 July 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2012 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 60:59 | |||
Language |
| |||
Label |
| |||
Producer | Filip Leyman | |||
Anna von Hausswolff chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Ceremony | ||||
|
Ceremony is the second studio album by Swedish musician Anna von Hausswolff. It was released on 18 July 2012 in Sweden by Kning Disk. The album was followed by a worldwide re-release in Europe and North America in June and July 2013, respectively. Ceremony incorporates the pipe organ, which was recorded at the Annedal Church in Gothenburg and became von Hausswolff's first work to include that instrument. Ceremony is primarily a gothic pop record that spans from folk to drone styles, but also art pop, post-rock, noise, and ambient. The death of the singer's grandfather inspired the lyrical content from the album.
Ceremony received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its innovative sound in comparison to her debut. It received nominations at the Grammis Awards, and the Nordic Music Prize. The album was a commercial success in Sweden, peaking at number 5 on the Swedish Albums Chart. Two singles supported the album: "Mountains Crave" and "Funeral for My Future Children". The songs "Epitaph of Theodor", "Deathbed", and "Epitaph of Daniel" received music videos despite not being promoted as official singles.
After releasing her debut album Singing from the Grave (2010), von Hausswolff moved from Gothenburg, Sweden to Copenhagen, Denmark. [1] [2] [3] During that time, she played a synthesizer that featured the sound of a pipe organ, which gave her interest in that instrument. [4] The album was recorded at the Annedal Church in Gothenburg which, despite having a small organ, von Hausswolff said that it "sounds really big because of the massive room, with cold walls made of stone." [3] She previously performed in that church at the 2009 Way Out West. [1]
The singer stated that during the recording of Ceremony in 2012, she played the pipe organ for the first time; the instrument would later become prominent in her following albums. [5] She added that "[o]nce I sat down and started playing, I knew that this was going to be a longterm relationship." [6] The album was worked on over several months at producer Filip Leyman's Gothenburg studio. [7] Von Hausswolff uploaded a series of YouTube clips of the recording process in the studio between May and June 2012. [8]
Ceremony blends several musical styles. Primarily a gothic pop album, [9] [10] it also combines folk, [11] drone, [12] art pop, post-rock, [13] noise, and ambient. [14] The album makes prominent use of the pipe organ in nine tracks, differing sonically from Singing from the Grave, which used the piano as the main instrument. [15] [3] Other instruments present in Ceremony are piano, synthesizers, [11] hand-claps, bass guitar, and discordant percussion. [16] The lyrical themes are predominantly about death and loss, with von Hausswolff saying that the death of her grandfather inspired the album. [14] [15] Fabiana Giovanetti of London in Stereo wrote that "the lyrics are positively Byron-esque, resembling the British Romantic decadence of the 1800s. [17]
Ceremony opens with the track "Epitaph of Theodor", an instrumental that incorporates a church organ melody. [18] It is followed by "Deathbed", in which von Hausswolff's voice does not appear until the middle of the song, and then returns to instrumental. [12] The longest track in the album, it is an 8-minute cut that features organ, brushed cymbals, and echoing guitar, as well as her voice that "soars operatically and growls emphatically". [11] [19] "Mountains Crave" is a pop song built on three chords and features a "rudimentary 808 snare clap." [20] "Epitaph of Daniel" was compared to the work of Angelo Badalamenti for the series Twin Peaks. [18]
"No Body" serves as an interlude that experiments with noise and ambient genres, while "Liturgy of Light" is a folk song "that sounds like it's being played in a subterranean cave." [14] "Harmonica" was written after von Hausswolff's grandfather, who gave her an harmonica before he died. The track discusses "how culture and traditions can travel from generation down to generation." [15] In "Ocean", the singer's "[Kate] Bush-like" vocals are accompanied by piano and a gospel choir. [14] "Sova" is the only track from the album sung in Swedish, von Hausswolff's native language, and is backed by percussion, crashing guitars, and thunderous drums. [11] [21] The "bleakly dramatic"-titled "Funeral for My Future Children" is a chamber pop song based on a clattering rhythm that combines her soaring vocals with pipe organ. [22] [23]
Ceremony was released only in Sweden by Kning Disk on 18 July 2012. The album was re-released on 14 June 2013 in Europe by City Slang and on 9 July 2013 in North America by Other Music Recording Co. [20] The album's artwork features a close-up of organ pipes, reflecting on the use of that instrument in the music. [3]
To promote Ceremony, Anna von Hausswolff made several live performances. Her performance of "Mountains Crave" premiered through Stereogum 's website on 16 May 2013. [24] She later played "Funeral for My Future Children" with percussionist Michael Stasiak at Christ Church United Methodist, New York City. American radio network NPR published the performance on 4 September 2013. [25]
