There appear to be at least two Anna von Hausswolves out there. There’s the pipe-organ-drone-metal Hausswolf who I first encountered on Källan (Betatype), and who memorably guested on the Sunn O))) session for 6 Music. Then there’s the pipe-organ-epic-power-balladry Hausswolf of, say, Dead Magic.
This record is emphatically in the latter category. And I’ve got to say that Iconoclasts makes Dead Magic seem almost restrained. It’s 73 minutes are full of pounding drums, swelling strings, floating synths, growling guitars, Singeresque organs, and those full-throated, almost hoarse, and utterly glorious vocals. One of the most striking features is the work of Otis Sandsjö, whose jazzy sax and clarinet appear on three quarters of the tracks here: this works outrageously well, far better than I’d have expected. Just check out the evolution of the 11+-minute title track. There are guest vocals from her sister Maria, from Ethel Cain, and most memorably from Iggy Pop on The Whole Woman: his trademark growl is combined with an exaggerated vibrato which should sound ridiculous but somehow he carries it off superbly. (Incidentally, I wonder how many people who saw the Stooges over half a century ago and the legendary excesses of that era would have guessed that he’d still be belting it out like this at the age of 78?) A collaboration with local favourite Abul Mogard provides an atypically ethereal moment near the back-end of the record.
That all these elements come together in a cohesive acoustic world is an impressive feat. The whole thing treads a narrow line just the right side of overwhelming (for me: others will disagree, I’m sure). It sweeps me away, and there isn’t a duff track or really a dull moment in here. Just glorious.
I bought this from the artist’s bandcamp page.
dogrando writes about some records 