TANTRIC SONGS

With 'Hosianna Mantra', 'Tantric Songs' represent the most meditative musical moments offered by the band. It's not exactly rock music because of the emphasis put on acoustic, traditional instruments and due to the influence of sacred musics. The music delivered on this album is a kind of Mantra whose aim is to guide the listener into a deep spiritual universe. Very earthy and acoustic (piano, oboe, tamboura, sitar, choir...) 'Tantric songs' is full of emotion. Repetition and incantation are the major ingredients. Contrary to 'Hosianna Mantra',there's no soprano vocals here. 'Tantric Songs' is a suite of small pieces, sometimes gloomy and dark as the sepulchral and haunted chorus in 'Brothers of Darkness', sometimes very relaxing and celestial as the ecstatic 'Mantra of the touching of the heart'... This album is constantly fascinating, it stays as a monument, breaking all the musical categories.

'Tantric Songs' is the english titled release of already existing tracks, that were released between 1978 and 1979 (mainly from the sessions for the soundtrack of Werner Herzog's 'Nosferatu') on 'Brüder des Schattens - Söhne des Lichts' (1978) and 'Die Nacht der Seele' (1979). A bit confusing, because all titles were although translated from German to English. [I will mention the German titles and their English translation]

'Popol Vuh' is Florian Fricke's brainchild, but Daniel Fichelscher is IMO as much responsible for the classic 'Popol Vuh' sound as Florian. The tracks on 'Tantric Songs' ar a brillant illustration of the cooperataion of these two musicians, one giving rhythm and dynamic the other harmony and melody.Often the two work in a question and answer form.

'Mantram der Erdberührung/Mantra of the Touching of the Earth' opens with Florian's deep throat singing ponctuated by a single deep-tuned drum. The second track 'Mantram der Herzberührung/Mantra of the Touching of the Heart starts with a delicate piano melody ponctuated by guitar strums, giving the track this slow pacing rhythm that is typical for 'Popol Vuh's music, majestic and serene. ' Engel der Luft/Angel of the Air Part. 1' a beautiful melody played by the oboe and ponctuad by percussion and the second part a slow hamonic pace for guitar, piano sitar & tambura.

'Im Reich der Schatten/In the Realm of Shadow' is a solo percussion peace composed by Daniel Fichelscher keeping with the alternation of a gong and percussion the same slow pace as the other tracks.

'Wanderer durch die Nacht/Wanderer through the Night' moves on like a religious procession and 'Höre, der du wagst/Listen he who ventures' a piano melody ponctuated by a single vibrating bass note.

The Masterpiece is the 17 minutes long track 'Brüder der Dunkelheit- Söhne des Lichts/Brothers of Darkness - Sons of Light', an introduction for oboe and choir, gives place after 4 minutes to a weightless slow rhythm for all instruments, ponctuated again by the dynamic guitar playing of Daniel Fichelscher.

A masterpiece of serenity and beauty!

A album that we must listen with closer eyes because it'a a meditation progressive music. Some piano and a calm female voice give a strong music effect ina psichedelic space rock vein but with a strong classic influencies. Everithing is calm, the guityar, the voices , percussion, but this is not a album with orient and Indian influencies. We find a west context in this album. Quite good and quite calm, this masterpiece from Germany it's very good to listen after the stress or in the end of the day. Higly recomended for people that like psichedelic space rock and want start a discover of the sounds of this work, in a calm, balanced and not boring album 5 stars of course

Tantric Songs is a very shallow compilation of tracks from Popol Vuh's Die Nacht Der Seele and Bruder Des Schattens Söhne Des Lichts. The song titles have been translated from German which makes it a bit more difficult comparing but apart from those translations there's nothing new here.

The flow of this compilation is very good though. All pieces are very reflective and moody, combining acoustic guitars, piano, percussion and oboe with low hummed voices. Very atmospheric and dreamy.

So of course the music is magnificent but the 1991 version of this compilation combines these 8 tracks with the complete Hosianna Mantra album and is of course much more recommended. A big 3 stars for the music, 1 star for the relevance of this release.