Two singles were released in support of Ceremony. The album's lead single, "Mountains Crave", was released on 28 June 2012. [26] The song's music video, directed by Anders Nydam, was released on 18 June 2012. [27] "Funeral for My Future Children" arrived to the United Kingdom as the second and final single on 23 September 2013. [23]
Though not promoted as official singles, three songs from the album received music videos. The video clips for the songs "Epitaph of Theodor" and "Epitaph of Daniel" were released on 31 August 2012 and 21 December 2012, respectively; both of them were directed by Maria von Hausswolff, the singer's sister. [28] [29] "Deathbed" was issued as a promotional single following the announcement of the album's re-release. [19] Maria directed its accompanying music video, and it features von Hausswolff's siblings. [12]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.1/10 [30] |
Metacritic | 77/100 [31] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
The 405 | 7/10 [32] |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Filter | 83% [33] |
GIGsoup | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Line of Best Fit | 7.5/10 [12] |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicOMH | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Skinny | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Ceremony received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 77, based on seven reviews. [31] Paul Smith from GIGsoup gave the album a perfect score, commenting that the inclusion of the church organ "gives a ghostly feel and compliments the vocals perfectly." [34] Peter Margasak of the Chicago Reader stated that despite not "entirely ditch[ing] th[e pop] template" from Singing from the Grave, Ceremony "radically altered the complexion of [von Hausswolff's] music, giving it a severe intensity and sense of grandeur." [37] Similarly, Nothing but Hope and Passion magazine's Henning Grabow agreed that the album "is clearly still pop music, yet it is of an unlimited, profound and ambitious sort" and that "it's just music that's passionately digging in the peripheries where, naturally, a lot of darkness is to be found." [38]
Calling Ceremony "a rare, thoughtful, inspiring record", Bob Boilen from NPR found that "von Hausswolff's voice possesses the power to soar with those mighty pipes and still hold tight to delicate, personal emotions." [39] Nevertheless, a more mixed review came from The New York Times 's Ben Ratliff, who thought that her voice "isn't quite as big as she wants it to be, and her own instrumental writing is simple and limited", further adding that "the record is awkward and seriously pretentious at times, but you can't miss the heat of its ambition." [40] Ceremony was nominated for two Swedish Grammis and a Nordic Music Prize nomination. [39] Upon its initial release, Ceremony entered Sweden's Sverigetopplistan chart at number five. Following the announcement of its 2013 re-release, the record reached number 58 in that country. [41]
"Mountains Crave" was featured in the eighth episode of the HBO series The Sex Lives of College Girls in 2021. [42]
All tracks are written by Anna von Hausswolff, except "No Body", written by Daniel Ögren. All tracks are produced by Filip Leyman
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Epitaph of Theodor" | 5:25 |
2. | "Deathbed" | 8:38 |
3. | "Mountains Crave" | 3:35 |
4. | "Goodbye" | 6:16 |
5. | "Red Sun" | 3:17 |
6. | "Epitaph of Daniel" | 3:10 |
7. | "No Body" | 2:33 |
8. | "Liturgy of Light" | 5:01 |
9. | "Harmonica" | 4:22 |
10. | "Ocean" | 5:44 |
11. | "Sova" | 3:24 |
12. | "Funeral for My Future Children" | 4:42 |
13. | "Sun Rise" | 4:52 |
Total length: | 60:59 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ceremony. [43]
Musicians
Technical
Artwork
Chart (2012–2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [41] | 5 |
UK Record Store Albums (OCC) [44] | 18 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sweden | 18 July 2012 | Digital download | Kning Disk | [45] |
23 July 2012 | LP | [46] | ||
Europe | 14 June 2013 | Digital download | City Slang | [47] |
United States | 9 July 2013 |
| Other Music Recording Co. | [48] |
Mando Diao is an alternative rock band from Borlänge, Sweden. The band got their breakthrough with the release of the album Hurricane Bar. Their main fan base is in Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan. Band members are Björn Dixgård, Carl-Johan Fogelklou (bass), Daniel Haglund (keyboard) and Patrik Heinkipieti (drums).
Parkway Drive are an Australian metalcore band from Byron Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2003. Parkway Drive have released seven studio albums, one EP, two DVDs, a split album and one book, titled Ten Years of Parkway Drive. The band's latest three albums have reached number 1 of the Australian ARIA Charts – Ire (2015), Reverence (2018), and Darker Still (2022).
Carl Michael von Hausswolff is a composer, visual artist, and curator based in Stockholm, Sweden. His main tools are recording devices used in an ongoing investigation of electricity, frequency, architectural space, and paranormal electronic interference. Major exhibitions include Manifesta (1996), documenta X (1997), the Johannesburg Biennial (1997), Sound Art - Sound as Media at ICC in Tokyo (2000), the Venice Biennale, and Portikus, Frankfurt (2004). Von Hausswolff received a Prix Ars Electronica award for Digital Music in 2002.
