Customer Reviews

Tantric Songs / Hosianna Mantra

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At 76:31, this is the single best value for Popol Vuh fans you will find anywhere. It reproduces, apparently in entirety, two Popol Vuh albums, Tantric Songs (also Die Nacht der seele) and Hosianna Mantra.

The tantric songs are fairly short pieces that present a variety of meditative environments. I can't speak to any technical details that they may embody, not being a practitioner of tantric yoga. Called songs, the vocals are by and large wordless tones or chants with the punctuation of electronic keyboard music and effects.

Having just listened to Die nacht der seele and this CD back-to-back I am fairly sure that the same material is on both CDs, and would therefore advise against purchasing the former separately (unless like me you gotta have it all).

There are several "musical references" to music contained on other albums, most notably the Nosferatu soundtrack albums (the title track of the Bruder des schattens is quoted in its entirety). If you like this stuff as much as I do the quoting won't bother you. If you don't you won't find so much of it that you may not be as satisfied..

To date, as far as I know, Hosianna Mantra has not been separately released on CD, and so this is the only place you can get that material. Hosianna Mantra contains a higher content of female vocals and actual sung words than other Popol Vuh albums -- more like their Seligpreisung, Sei Stille, Hohenlied Salamos, and Einsjager albums than the soundtrack albums and related material.

It's good stuff. It's rather light, for Popol Vuh, in a sense that a room in a house in the mountains with east-facing windows might be bright on a winter's morning. The Hosianna Mantra material may lack the deep grounding sound of the Tantric Songs and other material but certainly represents an interesting aspect of the group's music.

Details: Tracks are Mantra of the touching of the heart; Mantra of the touching of the earth; Angel of the Air part 1; Angel of the Air part 2; In the realm of shadow; Wanderer through the night; Listen he who ventures; Brothers of darkness -- sons of light; Ah!; Kyrie; Hosianna-Mantra; Departure; Blessing; Devotion 1; Not High in Heaven; and Devotion II, for a total time of 76:31.

Those of you expecting some pencil-necked macrobiotic New Ager doodling on a casio next to a cage full of exotic birds and a couple of running taps - be warned. This monumental work from the Teutonic genius of Florian Fricke is true ambient music - as distinct from most of the ubiquitous aural valium that poses under the dreaded department store moniker of 'New Age/ Ambient / Relaxation. Not that this music isn't relaxing (it can be profoundly so ), but there is a vast textural range here that somehow addresses the more obscure and refined emotions within.
Popol Vuh have been composing haunting soundtrack music for many years - through their fruitful artistic alliance with that iconoclastic German director Werner Herzog - in films such as Aguirre, Nosferatu and Heart of Glass. Tracks 'Kyrie' and 'Hosianna Mantra' are reminiscient of Some of Jerry Garcia's extraordinary electric guitar on the 'Zabriskie Point' soundtrack, while others evoke the timeless, universal longings of the great spiritual traditions - through an impeccable marriage of Eastern and Western instrumentation. I know it's been said ad nauseum in respect of many other albums, but this gorgeous soundscape is truly 'timeless'.

I particularly liked this compilation because of the beautiful melodies and instruments used. There are many tracks with an exotic sound, due to the sitar which can be vaguely heard,and the ethereal vocals of Djong Yun.
"Departure" is a very beautiful and atmospheric melody which is characterised by the lyrical sound of Robert Eliscu's oboe. In all, this compilation of these two albums "Tantric songs" and "Hosianna Mantra" is very relaxing and soothing. Even long tracks like "Brothers of darkness-sons of light" and "Hosianna Mantra" do not lose their melodic quality despite their long duration.

This CD is a brilliant compilation of Popol Vuh's work. I love it! It takes you to a realm outside of space-time, to Tartaros, the shadowy Underworld ruled by Hades. Here you are privy to a preview of the shadowy existence that awaits. But just when despair seems to be too heavy, the light and love of Sons of Light comes through and redeems you. This is the music of transcendence. This is the music of the soul. Buy it now! Hades command you!

Hosianna Mantra has to be one of my favorite albums ever. It's a pity that it, along with the rest of Popol Vuh's catalog, is virtully unheard of in the United States. The songs on Hosianna Mantra are beautiful and among the most spiritual pieces I've ever heard. The 10-minute title track is a standout, combining angelic vocals with piano and watery guitar to great effect. And Departure is one of the more beautiful pieces of music ever, in my opinion. Along with this album comes the later Tantric Songs, a solid but not spectacular effort. The two Angel of the Air songs are very beautiful, however. If you hate New Age-ish music, then you probably wouldn't like this. Not to say that this is New Age, but it is more meditative than most (or all) "rock" music. It's worth checking out otherwise.

Hosianna Mantra is truly a wondrous album. The first three tracks (making up the original side one - remember when albums had side one and side two?) are incredible - the woman's voice is orgasmically beautiful and the fluid flowing sublime electric guitar is mystically magical - I never knew an electric guitar could sound that rapturous and carry a melody along so well. The remaining tracks (side two if you're following closely) are more subdued, but again very lovely - some of the best ambient music ever before there was a genre for it. I'm also quite fond (not as much as Hosianna Mantra, but who cares) of Tantric songs - an album from a few years later, that's very peaceful and sedate, yet intense and edgy as well - you can't go wrong with this CD.

a lovely CD. A couple of slightly repetative songs but a beautiful collection of calming sounds with a great depth of soundspace. Don't be put off by the title. It is not naff and it's a great listen for something a bit different.