Anna von Hausswolff
“The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra” is a dramatic, haunting centerpiece of Anna von Hausswolff’s critically acclaimed 2018 album Dead Magic. Built around her signature pipe organ and howling, elastic vocals, the track stands as one of the boldest and most powerful performances in modern avant-garde rock.
Song and Album Details
- Album: Dead Magic (released March 2, 2018)
- Track Position: Second out of five tracks
- Length: 6:09
- Label: City Slang
- Producer: Randall Dunn (noted for work with Sunn O))), Earth, Wolves in the Throne Room)
Musical Style and Impact
- Instrumentation: The song is anchored by Anna’s commanding pipe organ (recorded in Copenhagen’s Marble Church), with support from heavy guitar, bass, and a storm of percussion. Her vocals alternate between ghostly whispers and intense howls, especially in the track’s climactic finale.
- Mood: Gothic, cinematic, and emotionally charged with a tension that builds to a ferocious, cathartic release.
- Critical Response: Widely praised as an album highlight and even “one of the year's best tracks” by several reviewers. The song is described as “a towering six-minute banger that builds to a raging conclusion”.
Themes and Interpretation
- Lyrical Content: Allegorical and mysterious, exploring disappearance, transformation, and existential dread. The repeated phrase “who is she to say goodbye?” at the song’s climax evokes both myth and personal pain, with reviewers citing the rawness of Anna’s delivery as “chilling” and unforgettable.
- Poetic Influence: Anna paired the album’s release with a poem by Walter Ljungquist, meditating on silence, legend, and lost mysteries—important themes in both the song and album.
Visuals
- Music Video: Directed by Maria von Hausswolff (Anna’s sister), the video draws on stark imagery and references to The Wizard of Oz, but subverts its journey—moving not toward color and safety but deeper into darkness. It features Anna and Siri Wigzell in surreal, somber settings, underscoring the song’s air of the uncanny.
Critical Reception
- Dead Magic holds a Metacritic score of 81/100 (“universal acclaim”), with this track repeatedly singled out for its intensity and artistry.
- Reviewers highlight the Swans- and post-rock-inspired weight of the music, while drawing attention to Anna’s unique, operatic vocal power and organ mastery.
Legacy and Live
- “The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra” has become a staple of Anna’s live performances, including a celebrated version from Montreux in 2022.
- The song has appeared in various TV series and has helped cement Anna von Hausswolff’s reputation as a leading contemporary voice in experimental rock.
“The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra” stands as a modern gothic epic—part spell, part ritual, part rock incantation—testifying to Anna von Hausswolff’s singular vision and transformative artistry1916.