The Grammis are music awards presented annually to musicians and songwriters in Sweden. The oldest Swedish music awards were instituted as a local equivalent of the Grammy Awards given in the United States. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm. The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled, then revived in 1987.
Jonas Erik Altberg, known professionally as Basshunter, is a Swedish singer, record producer, songwriter and DJ. As indicated by his stage name, Basshunter is known for bass-heavy eurodance, trance, and electronic pop music.
"Boten Anna" is a song by Swedish musician Basshunter, from his first studio album, LOL. Following the single's release in 2006, Basshunter gained popularity in his native Sweden, as well as Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Poland and the Netherlands. The song topped hit charts and, on 3 May 2006, was named Norway's official Russ-song of the year. It was also the most popular song at The Gathering LAN party 2006. An English version titled "Now You're Gone", sung by Sebastian Westwood, using unrelated lyrics, was released in December 2007.
The Menzingers are an American punk rock band from Scranton, Pennsylvania, formed in 2006. The band consists of Greg Barnett, Tom May, Eric Keen (bass) and Joe Godino (drums). To date, the band has released eight studio albums, with their most recent, Some Of It Was True, released on October 13, 2023.
Anna Michaela Ebba Electra von Hausswolff is a Swedish singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and pipe organist. She is known for her gothic-styled music, usually accompanied by the pipe organ. Von Hausswolff's music has received praise from music critics, though it resulted in protests from Catholic fundamentalist groups.
First Aid Kit is a Swedish folk duo consisting of the sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, born in 1990 and 1993 respectively. When performing live, they are accompanied by a drummer, a guitarist and a keyboard player. First Aid Kit started to become internationally known in 2008 with their YouTube uploaded cover of the Fleet Foxes' song "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song". In 2012 Rolling Stone magazine had their song "Emmylou" as 10th on their "Single of the Year" list. First Aid Kit has released five albums, four EPs and several singles. In 2015, they were nominated for a Brit Award as one of the five best international groups. They were nominated again in 2019 and 2023.
Tove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She gained popularity as a contestant on Swedish Idol 2009, finishing in third place. After the show, she started a solo career in electropop. She released her debut album Tove Styrke in 2010. The New York Post included Styrke in its list of "10 Artists to Know in 2011". In 2015, she released her second album, Kiddo. Three years later, in 2018, she released her third album, Sway. Throughout the 2010s Styrke gained an increasing critical acclaim as an independent artist resulting in her single "Say My Name" being included in Rolling Stone's 100 best songs of the decade.
Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui, known professionally as Loreen, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Representing Sweden, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and 2023 with the songs "Euphoria" and "Tattoo" respectively. She is the second performer, after Johnny Logan, to have won the contest twice, and the first woman to do so.
Flight Facilities is an Australian electronic production duo that also performs as Hugo & Jimmy. In 2009, they began mixing songs by other artists before crafting their own original material. The duo consists of Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell. Their debut album Down to Earth was released in October 2014 and features prominent names in the industry such as Kylie Minogue, Emma Louise, Reggie Watts, Bishop Nehru, Christine Hoberg, Owl Eyes, and Stee Downes.
For King & Country, stylised as for KING & COUNTRY and formerly known as Joel & Luke as well as Austoville, is a Christian pop duo composed of Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone. The brothers were born in Australia and emigrated to the United States as children, settling in the Nashville area.
The discography of Loreen, a Swedish pop music singer-songwriter, consists of two studio albums and fifteen singles.
Randall Dunn is an American record producer, audio engineer, composer, and musician.
The Miraculous is the third studio album by Swedish musician Anna von Hausswolff. It was released on 13 November 2015 by her own label Pomperipossa Records. As in her previous album Ceremony (2012), The Miraculous contains a pipe organ, which was recorded at the Studio Acusticum concert hall in the Swedish city of Piteå. When writing the album, Von Hausswolff took inspiration from a place where her family used to tell her stories as a child, and the book Källan by Swedish writer Walter Ljungquist.
Dead Magic is the fourth studio album by Swedish musician Anna von Hausswolff. It was released on 2 March 2018 on City Slang and received critical acclaim.
Cravity is a South Korean boy band formed by Starship Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Serim, Allen, Jungmo, Woobin, Wonjin, Minhee, Hyeongjun, Taeyoung, and Seongmin. They debuted on April 14, 2020, with their extended play, Season 1. Hideout: Remember Who We Are.
All Thoughts Fly is the fifth studio album by Swedish musician Anna von Hausswolff, released on 25 September 2020 by Southern Lord Records. The album consists solely of seven pipe organ pieces composed and played by von Hausswolff, who also produced the album with Filip Leyman. It received a positive reception from critics and placed on multiple year-end lists.
Her four-octave vocal range rose above compositions that wove classically tinged Gothic art pop and skeletal post-rock that touched on Sweden's gloomy operatic and folk traditions.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)