SEI STILL, WISSE ICH BIN

Thankfully, a large part of Popol Vuh's discography has come back into print the last few years- I bought this on iTunes, and I'm glad I did. By the 1980s, the spiritual side of Florian Fricke's vision had come to the forefront. This album and "Agape-Agape" are vocal-oriented, often choral works redolant of spirtual music from many cultures, unapologetically mystical and very beautiful. With a full choir and Renate Knaup's (Amon Duul II) incredible vocals, this record is a must-buy for anyone with even a passing interest in Fricke's post-electronic works. There are elements of polyphony, plainsong but also Eastern music and European folk idioms on this album, blended beautifully. The backing music is the typical mix of Fricke's piano, Daniel Fichelscher's hypnotic electric guitar and assorted percussion, with a guest appearance from Chris Karrer, but the music is always just a setting for the richness of the vocals. This is basically a secular mass, and like all of Popol Vuh's music, it manages to straddle the genres between modern classical, folk and ambient musics without ever approaching New Age cheeze. It's a five star album for me, but since it would be an acquired taste for most, I'll take it down to four- reluctantly.