Coeur De Verre

At the end of the 1970s while Disco, Punk and New Wave introduced new standards, Popol Vuh produced one of their absolute highlights with “COEUR DE VERRE” (1977). After the more explicit (raga)rock album "Letzte Tage, letzte Nächte", they released “COEUR DE VERRE” (Heart of Glass), an album in the same style and with the same intensity, but with even more refined and subtle arrangements.

This was their first all-instrumental release since 1973’s Hosianna Mantra. The album was recorded in a smaller line-up with Fricke and Fichelscher; guest musician Matthias von Tippelskirch playedflute, Al Gromer contributed flute and sitar. The compositions have unprecedented dynamics with a deep, hypnotic effect, created by irresistible trance-like ambient rock effects. It was hardly a surprise that Werner Herzog chose the music as the soundtrackfor his feature film "Heart of Glass." Herzog claims that almost all the actors performed the entire film under the influence of hypnosis. Subsequently, this album was released as the soundtrack to the film.

“COEUR DE VERRE” proves that Popol Vuh’s intense soundscapes can flourish even without vocals. Interwoven with influences of eastern world music, an unmistakably rich progressive rock sound emerged. Heavy, groovy guitar patterns dominate on ‘Hüter der Schwelle’ and ‘Der Ruf’. "Das Lied von den hohen Bergen" and "Singet, denn der Gesang vertreibt die Wölfe" are another two brilliant piecesfusing world music and rock. The atmospheric bonus track "Earth View" serves as the epilogue. The motif, which slowly builds over repetitions, is an ambient solo composition by Florian Fricke from 1977.