Miraculous, The

Genre: fantasy, rock, doom&gloom, devotion, organ-core, drone

Huge, dazzling songs from this Swedish multi-instrumentalist. Inspired by a trip to one of the largest pipe organs in Scandinavia, “The Miraculous” tells the story of a group of children’s search for the holy. An evocative, immersive, gargantuan album.

Others: Swans, Chelsea Wolfe, Jenny Hval, Wovenhand

Favorites: 1, 9, 4, 7, 8, 3, 6

1. (8:45) **** Discovery - Brooding saxophone. Ethereal organ and metallic percussion evoke the feeling of setting foot in folklore. Amazing soaring melody takes over. A track of epic proportions. Strips down in the last third, with guitar and voice introduced.
2. (3:11) The Hope Only Of Empty Men - Organ melody and buried vocals. Subtle crackling. A pained string section carves through the wall of sound. Tense, foreboding, dissonant.
3. (2:13) ** Pomperipossa - Rhythmic, bright organ. Commanding vocal performance. Sun melting the fog off the mountain tops.
4. (10:49) *** Come Wander With Me/Deliverance - Sparse, slowly evolving melody. Vocals begin fragile but gain intensity. Electric guitar and drums crash in a third of the way through. Pounding, massive rock. Works its way into a huge Swans-esque groove.
5. (2:55) En ensam vandrare - Slow/mid tempo introspective mood-setter.
6. (3:01) ** An Oath - Drawn-out deep vocals. A martial beat joins in. Von Hausswolff in triumphant form.
7. (3:08) *** Evocation - Starts off right away with guitar feedback before bleeding into a lurching, slow ballad. Chilling moment when her voice comes to the fore and all but the organ drops out. Awesome ambient finish.
8. (9:59) * The Miraculous - Droning opening minutes. Ebbs into ghostly ambient territory. Fluttering bliss. Fake ending. Turns sour, a bit sinister.
9. (5:28) *** Stranger - Folky feel. One of the lighter, more lucid tracks. The sensation of slowly coming to a realization after a long journey. Beautiful beautiful stuff.